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August 8, 2012
SKS shares surge on RBI relaxation of provision norms
Shares of SKS Microfinance Ltd, India’s lone listed micro lender, rose as much as 16 per cent in intra-day trading on Monday, which company officials attributed to positive investor sentiment generated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decision to ease rules governing microfinance institutions (MFIs). Read more here.
August 8, 2012
India: Andhra Pradesh drags down MFIs
After reports of borrowers committing suicide in the state, the Andhra Pradesh government had come out with the ‘AP Microfinance Ordinance’ in October 2010, which was subsequently legislated into an Act, which crippled micro-finance institutions (MFIs) including leading player SKS. In the wake of the new regulations, repayment of MFI […]
August 8, 2012
Yemen: Microfinance stories lost in Abyan
More than 50 percent of Abyan’s microfinance program clients were exposed to inconsistent material losses due to the military confrontations between the Yemeni army and Ansar Al-Sharia during the past few months. A recent field study prepared by the Microfinance Network in Yemen and conducted by Ghamdan Awnfound that 45 […]
August 8, 2012
From pilot to scale – Ten lessons for multiplying the impact of Graduation Model
The graduation model is based on assisting the poorest of the poor with a fixed regular assistance and training that will, over a period of time help them to raise themselves out of poverty. This post provides ten lessons that help expand the impact of the graduation model. Read it […]
August 8, 2012
India: 8 million Andhra Pradesh borrowers ineligible for MFI loans
About 8 million small borrowers in Andhra Pradesh, India have become ineligible for loans from the major microfinance institutions of the country. This follows the assessment of two credit bureaus Equifax and High Mark that began recording the credit history of all MFI clients in the country since March this […]
August 8, 2012
India: Soon microinsurance may be available at Kirana and chemist shops
Concerned over the low penetration of insurance, the insurance watch dog in India, the IRDA or Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has proposed to sell micro-insurance products through chemists, kirana and petrol pumps to increase penetration. The regulator has proposes to allow individual owners of kirana shops, fair price shops, medical […]
August 8, 2012
Mohd Yunus faces probes over alleged tax-exempt status
The Bangladeshi government is going after Muhammad Yunus, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work in the field of microfinance through an investigation which claims he may have held tax-exempt status while serving as managing director of Grameen Bank. Read more here.
August 8, 2012
Weather insurance market in India growing by 25 per cent annually
Helped by the growth of microinsurance and weather-index insurance, India’s weather insurance market has been experiencing rapid growth in recent years. Read more here.
August 8, 2012
Microinsurance potential increases in Asia
Droughts in the Indian Sub-Continent, floods in East Asia and other such occurrences in parts of Asia are fast becoming regular realities of our world, but are affecting the farmers are the Bottom of the Pyramid more disproportionately. The microfinance sector in Asia desperately needs a fresh promising face, and […]
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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..