News Archive - Page 347 of 366

Recent Developments, <br /> Key Innovations, and <br /> Insightful Reports

Recent Developments,
Key Innovations, and
Insightful Reports

Your One Stop Platform for Regular Sector Updates

Sector news

India: Retail network of companies can help achieve financial inclusion

According to HUL (Hindustan Unilever) Chairman Harish Manwani, corporates with their wide distribution network covering even remotest areas can play a big role along with government in financial inclusion. HUL by itself is set to increase its focus on rural markets. Read more here.

August 2, 2012

Bandhan holds its ground with inspiration from a neighbour

Bandhan MFI, the only MFI in India to emerge unscathed from the crisis that hit Indian MFIs, centred in Andhra Pradesh. It has a loan book comparable to BRAC, the institution from which the founder of Bandhan Chandra Sekhar Ghosh drew its inspiration from. Read more here.

August 2, 2012

Most Asian SMEs still underserved

A recent World Bank survey estimates that global SME lending volume stood at US$10 trillion, and most of these (70 per cent) were concentrated in high income countries. The same study shows that in the Philippines, only 20 per cent of the SMEs have access to loans from financial institutions, […]

August 2, 2012

Need for an online community of microfinance advocates

This post emphasizes the need for an online community where microfinance advocates from across the globe can tag themselves. This would particularly be helpful for individual microfinance advocates who travel a lot and want to meet up their counterparts, and also for organizations which want to learn, seek or expand […]

August 2, 2012

Hugh Sinclair’s response to David Roodman’s review of ‘Confessions of a Microfinance Heretic’

In this open post, Hugh Sinclair, the author of the widely discussed book ‘Confessions of a Microfinance Heretic’, responds to the review or due diligence of his book by David Roodman. Read more here. If you want to read a Q&A session with Hugh Sinclair, read here. To read more […]

August 2, 2012

Microfinance in India – Re-examining the 2010 AP crisis

This post examines the content of the Indian Government’s new bill called the ‘Microfinance Institutions (Development and Regulation) Bill 2012’ to see whether the contents are suited to the original issues faced by the microfinance sector in the crisis in Andhra Pradesh in 2010. Read more here.

August 2, 2012

Microfinance works in rich countries too, says EU

Over the past two years the EU’s Progress Microfinancing Facility guaranteed about 5,000 microloans totalling US$ 33 million to citizens. According to the European Commission, microfinance is not just for developing countries anymore and is increasingly being used by citizens in the European Union. Read more here.

August 2, 2012

Protecting the Poor: A microfinance compendium Vol II

Protecting the Poor: A microinsurance compendium, volume II, is a unique collection of recent practices and emerging ideas in microinsurance. It covers the numerous innovations that have emerged in recent years to meet the challenges of providing insurance to low-income people, from new products and delivery channels to consumer education […]

August 2, 2012

2012 Microfinance Barometer

Convergence 2015, in partnership with the Caisse des Dépôts, the Fédération Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne, Citi and Adie has published the 3rd edition of Microfinance Barometer, called ‘2012 Microfinance Barometer’. This report examines the global trends and key issues of the sector. Read it here.