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August 2, 2012
What does Kiva do?
This post broadly covers the innovation in microfinance that is Kiva. Anyone in the world with US$ 25 and an internet connection can lend money to people in need. This page also includes an infomercial video. Read more here.
August 2, 2012
MIT and Notre Dame economists demonstrate wage impacts of large microfinance programmes
It is largely thought that the uses of microfinance are only in terms of how access to credit to those without banking services increases their returns on investment and increases their assets. However, a new study by researchers from MIT and University of Notre Dame suggests that the greatest impact […]
August 2, 2012
CGAP: The Gateway Guide
The Gateway Guide by CGAP is a mid-year review of top microfinance publications in the first half of the year. Read them here.
August 2, 2012
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
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 […]
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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..