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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…
Tagged Accion, anniversary, Banking, CEO, Credit Suisse, Ending Poverty, Events, Financial services, Financial Times, FINCA, international business development, Loans, Microfinance, Microfinance Capacity Building Initiative, Microfinance industry, Opportunity International, Poverty, Simona Haiduc, sustainable finance award, Switzerland, Training, Vicki Escarra, Women's World Banking
Lend Your Voice to The Global Appeal for Responsible Microfinance
The following post was originally published on the Center for Financial Inclusion blog by Meghan Greene, Manager of the Microfinance CEO Working Group, the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion. Today, in front of the 3,000 attendees of the Convergences 2015 World Forum in Paris, microfinance leaders unveiled the “Global Appeal for Responsible Microfinance,” a landmark Read more…
Tagged Accion, Client Protection Principles, Clients, Ending Poverty, Financial services, FINCA, Freedom from Hunger, Global Poverty, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Microfinance CEO Working Group, Millennium Development Goals, Opportunity International, Paris, Poverty, Pro Mujer, Un millennium development goals, VisionFund International, Women's World Banking, World Vision
What We’re Reading: “Tapping into the Potential of the Unbanked in the DRC”
This post, “Tapping into the Potential of the Unbanked in the DRC,” was originally published Wednesday morning on ACCION International‘s Center for Financial Inclusion Blog, written by Kadita Tshibaka, a member of ‘s . Kadita was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and spent 33 years working around the world in Read more…
Tagged Accion, Africa, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Blog, Board of Directors, Center for Financial Inclusion, Center for Financial Inclusion Blog, Citigroup, Clients, Dartmouth College, DR Congo, DRC, DRC Grand Opening, Financial Access, Financial services, FINCA, Formal Labor Force, Gallup Poll, Gates Foundation, Global Findex, Kadita "A.T." Tshibaka, Kinshasa, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, Portfolios of the Poor, Poverty, ProCredit, Savings, savings club, sub-Saharan Africa, Technology, unbanked, World Bank
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
“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…
Tagged Accion, Center for Financial Inclusion, Credit Suisse, David Roodman, David Simms, Ending Poverty, Financial services, FINCA, Freedom from Hunger, Grameen Foundation, Insurance, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Opportunity Network, Pro Mujer, Savings, VisionFund International, Washington Post, Women's World Banking
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…
What We’re Reading: Women’s World Banking Study, Reaching Women in Rural Uganda with Microfinance
On Wednesdays, we highlight an article, book or a blog in our “What We’re Reading” series. We feature works that are noteworthy, inspiring, educational or relevant to the microfinance work we do at Opportunity. We welcome your comments in the comment field below–-tell us what you’re reading, or respond to the piece we’ve highlighted. The Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Banking on Women, BRAC, Clients, Ending Poverty, Finance Trust, Financial services, FINCA, Global Poverty, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Opportunity Uganda, Poverty, Pride, Rural Outreach, Smallholder farmer, Uganda, what we're reading, Women, Women's Opportunity Network, Women's Philanthropy, Women's World Banking, WON
Faith in Action: Nonprofit Microfinance in the News
The following is a post written by Professor Emeritus Martin E. Marty for Sightings, a blog from the Martin Marty Center at the University of Chicago’s Divinity School. A prominent interpreter of religion and culture, Marty is the author of more than 50 books, as well as a speaker, columnist, pastor and teacher, and was a professor Read more…
Tagged 2009 annual report, Africa, annual report, christian, christianity, Clients, Community, Education, Ending Poverty, faith, Faith in Action, Financial services, FINCA, Guatemala, India, Insight Trip, Loan Officer, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Microinsurance, Nonprofit, Opportunity International, Philanthropedia, Poverty, Religion, Savings, The Economist, Training, Trust Groups, University of Chicago
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
#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…
Tagged #MifiMon, Accion, Afganistan, ASA, China, Clients, Financial Regulations, FINCA, Gameen Bank, Ghana, India, Kenya, Latin America, Mexico, MFI, Microenterprises, Microfinance Institution, OptINnow, Peru, Rural banking, Southeast Asia, The Economist, Twitter
