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The Double Bottom Line of Microfinance Must Become a Triplet: Why MFI performance measurement needs a gender lens
According to the Microfinance Information Exchange, 74 percent of MFIs claim to target women, and just over half declare women’s empowerment or gender equality as an objective. Yet gender has not been recognized as one of the pillars of MFI performance. Women’s World Banking makes the case that all MFI performance measurement must have a gender lens.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment
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Ghana: Banks Struggle to Mobilize Savings, as MFIs Take Deep Bite
The reserves of commercial banks in the country have been on consistent decline since the first quarter of the year following a sharp increase in the withdrawal of deposits and saving by their customers.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Incofin Investment Management endorses need for agricultural finance by launching new $200 million agRIF fund
Incofin Investment Management (IM) is seeking to raise around USD 200 million for its new agRIF fund which will focus on the unmet global demand for financial services that target smallholder farmers.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Small Farms, Big Funding Gap: Local bank financing for smallholder farmers meets only 3 percent of overall demand
New research reveals that local bank lending to smallholder farmers – which should be a main avenue for improving their access to finance – meets less than 3 percent of their estimated financing demand. This gap represents an obstacle to global poverty reduction efforts - and a compelling opportunity for buyers, lenders and other actors in the agricultural value chain.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Getting Innovations to Market: Crazy ideas and actionable insights from Grameen Foundation’s Dar es Salaam Workshop
Human-centered design methodology has led to a number of great products, but many get stuck in the implementation phase, only to collect dust on a shelf. That’s why forty international development practitioners recently convened in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to discuss creative ways to ensure that new products actually get to market and reach end users. Grameen Foundation’s Kimberly Davies shares some of their insights.
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- Uncategorized
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The Lion and the Toucan: Bank of Tanzania’s experiences in mobile finance offer valuable lessons to peers in Brazil
Brazil is the largest nation in Latin America in terms of population and area. Already a well-established regional and global leader in the field of financial inclusion, notably in areas such as agent banking and financial education, with a long history of overcoming policy challenges and difficulties, it would be easy for the nation to rest comfortably on its impressive policy achievements.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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Microfinance’s macro potential
Microfinance is, at its heart, an effort to provide financial services to people who are not served – or are under-served – by the formal banking system. With appropriate, accessible, and fairly priced financial services, people can build their savings, cover the costs of unexpected emergencies, and invest in their families’ health, housing, and education.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
