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Rehabilitation and attack: microcredit helps the poor after all
FOR years the reputation of microfinance—which gives tiny loans to the poorest—rose and fell in tandem with relations between Grameen Bank and the Bangladeshi government. In 2006 the bank and its head, Muhammad Yunus, won the Nobel peace prize for reducing poverty and Mr Yunus toyed with setting up a political party, supposedly with the government’s blessing. Since then several studies have found limited or no benefits from microfinance, and in 2011 (for different reasons) a new government forced Mr Yunus to resign from the bank he had founded.
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- Uncategorized
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In India, Bandhan’s banking licence signals competition for rural microfinance
According to MFIs operating in rural areas, private banks have been charging interest rates of 24-26 per cent on a reducing balance.
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- Uncategorized
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- microfinance
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New-concept flood insurance could help Bangladesh’s poor
A new insurance scheme in which pre-determined flood thresholds trigger speedy compensation offers hope for poor people in flood-prone Bangladesh, experts say.
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Value lending for MFIs to reduce risk
Tara Thiagarajan, chairman & MD of non-banking finance company-micro finance institution (NBFC-MFI) Madura Microfinance, is trying out a unique experiment.
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OPINION: Microfinance institutions cannot end mass poverty in Uganda
Microfinance institutions in Uganda have over time increased especially after the liberalisation of the economy in the 1990s. Since independence, the government has initiated credit funding, anticipating a significant reduction in household poverty. However, recent studies indicate that poverty is more of a socio-cultural problem that manifests itself economically to its victims.
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Tanzania: Microinsurance Must Be Promoted Aggressively
TANZANIA is currently working on the best approach to increase the micro insurance coverage so that low income earners can easily access it as well as other financial services.
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- Impact Assessment
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OPINION: Only New Products Will Keep MFIs Growing in Rwanda
Through innovation, it is possible for the sector to financially reach the unbanked population and drive home the EDPRS II objectives, especially in the rural areas.
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- Sub-Saharan Africa
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- microfinance
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Planting the Seeds of Digital Finance: Part 2 of our Digital Finance Plus series discusses why agriculture is key to building the mobile money ecosystem
Agriculture-focused payment solutions could and should have a unique role in the growth of digital finance, says Lee Babcock. Their ability to facilitate income streams to low-income families provides a powerful incentive for their adoption, and they could help extend the ecosystem to rural customers. So why aren’t more mobile money platforms tapping this potential?
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- Agriculture
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