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January 28, 2013
Microfinance and Partiarchy: ‘A Drift Away from Serving Women’
According to Wharton management professor Tyler Wry, microfinance may be failing to address the economic challenges of the poor and marginalised – mostly women, by adopting patriarchal attitudes to lending. This evidence comes from more than 1,800 microfinance institutions (MFIs) in 168 countries, as compiled by MIX, or Microfinance Information […]
January 28, 2013
Two cents on impact: Untangling microfinance’s ‘Gordian Knot’
Measuring impact is one of the biggest problems, when socially investing – be it a microloan through an investment platform to a micro entrepreneur in a developing country, or through social impact bonds. Read more here.
January 28, 2013
Yunus: Microfinance may not always be used appropriately
While the idea of microfinance is widely touted as a golden pill to alleviate poverty, it may not always be used appropriately, according to Noble Laureate Mohd Yunus. He claims that while microfinance was initially thought up to save the people from the clutches of loan sharks, and give them […]
January 28, 2013
IFC: Microfinance, self-employment curb poverty
According to the lending arm of the World Bank, the IFC, while there are 200 million currently unemployed people – mostly women and young people in developing countries, the world needs to create employment for 600 million people. As the private sector provides 9 out of 10 jobs in the […]
January 28, 2013
Nigeria: Loan default rates lowest in microfinance banks
According to the COO of Fortis Microfinance Bank Plc, despite massive non-performing loan portfolios bearing down on the financial institutions in the country, microfinance banks have been enjoying the highest loan repayment rates – as high as 98 per cent. Read more here.
January 28, 2013
Nigeria: Microfinance banks in Nigeria will lend at lower interest rates
According to this post, some operators of MFBs or microfinance banks in Nigeria believe that as soon as they would be able to access the Micro Small and Medium scale Enterprise Development Fund of CBN in 2013, lending rates in the sub-sector are expected to drop. Read more here.
January 28, 2013
Microfinance in Philippines growing on the back of mobile phones
Official data shows that there is a rise in use of microfinance through mobile banking. This rise of 58 per cent highlights the potential and need for microfinance in Philippines. Read more here.
January 28, 2013
Global microfinance portfolio on the decline
According to a study conducted by the research wing of Deutsche Bank AG, the portfolio quality of MFIs is deteriorating. According to this report, “the rise in delinquencies went along with a decline in MFI profits and a sharp fall in asset growth rates”. Read more here.
January 28, 2013
Nigerian microfinance banks to get new rules
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is set to launch a new set of rules, and all MFIs and microfinance banks are to operate under this new set of rules. The “Revised Regulatory and Supervisory Guidelines for Micro-Finance Banks (MFBs)” aims to streamline the process of leveraging microfinance, through MFBs, […]
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06 Key Lessons for informing policy decisions: Mainstreaming tribal-specific climate adaptive capacities in vulnerable coastal regions within National Action Plan on Climate Change
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Four Key Lessons for Policy Consideration: Scaling Climate Adaptive Capacities among Small and Marginal Farming Communities in the Sundarbans
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Five Key Lessons for Policy Consideration: Scaling Climate Action Programs for Landless Rural Communities in Semi-Arid Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin in South Asia
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View Blog Posts
GST 2.0 and Tax Cuts: Can They Make Growth Fairer and Greener?
India's latest GST reform, being termed as GST 2.0, is more than just slashing rates. By simplifying the tax structure, cutting levies on essentials, and supporting renewable infrastructure, it's open..
Reimagining Sports in CSR: From Tokenism to a Vehicle for Multiplying Impact
In 2023–24, Indian companies spent about ₹1,396 crore of their CSR budgets on sports — just 4% of the total ₹34,909 crore Indian corporates spent on CSR that year. Most of the rest went to edu..
Interactive SHG Map of India: 7.5 million Women Self Help Groups are spread across 27 States and 6 UTs in India
Under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), India has 7.5 million Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) spread across 27 states and 6 Union Territories. Each of these small, self-governed, and peer-co..