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YAO Member on Chicago Microfinance Conference & How Innovations Expand the Reach of Savings
The following guest post was written by Lauren Dillon, a co-chair of the Chicago chapter of Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO) who works at Illinois-based nonprofit Oasis International. Innovation is at the heart of microfinance. It’s also the engine that propels it. Innovation is packed with chance, risk, fun, adventure! And, when coupled with microfinance, Read more…
Tagged 2011 Chicago Microfinance Conference, Africa, biometric technology, biometrics, CARE, Cell phone banking, Chicago, Chicago Microfinance Conference, DePaul University, Education, Ending Poverty, Entrepreneurs, Financial services, Innovation, Malawi, MFI, MicroDreams, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, mobile phone banking, Oasis International, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Bank of Malawi, Opportunity Malawi, Poverty, Savings, Simona Haiduc, Technology, Tuition savings accounts, YAO, YAO-Chicago, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity, young entrepreneurs, Young Professionals
Chicago Microfinance Conference: Technology Innovations and the Future of Microfinance
At Friday’s Chicago Microfinance Conference at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, I had the opportunity to attend the morning breakout session, “Innovations in Microfinance.” In the past 40 years, the microfinance industry has grown to its current level whereby MFIs are operating in virtually every country. In this dynamic and rapidly growing Read more…
Tagged 2011 Chicago Microfinance Conference, ATMs, biometric technology, Booth School of Business, CARE, Cell phone banking, Chicago Microfinance Conference, Clients, hub-and-spoke model, Kenya, Malawi, MicroDreams, Microfinance, mobile banking vehicle, mobile phone banking, OIBM, Opportunity International Bank of Malawi, Opportunity Malawi, point-of-sale devices, POS devices, Poverty, Rural banking, Rural Outreach, Rwanda, Satellite bank branch, Savings account, Technology, University of Chicago, Women
LiveBlog: Chicago Microfinance Conference-A Closing “Fireside” Chat with Premal Shah of Kiva
In closing at today’s Chicago Microfinance Conference, Premal Shah, president of Kiva, sits down for a Q & A keynote with Marc J. Lane, founder & president of Marc J. Lane Wealth Group. Shah shares the story of how he moved from PayPal to help grow the nascent Kiva with Matt Flannery and Jessica Jackley, and discussedthe growth, Read more…
Tagged 2011 Chicago Microfinance Conference, Chicago, Chicago Microfinance Conference, Financial services, India, Insurance, Kiva, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, PayPal, Poverty, Remittances, Savings, Technology, Twitter
LiveBlog: Chicago Microfinance Conference-The Challenges & Impact of Practicing Microfinance in Areas of Conflict
At this lunch and learn session today at the Chicago Microfinance Conference, Peter Greer, the President & CEO of HOPE International and co-author of the book The Poor Will Be Glad, discusses the need for financial services in areas of conflict and discusses the risks and the great rewards of expanding microfinance into countries like Read more…
LiveBlog: Chicago Microfinance Conference-”Does Microfinance Really Work? – Measuring Social Performance of MFIs”
At this first breakout session of today’s conference, moderator Kathleen Odell, assistant professor of economics at the Dominican University Brennan School of Business, leads a panel of academics and microfinance professionals to explore and debate the benefits of microfinance to effectively help people escape poverty. The panel discusses the actual impact of microfinance–and whether such Read more…
Top 5 Posts About Technology
Cell phone banking, smart cards featuring biometric technology, land-mapping using GPS: technology innovations are expanding the reach of microfinance in the developing world. Learn and go deeper into microfinance with five of our all-time favorite Opportunity blog posts about technology: Chicago Microfinance Conference: Can Technology Innovations Transform Microfinance? (5/10/10) Ask a Microfinance Expert: M-Banking (2/9/10) Read more…
Tagged Africa, biometric technology, biometrics, Cell phone banking, Cell Phones, Chicago Microfinance Conference, Ending Poverty, Loans, M-banking, Malawi, MFI, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, Mobile Phones, Opportunity International, Opportunity Malawi, Smart cards, Technology
Why should you attend the Chicago Microfinance Conference next year?
This year, five of us from Opportunity International attended the 6th Annual Chicago Microfinance Conference at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Alongside other microfinance professionals, as well as educators, graduate and undergraduate students, we delved deep into the topics and discussed the ever-evolving microfinance industry. But there’s still more to cover. The topics Read more…
Does Microfinance Break the Cycle of Poverty?
The story of microfinance has always been compelling in its simplicity: A poor entrepreneur receives a loan. The loan enables her to purchase equipment or goods. She is then able to sell or increase sales of homemade clothes or fresh fruit. The new or increased sales bring in more income which she uses to pay Read more…
Tagged Calvert Foundation, Chicago Microfinance Conference, FINCA, Loans, Mennonite Economic Development Associates, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, Opportunity International, OptINnow, Poverty, Savings, ShoreCap Exchange, Students, University of Chicago, Women, Women's Opportunity Network, Women's Philanthropy, WON
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…
