Blog Archives

Credit Suisse Celebrates 10 Years of Microfinance

Congratulations to our corporate partner Credit Suisse on achieving 10 years of leadership in microfinance. Opportunity International CEO Vicki Escarra participated in two panel discussions, both of which highlighted innovations in products and delivery mechanisms to reach and serve clients more effectively. “We take a private equity approach by providing leadership and financial training as Read more…

Posted in Events, Loans, Microfinance, Our Leadership, Strategic Partners, Training
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Opportunity Colombia’s Grand Opening Celebration as a Deposit-Taking Bank

Opportunity Colombia celebrated its grand opening event in Bogota last month. As a regulated financial institution, Opportunity Colombia can now offer a full range of financial services to its clients, including interest-bearing savings. By 2015 it aims to reach 60,000 Colombians who live at the base of the economic pyramid. With 150 attendees at the Read more…

Posted in Bank Building, Client Stories, Donors, Events, Faith in Action, Loan officer, Local Staffing, Our Leadership, Our Work, Savings, Strategic Partners, T24, Technology, Where We Work
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Credit Suisse’s Microfinance Work Recognized at the Financial Times/IFC Sustainable Finance Awards

 would like to offer our congratulations to  Credit Suisse. They were awarded a special commendation for their  program in the Sustainable Global Bank of the Year category at the Financial Times/International Finance Corporation Sustainable Finance Awards. The annual FT/IFC Sustainable Finance Awards, now in their seventh year, are the major global awards for environmentally- and Read more…

Posted in Bank Building, Events, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Strategic Partners, Technology
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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…

Posted in Bank Building, Events, Loans, Microinsurance, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Savings, Strategic Partners, Technology, Where We Work, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
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“The Hype is Long Over” – Microfinance CEOs Respond to Washington Post Article, “Microfinance Doesn’t End poverty, Despite All the Hype”

The following post was published today on the Center for Financial Inclusion’s blog. The Microfinance CEO Working Group consists of the CEOs of leading microfinance organizations ACCION, FINCA International, Freedom from Hunger, Grameen Foundation USA, , Pro Mujer, VisionFund International, and Women’s World Banking. In the post below, the CEOs respond to the recent Washington Read more…

Posted in Loans, Microinsurance, Our Leadership, Our Work, Savings, What We're Reading
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Check It Out! Credit Suisse Reports on the Impact of Microfinance & Technology in Malawi

We’re pleased to announce that Opportunity International is featured in this month’s Credit Suisse Bulletin. The four-page article, which was the result of Credit Suisse’s visit to Opportunity Malawi last year, is located on pages 42-45. Click here to see a complete copy of the Bulletin or read the story online. In addition, Credit Suisse has Read more…

Posted in Loans, Local Staffing, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Savings, Strategic Partners, Technology, Training, What We're Reading, Where We Work
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Breakout Session: Developing the Next Generation of Microfinance Bankers

Recruiting, hiring and retaining key staff–from loan officers to CEOs–who are technically excellent and who embrace a culture of serving people living in poverty with client-centered products is critical to our success. Find out more about Opportunity International’s partnership with Credit Suisse to build a comprehensive leadership and staff development initiative across our operations in Read more…

Posted in Events, Local Staffing, Microfinance Conference, Strategic Partners
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Conference LiveBlog: Anessa Chui of Credit Suisse

This morning, Anessa Chui–VP of Human Resources-Onboarding and Program Management at Credit Suisse–spoke from the main stage at Opportunity’s annual conference. Credit Suisse, a strategic partner to Opportunity International, is the generous sponsor of our conference this year. Anessa visited Opportunity’s operations in Uganda as part of Credit Suisse’s Global Citizens Program, examining the branches’ Read more…

Posted in Events, Microfinance Conference, Strategic Partners, Where We Work
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My Inspirational Meeting in Malawi with Microfinance Client Mary Jackson

Recently, Opportunity International staff members traveled to Malawi, seeing firsthand how technology enables us to deliver microfinance services to rural people living in extreme poverty. They met with Opportunity Malawi clients and local staff to capture the stories of entrepreneurs who are working hard to break the cycle of poverty. Below, read staff member Cynthia’s account of her meeting with Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Savings, Strategic Partners, Training, Where We Work
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Event: Connecting and Inspiring Microfinance Professionals at the 25th Anniversary of the SEEP Conference

All this week, the 2010 SEEP Conference will be taking place in Arlington, Va. The annual conference is a forum for microenterprise development practitioners from around the globe to connect on the challenges and opportunities they face. Opportunity International is an associate partner at the conference, which is supported and attended by microenterprise practitioners, policy Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Leadership, Our Work, Strategic Partners, Technology, Training, What We're Reading, Where We Work
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