-
Beyond the Lending Club Scandal – Why Marketplace Lending is Still Needed in Emerging Markets
Renaud Laplanche, the CEO of industry pioneer Lending Club, resigned in May amidst rumours of fraud and malpractice. Since then, critics have been trying to write off marketplace lending as a flawed business model. But it's too early to discount the value of the entire industry – especially as it emerges in markets like India and China to address the critical needs of SMEs.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
-
Weekly Roundup: How Brexit Could Impact Emerging Markets + Other Non-Brexit News
We could not call this a Weekly Roundup without addressing Britain’s decision to leave the European Union (spoiler alert: like most economists, we're struggling to see any upside.) But for those readers who've had their fill of Brexit news, we have plenty more developments to share, including Capria Accelerator's new $100 million fund, Waste Ventures' tie up with Coke, and the dark side to alternative credit scoring.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing, Social Enterprise
-
Viewpoint: CFPB Payday Rule Addresses the Problems, Not the Solution
If the final rule doesn't create a clear lane for good lenders to step in with a variety of new loan product designs, the CFPB risks leaving important consumer needs unfulfilled.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- North America
- Tags
- lending, regulations
-
Savings & Loans firms battle identity crisis in Ghana
Savings and loans companies in the country have appealed to the Bank of Ghana to consider creating a new identity for the industry, as the image of their business has been severely battered as a consequence of the troubles in the microfinance sector.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- lending, microfinance
-
Peer-to-peer lending segment needs regulation, says Reserve Bank of India deputy governor
Gandhi says RBI believes P2P lending is an important innovation in the financial services space as it furthers the agenda of financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- lending, microfinance, regulations
-
Letter from Mindanao, Part 2: Rural banking and the promise of cacao
In part two of his exploration of the effects of ASEAN integration on banking in the Philippines, Bruce MacDonald discusses the value of targeting hard-to-reach rural clients with microfinance, SME and agricultural loans. Of particular importance: loans for cacao production, as the country is ideally placed to help address a global cacao shortage that could reach a million metric tons by 2020.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
-
Letter from Mindanao, Part 1: The impact of ASEAN integration on banking in the Philippines
On January 1st, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' 10 member countries inaugurated the ASEAN Economic Community, a common market whose goal is to forge a prominent regional bloc and bring economic well-being to its 625 million citizens. How will the integration affect banks in the region? In a recent trip to the Philippines, Bruce MacDonald sought the perspectives of government and central bank officials and private bankers.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
-
Serve Rural Areas or Lose License, Central Bank of Nepal Governor Tells Microfinance Institutions
Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) Governor Chiranjibi Nepal has warned that the central bank may scrap the license of microfinance institutions who fail to reach rural areas of the country.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia