“Role Reversal Revisited,” by Damian von Stauffenberg and Daniel Rozas, published by MicroRate, 2011, 22 pages, available at http://microrate.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Role-Reversal-Revisited-…

This paper reviews the roles of development finance institutions (DFIs) and private lenders in funding microfinance institutions (MFIs). Continue Reading »

Convergences 2015, a nonprofit based in France that focuses on poverty elimination, is promoting the “Paris Appeal for Responsible Microfinance” in an effort to slow the commercialization of microfinance, arguing that it is inconsistent with development and inclusive finance. Continue Reading »

Cambodian government officials reportedly are looking to negotiate down the interest rates on microfinance loans, arguing that current rates are unsustainable for the country’s rural farming population and that defaults are causing many farmers to become landless. [1] Continue Reading »

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s central banking authority, has refused to give a special exemption to commercial banks, that include HDFC Bank, Corporation Bank and Axis Bank, to restructure loans outstanding to microfinance providers BASIX Group and Sharada’s Women’s Association for Weaker Section (SWAWS) Credit Corporation India Private Limited under a classification other than as non-performing assets [1] [2]. Continue Reading »

By Kate Lauer, Denise Dias and Michael Tarazi; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); December 2011; 24 pages; available at: http://www.cgap.org/p/site/c/template.rc/1.9.55781/ Continue Reading »

The Tanzania Association of Microfinance Institutions (TAMFI) has announced that 48 of its member microfinance institutions (MFIs) have adopted a code of conduct. Winnie Terry, TAMFI Executive Secretary, was quoted as having said, “With this code of conduct, TAMFI members are expected to take a leading role to deliver high quality and responsible financial services to the community. The code is intended to make Microfinance Institutions become more responsive to the clients they serve.” Continue Reading »

“Making Microfinance Work: Managing Product Diversification” by Cheryl Frankiewicz, Craig Churchill; published by the International Labour Organization (ILO); December 2011; 612 pages; available for a fee at http://www.ilo.org/global/publications/ilo-bookstore/order-online/books/…  Continue Reading »

Elena Bridgers, a social researcher based in France, recently authored an article on the website of the US-based Stanford Social Innovation Review exploring the shift of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in India from a primarily “female client base” to a more “gender-balanced portfolio” [1]. Continue Reading »

Event Name: Understanding Multiple Borrowing and Avoiding Over-indebtedness Among Clients

Event Date: January 12 – 13, 2012

Event Location: Online Continue Reading »

The Smart Campaign, an initiative to improve accountability regarding client protection in the microfinance industry, has called for public input on its Client Protection Certification Program, which has been under development since June 2010. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, and the Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), a self-regulatory organization of Indian microfinance institutions, are working together to encourage microfinance institutions to start reporting to the country’s Credit Information Bureau, which is intended to promote responsible lending. Continue Reading »

By Jessica Schicks and Richard Rosenberg, published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), September 2011, 44 pages, available at: http://www.cgap.org/p/site/c/template.rc/1.9.55377/ Continue Reading »

The Center for Financial and Credit Counseling (CFKS), a nonprofit established in 2010 in the Bosnian city of Tuzla, has been set up to counter the negative impact of over-indebtedness through financial education, counseling, mediation and debt resolution. Continue Reading »

The author, David Satterthwaite, is Oxfam America’s head of micro-insurance and risk management and founder of MicroCapital.org. Despite the current severe drought in East Africa and resultant famine in Somalia, northern Ethiopia has thus far escaped this year’s drought. The region has, however, been devastated by lack of rainfall in the past and Satterthwaite’s program was designed to help local farmers overcome periods of severe drought. His work is featured in a World Food Day half-hour documentary special report from ViewChange and Oxfam: “ViewChange: Africa’s Last Famine,” which is available at the end of this post.

I woke up that day in Addis Ababa. It was a morning that I’ve come to think of as typical there: it was sunny, the air was cool with the smell of wood smoke, and slow-moving donkeys shared the city streets with blue taxis. I had been on the job at Oxfam for about a month. A group of us – a number of my Ethiopian colleagues and I – were scheduled to meet with the CEO of Nyala Insurance to discuss a contract to provide weather insurance to farmers in northern Ethiopia. Continue Reading »

With default rates reportedly ranging from seven to 10 percent in Tanzania, commercial banks in the country are charging lending rates between 14 and 24 percent. Continue Reading »

The US-based nonprofit Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) has released two papers that offer insight into different issues faced by microfinance institutions (MFIs). Continue Reading »

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Andhra Pradesh, India, have started talks to recover outstanding loans amounting to INR 7,000 crore (approximately USD 1.4 billion), which they have been unable to collect since the repayment dropoff in the state started in 2010. Continue Reading »

In a presentation at the recent Toronto International Microfinance Summit, panelists weighed in on a range of current topics in the microfinance sector, including profitability, the effect of commercial investment and advances in technology. Continue Reading »