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Creating a Culture of Innovation By Letting Employees Lead the Way
For nearly 30 years, Pro Mujer has been a regional leader in Latin America – not only in microfinance, but in women’s empowerment. But facing an evolving landscape with emerging technologies and new market participants, the organization realized that it needed to develop a more innovative approach. As it considered how to establish a culture of innovation, Pro Mujer turned to a surprising (yet intuitive) resource: its employees. Cassandra Salcedo, Associate Director of Strategy and Innovation at Pro Mujer, shares five key lessons the organization learned from the process.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Press release: OPIC Loan to Kiva Supports Almost 100,000 Microloans to Developing Country Borrowers
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) announced Thursday at the Social Capital Markets conference that its financing to Kiva Microfunds has supported 98,137 microloans to 207,227 small business borrowers, across 30 countries.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- North America
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Report: Over 8 of 10 Small Banks, Microlenders and Co-Ops in the Philippines are Not Ready to Go Digital
“The dominant picture in our data is that majority of financial institutions are not yet ready to transform their business at this point, confirming anecdotal evidence long held by the industry,” wrote FINTQ in the report. “This conclusion indeed raises a notch higher the urgency in enabling financial institutions to be digitally ready, as the pattern uncovered in our data has profound implications on the country’s progress towards expanding financial inclusion in the countryside.”
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- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Nobel winner Muhammad Yunus wants two financial systems—one for the rich and one for the poor
Last month, the 10-year-old US division of Grameen announced that it had provided more than $1 billion in loans to 106,000 women. Over the next decade, it plans to provide $1 billion in loans every year, and nearly double the number of branches, to 42.
- Categories
- Finance
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Diving into the Gap: What Separates Savers from Non-Savers?
In three years, the gap between the poorest 40 percent and the richest 60 percent nearly doubled across many developing countries. Meanwhile, the gap between primary and secondary school graduates has also doubled – and these inequalities in income and education are more significant than ever in dividing savers and non-savers. Scott Graham at FINCA International analyzes the latest FINDEX numbers to explore how we can reconcile a decline in savings, while poverty is largely falling throughout the world.
- Categories
- Finance
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‘It is Time to Rethink Microfinance’: Exploring a Sector in Transition in the Asia Pacific Region
The Asia Pacific microfinance sector is changing. Its MFIs have seen rampant growth, and the enterprises they serve have financing requirements that are growing more complex. In response, some MFIs are adapting their business models into different types of financial institutions, such as small banks. In short, the sector is evolving from a niche segment to a mainstream industry – with all the challenges and opportunities that implies. The Asia Pacific Microfinance Forum will discuss this evolution in Singapore on October 30-31, bringing together MFIs, NGOs, impact investors, entrepreneurs and others, all committed to building a better world.
- Categories
- Finance
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Report: Impact Investing in Latin America Remains Robust
The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and LAVCA - The Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America reveal a growing industry marked by more refined investment strategies.
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- Press release
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Latin America
- Tags
- impact investing, microfinance, SDGs
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Press release: FINCA Impact Finance, MEF and BlueOrchard Announce USD 20 Million Loan Facility
The three-year revolving loan facility will enhance FIF's ability to manage liquidity throughout its network of 20 banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs) and leverage the resources of MEF, an innovative provider of impact capital, and BOMF, the world's first and largest commercial microfinance investment fund.
- Categories
- Investing
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