In our quest to put a face to the microfinance industry and organize it into local communities,, we’re profiling the individuals working to expand microfinance. Our third interview is with Melissa Furci. Here’s a little bit more about her… 1) What do you do? I am working with Esperanza International in the Dominican Republic as a Resident Intern in the communications department. 2) Why do you do what you do? After … Read More >>

In our quest to put a face to the microfinance industry and organize it into local communities, we’re going to profile the individuals working to expand microfinance. Our second interview is with Kayla Villnow. I’ve known Kayla for 15 years since I met her in high school, and she’s remained one of my closest friends ever since. In fact, she’s the primary reason I’m so passionate about microfinance’s role in alleviating … Read More >>

In our quest to put a face to the microfinance industry and organize it into local communities, we’re going to start profiling the individuals that work in it. Our first one is with Helen Lyttelton. Here’s a little bit more about her… 1) What do you do? I’m volunteer Programme Manager for Fundación En Vía, a microfinance non-profit based in Oaxaca, Mexico. 2) Why do you do what you do? … Read More >>

Very cool to see that Kiva has opened an office in Nairobi! Here’s a short video…

Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, will receive the US Congressional Gold Medal award today, Wednesday April 17th.  Professor Yunus will become only the seventh person in history to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal.  Congress will present Professor Yunus with the Gold Medal to honor his pioneering microfinance work.  Earlier, the House of Representatives voted unanimously … Read More >>

An estimated 1.28 million clients around the world use Sharia-compliant microfinance services, a four-fold increase since 2006, according to a Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) study released Wednesday April 3rd.  Nearly a third of all institutions reported the launch of their Islamic microfinance operations in the last five years, and the number of providers offering these products has doubled since 2006.  Ninety-two percent of Sharia-compliant loans are concentrated … Read More >>

When we typically think of microfinance, we think of it in the context of alleviating poverty in the developing world.  But microfinance is also hard at work here in the U.S!  Four member organizations of the Accion U.S. Network conducted the U.S. Microfinance: Small Loans, Big Results study in partnership with California microlender Opportunity Fund.  Nearly 500 businesses participated in the study, painting a vivid picture of local microloan outcomes … Read More >>

In OECD countries, employment is primarily generated by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).  However, in the least developed countries, the SME sector is practically non-existent.  There are a lot of very small companies and a few very large companies, but nobody in the middle.  The “Missing Middle”, as this phenomenon is named, prevents many developing countries from having a true middle class, which largely drives an economy.  How do … Read More >>