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The Human Touch Behind Digital Success: Microfinance institutions that go mobile need to support the people behind the technology
Technology is the enabler of digital services, but people are still the backbone. This is important for microfinance institutions to remember, since transitioning to mobile services requires considerable changes from staff. In the latest post in their series on how MFIs can go digital, Grameen Foundation explores best practices for making this transition.
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- Uncategorized
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Buddhist Monk in Thailand Relies on Karma for Lending Success
Buddhist monks aren’t really known for dipping into the material world of finance. Phra Subin Paneeto, though, says he felt he didn’t have much choice when he saw his neighbors near Thailand’s border with Cambodia were struggling to make ends meet.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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- lending, microfinance
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Funding a Sector in Transition: Recent RCTs could reshape donors’ approach to microcredit
After a group of six studies published in January found that its benefits are modest at best, microcredit is stuck at a crossroads, says Matt Mossman. But as debate continues amongst practitioners about how to react to the new data, the findings could spark changes in the funding landscape for the sector.
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- Education
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Nigeria: Cement Firm Partners With Microfinance Bank to Build 5,000 New Homes
A NEW deal has been sealed between a cement firm, Messrs United Cement Company of Nigeria (UNICEM) and microfinance bank for the building of 5,000 new housing units in the country.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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- microfinance
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Twitter Top 10 – 5/10/15
It’s Mother’s Day in the U.S., and we’ve put together a selection of tweets that anyone’s mother would love (assuming she’s involved in social enterprise or global development). This week’s tweets include case studies for impact investors, disturbing development’s on India’s financial inclusion front, and our usual array of resources and insights (along with some interesting gift ideas for mom.)
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- Agriculture, Health Care
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Relief Through Finance: How microfinance builds resilience to disasters and crises
After a natural disaster or other crisis, like Nepal’s recent earthquake, the relief and aid community inevitably plays a major role. But according to Sam Mendelson, there is also a vital role for microfinance, which can help restore livelihoods and provide resilience to vulnerable populations thanks to existing relationships with clients that foreign NGOs lack.
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- Impact Assessment
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Another Use for Mobile in Microfinance: Getting Honest Feedback On Sensitive Topics
When our team first started doing this work four years ago, I used to get asked all the time, "So are you giving out mobile phones?" We use mobile technology to reach invisible populations like factory workers, farmers and, most recently, microfinance borrowers. In the last four years, mobile penetration has continued to skyrocket. India has three times as many mobile phones as the United States, and 78 percent mobile penetration. So the answer is no, we do not need to give out mobile phones.
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- Uncategorized
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Former Kiva.org CEO Brings New App, a ‘Branchless Bank’ to Kenya
The former chief executive and co-founder of nonprofit lending platform Kiva.org, Matt Flannery, on Wednesday revealed his latest initiative Branch International Inc., which he calls “a mobile-based microfinance institution for the world.”
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- lending, microfinance
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