Blog

Commercialization of Microfinance

The topic of commercialization has been hotly debated, largely because it raises fundamental questions about whether the dual social and financial missions of microfinance can coexist.

Pakistan: a Laboratory for Innovation in Branchless Banking

We are excited about the developments that we’re seeing in branchless banking in Pakistan, which have led us to call it a “laboratory” for innovation.

Arab Spring: The Alexandria Business Association

The revolution in Egypt was a chance for the Egyptian people to get back the freedom and pride that were lost for a long time.

Technologies for Financial Inclusion: Looking to the Past

In microfinance, technology clearly has great potential to improve service at a lower cost to more customers. But in the area of financial inclusion, there still have not been great leaps in the use of technologies similar to what has happened in everyday life.

Overview of the G2P Payments Sector in India

We often write on this blog about the potential to link government-to-person (G2P) payments to financial services. We also closely follow branchless banking developments in India and have recently shared our take on the market. So imagine our excitement when we can talk about both together!

Funders' Role in Providing Investment and Advisory Services

Overall IFC’s strategy is driven by its desire to extend reach and its understanding that to do so we need to give full consideration to complex ecosystems which must hold a value proposition for all players involved.

“Four C’s” for Expanding Rural Microfinance

You cannot ask everything of microfinance institutions. This is doubly true in rural areas. Institutions that enter rural areas on their own are less likely to succeed than those that form partnerships with technical assistance and educational organizations, suppliers of inputs, etc.

MFIs Should Do Responsible Finance

Responsible finance is not just the responsibility of the MFIs. Other stakeholders have a role to play. These stakeholders should exhibit the same virtues that they demand of MFIs.

Microfinance and the Arab Spring

Since the beginning of 2011, a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests have been taking place in the Arab world. These events have created some challenges and opportunities for the microfinance sector and the financial inclusion agenda in the region.

Moving Beyond Micro: Women-Owned Businesses

The profile of a woman business owner in Latin America and the Caribbean is as diverse as the factors on which her success hinges, yet the vast majority are microenterprises by necessity, not by preference, in informal service sectors.

The Next Breakthrough in Financial Services in India

The new service, like other mobile and agent banking services, including the successful Kenyan mobile money transfer service M-PESA , is intended to enable people to carry out microtransactions safely and conveniently.

Over-Indebtedness in Microcredit

Recently, MIX has explored portfolio quality problems around the world, a common proxy to measure overindebtedness, and various relevant patterns emerge for the discussion of over-indebtedness in Latin America and around the world.

Waiting in Line…Where’s My Agent? Headlines and Highlights

I’m blogging from Dakar, Senegal where I had a stark reminder of why innovation in financial services is so necessary.

Consumer Protection? Ask the Consumer

The main objective of the diagnostic study undertaken in Senegal in early 2011 was to develop a better understanding of microfinance clients’ protection and suggest possible improvements.

The Role of Government in Mobile Financial Services

How can governments effectively support mobile financial services (MFS) expansion?

Making Finance More Responsible

If you ask social investors whether responsible finance should be the “new normal” in microfinance, the answer is always yes.

Banks Have Some Good News…Are They Listening?

CGAP, in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank and Akya, a banking consultancy, recently completed some analysis on the business case for banks in branchless banking.

CGAP and Microfinance Investors: New Questions and Role

MIVs constitute the largest group of MIIs. MIV investment levels quadrupled between 2006 and 2008, and today, according to Symbiotics and MicroRate 2011 MIV surveys, more than 100 MIVs manage total assets of around US$7 billion.

Client Protection: Are We There Yet?

Since its launch, the Smart Campaign has made enormous strides toward ensuring that clients of microfinance would receive transparent, respectful, and prudent treatment.

What Does Research Tell Us about Consumer Protection?

Recent behavioral research on financial decision-making has demonstrated how we often rely on imperfect information and limited options to decide things like which bank has the best terms, whether we should save now and buy later, or maybe turn that extra cash into an investment.