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Technology & New Innovations at Chicago Microfinance Conference
At Friday’s Chicago Booth and Zell Center Microfinance Conference, several of my colleagues and members of heard from ‘s SVP of International Business Development, Dennis Ripley, who spoke as part of a panel called “New Products and Innovations in Microfinance,” along with Kate Cochran, COO at Vittana; Karl Muth, Consulting Economist at Grameen; and moderator Nina Read more…
Tagged 2012 Chicago Microfinance Conference, Africa, ATMs, Cell phone banking, Cell Phones, Chicago Microfinance Conference, Clients, Colombia, Credit Suisse, Dennis Ripley, DePaul University, Ghana, Grameen, hub-and-spoke model, Kenya, Latin America, Loans, M-PESA, Malawi, MFI, Microfinance, Microinsurance, Nicaragua, Opportunity International, POS devices, Poverty, Richard Leftley, Savings, Smart Campaign, Students, Technology, Tigo, Uganda, Vittana, YAO, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
A Young Ambassador’s Report from the 2012 Chicago Microfinance Conference
I left the 2012 Chicago Microfinance Conference, “Micronext: Strategies and Challenges of Social Impact,” impressed, energized and hungry for more. The conference focused on the strategies and challenges of social impact, facilitating discussions around the direction of and the lessons from past methodologies. The strong turnout included experts from various microfinance organizations, as well as Read more…
Tagged 2012 Chicago Microfinance Conference, Agricultural finance, Blog, Chicago Microfinance Conference, Conference, David Roodman, Due Diligence: An Impertinent Inquiry into Microfinance, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Global Poverty, home improvement loans, HOPE International, Impact, Insurance, Kellogg School of Management, Loans, Microfinance, northwestern university, Opportunity International, Poverty, Savings, YAO, YAO-Chicago, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity, Young Professionals
Accion’s Michael Schlein, David Roodman and More at Friday’s Chicago Microfinance Conference
On Friday, I attended the 8th Annual Chicago Booth and Zell Center Microfinance Conference along with . It was my third consecutive year attending this conference, and this year’s topic was “Micronext: Strategies and Challenges of Social Impact.” The day-long conference was hosted by the Emerging Markets Group at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Read more…
Tagged 2012 Chicago Microfinance Conference, Accion, Booth School of Business, Center for Global Development, Chicago Microfinance Conference, Conference, David Roodman, Emerging Markets Group, Ending Poverty, Financial services, FINCA, Harris School of Public Policy, Kellogg School of Management, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Microfinance Open Book Blog, northwestern university, Poverty, Savings, Smart Campaign, Technology, University of Chicago
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
