cfi-blog — > Posted by Maggie Long
The unique role of microfinance networks and associations in the industry’s adoption of client protection practices, while often overlooked, is quite extensive. For example, as the new Smart Note describes, the Azerbaijan Microfinance Association (AMFA), as part of their larger social performance management strategy, actively supports its 28...
microcapital — The Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) of Bhutan, the country’s central bank, reportedly is finalizing a Financial Inclusion Policy (FIP) to enhance the country’s microfinance sector. The policy is intended to assist in enhancing the agriculture sector, which provides livelihood to approximately 60 percent of the country’s population. Details on the...
blogs.cgdev — By David Roodman - Probably you agree that actions meant to help poor people should be guided by the best science about what works. (Or perhaps you also have a problem with motherhood and apple pie.) And probably you’d concede that part of what makes science science is replicability. Cold...
cfi-blog — > Posted by Henry Jackelen, Jackelen Associates
This post is part of the Center for Financial Inclusion’s Expert Exchange: Building A Movement Toward Financial Inclusion by 2020, cultivating conversation around the goal of reaching full financial inclusion by 2020. For further questions about this series, write to Sonja E. Kelly, Fellow, Center for...
cfi-blog — > Posted by Danielle Donza
The Council of Microfinance Equity Funds (CMEF) and MicroFinance Network (MFN) recently surveyed their members to find out whether MFIs are paying the people who sit on MFI boards– and if so, how much.
Some observers argue that the practice of offering payment to board members will ultimately...
cfi-blog — > Posted by Sonja Kelly
Let’s say you have a checking account with First Imaginary Bank. One day First Imaginary Bank wants product feedback because they are thinking of extending their product line. They might ask you to answer this question:
How do you feel about your checking account?
a) It’s great! I...
blogs.cgdev — By David Roodman - OMG:
One of the useful things the federal government does for the economy is produce information as a public good. And the American Community Survey is chock full of information that’s useful to researchers, companies, curious individuals, policymakers at different levels of government, etc. But House Republicans...
microcapital — Kiva, a US-based online microlending fundraiser, has released its annual report for 2011 indicating that its loans to microfinance institutions increased from USD 71 million in 2010 to USD 89.5 million in 2011. The number of individual lenders who fund these loans increased from approximately 371,000 in 2010 to 457,000...
centerforfinancialinclusionblog.wordpress — > Posted by Center Staff
As a way to assist the microfinance industry in adopting and implementing the Client Protection Principles, the Smart Campaign has developed an extensive collection of tools, including Smart Notes, training manuals, and various other educational materials on codes of ethics, over-indebtedness, transparency and much more.
To help...
blogs.cgdev — By David Roodman - A couple more reviews of my book appeared in the digital ether this week. One is on the blog of MYC4, which is a European peer-to-peer lending site that typically does loans larger than Kiva. I think it’s thoughtful and fair.
The other is on the site...
centerforfinancialinclusionblog.wordpress — > Posted by Chris Dunford, Senior Research Fellow, Freedom From Hunger
Bridging the Gap is a most welcome and ambitious review of the state of financial education. Its authors, Anamitra Deb and Mike Kubzansky of the Monitor Group, were commissioned and funded by the Citi Foundation.
There is much real value to...
blogs.cgdev — By David Roodman - Back in 2009, my colleague Liliana Rojas-Suarez convened a meeting at CGD of a task force that would draft Policy Principles for Expanding Financial Access. Attendees included Jonathan Morduch of NYU; and Nachiket Mor of the IFMR Trust, who brought along Bindu Ananth. During a break,...
grameenfoundation.wordpress — Alex Counts is president, CEO and founder of Grameen Foundation, and author of several books, including Small Loans, Big Dreams: How Nobel Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus and Microfinance are Changing the World.
I first met Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy and Director of the Civil Society, Markets and...
centerforfinancialinclusionblog.wordpress — > Posted by Laura Galindo
Within the microfinance industry we are very fortunate to have so many great resources at our disposal. The challenge for practitioners however, lies in how to effectively deliver the content to clients.
In 2011, the Smart Campaign’s Steering Committee launched a new Client Voice Task Force –...
blogs.cgdev — By David Roodman - Hillary Clinton passed through Bangladesh last weekend and publicly expressed her strong support for Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank. “I don’t want anything that would in any way undermine what has been a tremendous model.” She also visited Yunus, whom she has known since 1986.
The...
centerforfinancialinclusionblog.wordpress — > Posted by Danielle Donza
For publically traded retail banks, valuations are at historic lows. In the microfinance industry, 2011 also saw the continued compression of valuation multiples from 2009 highs, according to the recently released Global Microfinance Equity Valuation Survey, Volume Growth and Valuation Contraction. CGAP and J.P. Morgan, with...
centerforfinancialinclusionblog.wordpress — > Posted by Jacqueline Urquizo, Independent Consultant
Microfinance institutions (MFIs) have many questions to consider when developing new products. What are the future clients doing now? What are their motives? What characteristics can help segment clients into appropriate groups? How large is the clientele? Are there enough potential clients to warrant...
blogs.cgdev — By David Roodman - Rupert Scofield has replied to my retort to his review, etc. Clearly neither of us has swayed the other much, but I appreciate the friendliness and honesty, not to mention vividness, of his latest post.
He has conceded to me the argument over what the economic...
centerforfinancialinclusionblog.wordpress — > Posted by Ida Rademacher, Chief Program Officer, CFED
This post is part of the Center for Financial Inclusion’s Expert Exchange: Building A Movement Toward Financial Inclusion by 2020, cultivating conversation around the goal of reaching full financial inclusion by 2020. For further questions about this series, write to Sonja E. Kelly, Fellow,...
blogs.cgdev — By David Roodman - If you follow microfinance blogs, you probably know that the World Bank has released a big database called Global Findex. With muscular funding from the Gates Foundation, the World Bank ran an ambitious polling project to learn about what financial services people use and how they...
centerforfinancialinclusionblog.wordpress — > Posted by Aditya Mohan
In an effort to assist investors, networks and rating agencies in assessing the implementation of the Client Protection Principles (CPPs) at associate microfinance institutions, the Smart Campaign recently conducted a Smart Assessor Training in New Delhi. The training was conducted as part of the International Finance...
grameenfoundation.wordpress — Julius Matovu is the Research and Program Coordinator for Grameen Foundation’s AppLab Money Incubator.
Let me introduce two interesting petty traders based in Owino market – the busiest market in downtown Kampala. They are Akim, a secondhand-shoes trader, and Patrick, a secondhand-clothes dealer.
Last weekend I visited this market for a variety...
centerforfinancialinclusionblog.wordpress — > Posted by Center Staff
As the microfinance industry works to make clients central to their mission and practice, the value of guidelines for Social Performance Management (SPM) becomes ever-more apparent. The Social Performance Task Force (SPTF) is addressing this need by developing standards that can be used by microfinance institutions,...
grameenfoundation.wordpress — Shannon Maynard is the Director of Grameen Foundation’s skilled volunteer program, Bankers without Borders®. Maynard has more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit management and volunteer mobilization. Before joining Grameen Foundation, she served as Executive Director of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, and managed strategic initiatives...
centerforfinancialinclusionblog.wordpress — > Posted by Guy Stuart, Faculty Council Member, The Center for Financial Inclusion
In her recent paper “The Financial Behavior of Rural Residents: Findings from Five Latin American Countries,” Jacqueline Urquizo segments the savings market at three levels. The first level identifies whether the individual saves or not. The second level...
