Blog Archives

What We’re Reading: Top 10 Blogs About Microfinance & Poverty Eradication

Blogs are a great way to hear a variety of voices and experience an issue from diverse perspectives and if you’re interested in microfinance and global development there are a variety of sites full of information, opinions, and more.  These blogs, like our Opportunity Blog, are fun ways to learn more about the voices and Read more…

Posted in Our Motivation, Resources, Uncategorized, What We're Reading
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Will Microfinance Institutions Ever Be an Asset Class on Wall Street?

Last Friday at the Chicago Microfinance Conference, a group of investors explored the issue of microfinance investments and capital markets in a session entitled “Microfinance and Wall Street: Will MFIs ever be an Asset Class?” The conversation revolved around two primary questions: has the perception of institutional investors changed with the financial crisis, and would MFIs Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Work
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Bringing It All Home: The Challenges of Microfinance in the US

At the Chicago Microfinance Conference last Friday (at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business), a panel of experts from four domestic microfinance organizations discussed the ongoing challenges of offering financial solutions to underserved individuals in the United States. The panel “Microfinance in the US: Where Are We Now and How Far Can We Go?” was moderated by Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Mission and Vision
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#MifiMon: Women and Microfinance

The following is a guest post by Sheethal Shobowale, Kiva Fellow at MFIs Asociación Arariwa in Cusco, Peru and Emprender in La Paz, Bolivia starting in January. Interested in learning about microfinance? Follow our biweekly Twitter discussion group #mifimon (because Microfinance Mondays was too long for Twitter’s 140-character limit). Our aim is to host an Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Training, Trust Groups, Women's Opportunity Network
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#Mifimon Preview: Women and Microfinance

Next week we have the privilege of discussing how microfinance is changing the lives of women around the world. We’ve got a pretty dynamic panel coming to this as well. Below, you’ll find their bios and thus, have the chance to learn more about them as we prepare for next week. We look forward to Read more…

Posted in Our Work, Women's Opportunity Network
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#Mifimon: Where in the world is microfinance working?

The following is a guest post by Grameen America DC’s Alice Geglio, for Opportunity International Interested in learning about microfinance? Follow our biweekly Twitter discussion group #mifimon (because Microfinance Mondays was too long for Twitter’s 140-character limit!) The aim is to host an exchange of ideas about issues relevant to the microfinance industry. You’re welcome to lend Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Technology
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#Mifimon: Microfinance in Your Backyard

Twitter folks present (in alphabetical order): @AJRenold, @amycarolwolff, @Grameen_DC, @ianscotthaisley, @lethalsheethal, @lend4health, @optinnow, @rarenaud, @robgarciasj, @savetogether This week’s call to action: Find an article on U.S. microfinance and post it as a response to this blog and on our #Mifimon facebook page. Have a conversation with a friend or colleague about U.S. microfinance and tell Read more…

Posted in Loans, Microinsurance, Our Work, Technology, Training
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Women Advancing Microfinance in Chicago

At Opportunity International’s US office, we draw our motivation and sense of purpose from the stories of our clients and their families as they build a bridge out of poverty. This week, I am further inspired by a different group of people – the members of Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM) Chicago. On September 17th this Read more…

Posted in Our Mission and Vision
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“There is nothing micro about the human spirit.”

This is a guest post written by Susy Cheston: This was a quote from the speech Maria Otero gave at her swearing-in ceremony as Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs yesterday. Maria spent over 20 years working in microfinance, and had been serving as CEO of ACCION International when she was tapped Read more…

Posted in Our Mission and Vision
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