As competition in the microfinance industry of Cambodia increases, microfinance institutions (MFIs) are investing in technological upgrades to keep up with the market. Continue Reading »

Event Name: Global Sustainable Finance Conference 2013: People, Planet, Prosperity

Event Date: July 4-5, 2013

Event Location: Karlsruhe, Germany Continue Reading »

Event Name: US Poverty, Microentrepreneurs and Microfinance: Needs, Responses and Prospects, “A Symposium for Practitioners, Policymakers, Researchers and Students”

Event Date: March 28-29, 2013

Event Location: Stokes Auditorium, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, US Continue Reading »

“Invisible Giants;” by Lindsay Levin; published by Vala Publishing; March 2013; 176 pages, available for purchase at: http://vala.wazala.com/?page=product_det&id=112381 Continue Reading »

By William O. Maddocks; Commissioned by the Global Microcredit Summit; 2011; 31 pages; available at: http://www.globalmicrocreditsummit2011.org/userfiles/file/Workshop%20Papers/W_%20Maddocks%20-%20How%20Can%20Microfinance%20Programs%20Help%20the%20Struggle%20Against%20Social%20Problems%20Such.pdf

This paper presents an analysis of the role of microfinance institutions in helping to solve “seemingly intractable social problems” including begging, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS and discrimination against the disabled, all while maintaining financial sustainability. Continue Reading »

By Amar Samarapally, published by Microfinance Information Exchange, February 2013, 19 pages, available at: http://www.themix.org/publications/mix-microfinance-world/2013/01/2012-eastern-europe-and-central-asia-regional-snapshot

This Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) report reviews the performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) during 2011 in two of the six world regions designated by MIX: East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) and South Asia. Continue Reading »

Event Name: Child and Youth Finance Summit & Awards Ceremony 2013

Event Date: May 7-9, 2013

Event Location: Istanbul Stock Exchange, Istanbul, Turkey  Continue Reading »

Khan Bank, a Mongolian provider of microfinance and other services, recently installed three drive-through automated teller machines in the city of Ulaanbaatar. Continue Reading »

Representatives of the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the country’s central bank; the Rural Microfinance Development Center (RMDC), an organization owned by Nepalese lenders that provides wholesale loans to microfinance institutions (MFIs); and the Center for Microfinance (CMF) Nepal, a nonprofit network dedicated to promoting the country’s microfinance industry, reportedly have urged MFIs to lower microloan interest rates, claiming that a desire for greater profits is hindering financial inclusion. Continue Reading »

By Ralph De Haas, Heike Harmgart, Britta Augsburg and Costas Meghir, published by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, November 2012, 8 pages, available at: http://www.ebrd.com/downloads/research/economics/publications/specials/bosnia_mircofinance.pdf

This report from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) describes a randomized field experiment in Bosnia and Herzegovina analyzing the effects that a lack of credit may have on entrepreneurship and poverty. Continue Reading »

The federal government of Nigeria, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the government of the Nigerian state of Borno and several other organizations reportedly have launched a financial inclusion initiative that will provide financial services to the un-banked at post offices. Continue Reading »

MNepal, a Nepalese firm, reportedly has launched a mobile financial services platform offering the following products: mobile banking, mobile wallet functions, remittances and payments. Continue Reading »

By Michael J. McCord; published by the Microfinance Centre for Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States, the Microinsurance Centre and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); 2012; 124 pages; available at: http://www.ifad.org/ruralfinance/wrmf/manual.pdf

In this manual, Mr. McCord proposes a “systematic new-product development process” for the microinsurance market. Continue Reading »

Musoni Kenya Limited, a microfinance institution based in Nairobi, reportedly will offer solely cashless lending services to its customers in an effort to increase efficiency and address security issues related to in-person transactions. Continue Reading »

The Student Microfinance Movement, a US-based network of student organizations, has that announced its annual Month of Microfinance (MoMF) will be held during April 2013 with the aim of bringing students, instructors, microfinance practitioners and enthusiasts together to promote discussion about the sector. Continue Reading »

By Ralitsa Sapundzhieva and Agharazi Babayev, published by Microfinance Information Exchange, January 2013, 27 pages, available at: http://www.themix.org/publications/mix-microfinance-world/2013/01/2012-eastern-europe-and-central-asia-regional-snapshot

This Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) report reviews the performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA). Continue Reading »

“Banking on Change: Breaking the Barriers to Financial Inclusion;” published by Plan UK, Barclays and Care International UK; January 2013; 28 pages; available at: http://www.careinternational.org.uk/research-centre/microfinance/251-banking-on-change-breaking-barriers-to-financial-inclusion Continue Reading »

Governor Yuba Raj Khatiwada of the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the central banking authority of the country, reportedly expressed concern that “the growing tendency of lending money to people who have already taken a loan from other financial institutions might expose the microfinance sector to risk.” Continue Reading »