-
Viewpoint: How We Talk About Microfinance: Alex Counts Replies to Dean Karlan
On Sunday, August 23, as I was enjoying some of the final days of summer visiting friends in New Hampshire, I noticed that I had been tagged in a tweet by Dean Karlan, the founder and president of Innovations for Poverty Action. He provided a link to an article about FINCA that included extensive quotes from its CEO, Rupert Scofield. He asked Rupert if he really believed microfinance could reduce terrorism, and asked me what I thought (“whatcha think?” was the precise formulation of his question). Hetweeted again on Monday, asking whether I was “still going to stand by [my] claim that no microcredit leaders make grandiose and overselling impact claims?”
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- lending, microfinance
-
India’s MFI credit bureaus comb client data to smooth microloans
Three years after India’s first credit bureau for microfinance institutions (MFIs) opened shop, teething troubles continue to prevent lenders and borrowers from making full use of it.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- lending, microfinance
-
The Key to Fighting Poverty in Africa: Could unlocking smallholder finance solve both the continent’s food and employment challenges?
Small and mid-sized agribusinesses are a vital link in Africa’s local and regional agriculture markets. They're also key to building an inclusive African economy able to absorb a workforce that’s set to double in size over the next 25 years, and to feeding a continent that is hungrier now than ever. There’s only one problem: Commercial banks won’t lend to them.
- Categories
- Agriculture
-
Why Microfinance Loans Have Such High Rates
In recent years, microfinance—distributing small loans to the poor -- has been at the center of an intense debate about the ethics of charging low-income customers high interest rates and then making a profit from them.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Latin America
- Tags
- lending, microfinance
-
Fintech firm takes biometric microfinance tool to Uganda
Awamo, a fintech firm firm formerly known as BCB Biometric Credit Bureau, has revealed that it is taking a biometric microfinance solution it has developed to Uganda thanks to $550,000 it has raised in Series-A funding.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
OPINION: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank – Much ado about very little
For the AIIB to be an effective political instrument, it needs to be a successful financial and development institution. That will be very hard to fully pull off.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- lending
-
Breaking the Myths of Microfinance
A poor woman approaches a microfinance lender along with a couple of her neighbours and friends.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- lending, microfinance
-
Mutual Funds in India Invest $157M in Secured Debentures of Microfinance Institutions
Several mutual funds based in India, including Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Prudential Mutual Fund, Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Mutual Fund, Kotak Mutual Fund, Reliance Mutual Fund and State Bank of India (SBI) Mutual Fund, recently invested in secured debentures issued by several Indian microfinance institutions (MFIs). The issuers include Equitas Microfinance (Equitas); Janalakshmi Financial Services (JFS); SKS Microfinance (SKS) and Ujjivan Financial Services (Ujjivan). Although the individual transaction amounts are not available, the investments by the mutual funds total approximately INR 10 billion (USD 157 million). The debentures bear coupon rates of 11.5 up to 13 percent, approximately 3 to 4 percent above than highly rated securities issued by other Indian companies. The securities are backed by receivables and fixed assets owned by the MFIs.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
Subscribe to Our 'Business in Global Development' Newsletter!
Our new weekly LinkedIn newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with curated news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage of impact-focused business in emerging markets.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.