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Highlights and Headlines for January 2011

The news wires have been busy with the recent announcement of partnerships and joint ventures in the Indian branchless banking market. India’s largest public sector bank, the State Bank of India, announced a joint venture with the mobile operator Bharti Airtel to offer mobile banking. Meanwhile, India’s largest private sector bank, ICICI Bank Ltd, announced its tie-up with Vodafone Essar to bank the unbanked via the mobile phone.

SHGs for the Poor; MFIs for the Non-Poor

The focus of concern in the recent past, and leading up to the Andhra Pradesh microfinance crisis, has been the risk to commercialized microfinance organizations or MFI-NBFCs.

Learning from the Indian Microfinance Crisis

As the Indian microfinance sector responds to the Andhra Pradesh crisis, an opportunity has been created in India, as well as in the global sector, to reevaluate their “people practices” and make them a core part of a system that has provided a safety net for millions.

What Do Customers Want? New Findings from India

The Andhra Pradesh (AP) government passed an ordinance introducing substantial changes to MFI lending practices in the state.

Will the Indian SHG Movement Withstand Competition from MFIs?

The Andhra Pradesh MFI Ordinance 2010 has kick-started a much-needed debate on responsible microfinance and what is needed for poverty alleviation in India.

Andhra Pradesh: Crisis or Opportunity?

Referring to the situation in Andhra Pradesh (AP) as a ‘crisis’ in recent coverage has become commonplace. Much of the debate and analysis is centered on microcredit.

Crisis by Invitation

Governments legislate on conduct of business—from both positive/ enabling and negative/restrictive standpoints. While most regulations on business, commerce and industry are positive, some are highly restrictive on account of the nature of business.

Getting Beyond Payments

Most branchless banking services help clients move money over distance : a money transfer to a family member in the countryside, a bill payment to the utility company, a social benefit from the government.

From SKS to Andhra Pradesh in India

From the rich conversation that was generated, here are the main issues that emerged and some of the many highlights from authors as well as readers.

Who’s the Culprit? Accessing Finance in Andhra Pradesh

The crackdown by the Andhra Pradesh state government on microfinance institutions was based on a number of assumptions about what’s happening with microfinance here in India.

Results from Two Graduation Programs Creating a Buzz

There are encouraging signs from new randomized impact assessments of pilot projects in the CGAP-Ford Foundation Graduation Program presented at the Microfinance Impact & Innovation conference recently held in New York.

Branchless Banking 2010: What Price?

Is branchless banking cheaper than traditional banking, and by how much?

Highlights from the CGAP Technology Blog – October 2010

The launch of TigoPesa in Tanzania was the headline on our blog starting in October.

Branchless Banking 2010: Is the Hype Justified?

After several years of very high profile attention on mobile money and other branchless banking schemes, we think it’s time to test the hype. Or more accurately, we’ve wanted to for awhile.

Good Business Can Be Good Development

Buyers should be wary of an MFI rush to market for quick IPOs. There is a grave risk that in pursuit of a successful and timely IPO listing, MFIs could lead to poor decisions over growth, underwriting and governance.

Trickle Up Graduation Pilot Film on “The Test of Poverty”

A new documentary entitled “The Test of Poverty,” which is partly-financed by CGAP, follows the progress out of poverty of two women out of 300 participating in the Trickle Up Ultra Poor Program, one of the nine pilots in the CGAP-Ford Foundation Graduation Program.

Has the Microfinance Market Come of Age?

Compartamos and SKS. What do these two have in common? Where do they differ? What lessons, if any, can we draw from studying these first two, historic events?

Was SKS Ready for the IPO?

With an already nervous RBI (Reserve Bank of India) and Ministry of Finance wary of the path being charted out by the Indian MFIs and now SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India), the market regulator asking SKS unpleasant questions, it’s perhaps a time to pause and introspect.

Is SKS Any Different from Wal-Mart?

We may prefer co-operative banks, which don’t make a lot of money for any one individual but do provide safe and accessible savings products to poor people. In spite of some notable exceptions, however, that’s not the dominant paradigm.

6 Questions for SKS

The Indian microfinance institution, SKS, became the second pure MFI globally to go public by listing its shares on the stock market. SKS is one of the largest microfinance institutions in the world with almost 6 million clients, mostly poor women living in rural areas.