March 11, 2010
March 1, 2010
February 23, 2010
February 19, 2010
February 19, 2010
March 11, 2010
The role of microfinance in dealing with disasters
A recent Newsweek article praises the role of microcredit in disaster recovery. The piece singles out Fonkoze, the leading microfinance institution in Haiti, for their ability to get cash to its clients while bigger banks remained paralyzed. The article suggests that a new role for microfinance is to help economies respond to shattering tragedies like the Haitian earthquake.
Themes:
Product Design
March 1, 2010
First insights from Mongolian microfinance impact study
The blog over at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) recently featured a post by Senior Economist Ralph De Haas, who describes a randomized evaluation of microfinance in Mongolia that recently completed fieldwork. Although analysis is ongoing, with full results expected in July o
February 23, 2010
Could you actively manage five financial accounts?
In this excellent post, Kate McKee highlights the intensive financial life of Hiram, a smart Kenyan entrepreneur with a thriving car rental business. Because one single institution cannot meet all his financial needs, Hiram has to patch together services from five differ
Themes:
Big Picture
February 19, 2010
Trends in microfinance investing
Funds investing in MFIs, commonly known as microfinance investment vehicles or MIVs, have grown dramatically in both number and size over the past several years. CGAP and Symbiotics report that there were 103 MIVs active in 2008, up from only 23 in 2000, and despite constraints imposed by the financial crisis their total assets grew by 31% in 2008.
Themes:
Commercialization & Subsidy
