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Microcredit was a hugely hyped solution to global poverty. What happened?
Studies have shown it hasn’t really lifted people out of poverty. But it’s still made a difference in the lives of the poor.
- Categories
- Finance
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Understanding the average effect of microcredit
Microcredit trials show only moderate variation in effects across different settings, suggesting that the average effects of these loans are small.
- Categories
- Finance
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Small Loans Help Increase Rice Yield In Bangladesh, Study Shows
Microfinance institutions have a positive impact on farmers, allowing them to adopt high-yield rice varieties and increase their farming output, researchers say.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
- Region
- South Asia
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Do Payday Loans Deserve Their Bad Reputation? Ask the People Who Know Best – the Borrowers
Payday loans have earned a bad reputation as high-interest money traps that leave low-income borrowers stuck in a cycle of debt. But despite all the criticism and bad press, these loans remain very popular among low-income borrowers, with an estimated 15,766 payday loan stores throughout the U.S. – slightly more than the country's 14,350 McDonalds. So are payday loans really that bad – and are borrowers actually being victimized? LendEDU conducted a survey of payday loan customers, and Mike Brown unpacks the results – many of which may surprise you.
- Categories
- Finance
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Skype co-founder raises $105m for Southeast Asian fintech startup
Oriente races big brands to reach unbanked Indonesians, Filipinos and Vietnamese. Oriente charges roughly 3-4% monthly interest rate, while Prentice said some microlending platforms in Southeast Asia charge more than 15%. Those who pay back in instalments are eligible for a discount of 25-50% on the interest rate.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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The New Face of Poverty: Why Unemployment isn’t the Issue – And How Financial Inclusion Can Help
When you think about poverty, what does it look like? Many people might picture an undernourished African child, or an elderly beggar sitting in the street. But as Oakam CEO Frederic Nze explains, the reality can be far different. Poverty today often involves the struggles of the working poor, and it’s defined less by extreme deprivation and more by lack of access – to clean water, to power, to basic education, and increasingly to the internet. Nze explores the implications of this shift for the financial inclusion and development sectors.
- Categories
- Finance
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FINCA DRC introduces tablets in the field
Loan officers consider this strategy very effective and beneficial in terms of saving time and space.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Financing the Energy Access Revolution: Three Technologies That Are Driving Africa’s Momentum
Technology has become central to the energy access story in Africa. It’s an essential part of all the key stages of an enterprise’s work – from raising the initial capital and financing the equipment, to designing and delivering the final product itself. And the new possibilities opened up by technology are increasingly seen as potential game-changers, in a region where some 590 million Africans – around 50 percent of the population – are still without access to electricity. Ben Good, the CEO of Energy 4 Impact, explores three areas in which tech-driven approaches – from crowdfunding to cryptocurrency – are making an impact.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
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