Knowledge Exchange

	Agricultural Finance: The Opportunity Difference Opportunity International, March 2012 Learn how Opportunity International’s agricultural finance initiative equips farmers with the services they need to move from subsistence to economically and commercially active farming, thus increasing household incomes and food security throughout Africa.
	2011 Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Snapshot MIX Market and CGAP, February 2012 This analysis of microfinance and key trends in sub-Saharan Africa for 2011 highlights the impact of mobile banking in the world’s most unbanked region. The data covers approximately 23,000 providers of deposit, credit or mobile banking services in all 45 countries in the sub-Saharan region where less than 12% of people have a bank account.
	Agricultural Finance: Cultivating Hope John Magnay, Senior Agricultural Advisor, Opportunity International (October 2011) This video presents Opportunity International’s approach to providing small-scale African farmers with comprehensive financial tools that help them increase yields, increase family incomes, and feed their villages.
	Microinsurance: A powerful safety net Richard Leftley, CEO, MicroEnsure (October 2011) This video presents how MicroEnsure is working with mobile phone companies and other partners in Africa and Asia to provide a safety net to the people in the developing world.
	Branchless Banking and Rural Outreach in Malawi: Opportunity International Bank of Malawi’s impact on the market Michael Ferguson, Microfinance Opportunities (May 2011) This study of the impact of technology-driven, low-cost rural service delivery system that Opportunity International Bank of Malawi (OIBM) pioneered in 2005, examines the value proposition of the bank-on-wheels concept for clients in rural and peri-urban areas.
	Microfinance and Gender: Some findings from the financial diaries in Malawi Guy Stuart, Harvard University; Michael Ferguson, Monique Cohen, Microfinance Opportunities (May 2011) This study presents research on the financial behaviors of hundreds of low-income Malawians to present the gendered characteristics of the Malawian economy and the impact of financial services on women.
	Cash In, Cash Out: Financial transactions and access to finance in Malawi Guy Stuart, Harvard University; Michael Ferguson, Monique Cohen, Microfinance Opportunities (January 2011) This study reports findings from the research on 172 low-income households and the value proposition of financial services to its clients: the uses of the mobile van, impact on family cash flows, and the gendered implications of services.
	Opportunity International: Assessing impact in Malawi Ryan Mohling, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. (2010) This study considered the effects of loans made by Opportunity Malawi to poor micro-entrepreneurs on business performance, financial standing, standards of living, and overall quality of life.
	Assessment of Household Saving Behavior and Access to Financial Services in Malawi M. Alexander R. Phiri, Bunda College of Agriculture (October 2010) This report presents findings from research on household saving behavior and access to finance services in Malawi, looking particularly at income sources and levels and its relationship to savings behavior.
	Addressing Capital Adequacy for MFIs: A risk management approach Estelle Berger, Director of Knowledge Management, Opportunity International (January 2010) This paper reviews key issues that MFIs should consider in determining how much capital is necessary in order to weather adverse business conditions and thrive, looking specifically at the relationship between risk and capital adequacy through the lens of risk management.
	Overcoming Back-End Barriers: Opportunity International and bank switching solutions Estelle Berger, Director of Knowledge Management, Opportunity International (2009) This report describes Opportunity International’s efforts to use technology, specifically back-end switching systems, to enable its banks to achieve widespread outreach to rural microfinance clients.
	Expanding Outreach in Malawi: OIBM’s efforts to launch a mobile phone banking program Estelle Berger, Director of Knowledge Management, Opportunity International (2009) This study explores the efforts of the Opportunity International Bank of Malawi to implement mobile banking (m-banking) for its microfinance customers.
	Role of Microfinance in Asset-Building and Poverty Reduction: The Case of Sinapi Aba Trust Joseph Kimos Adjei, Boafo Microfinance Services; Thankom Gopinath Arun, University of Central Lancashire; Farhad Hossain, University of Manchester (May 2009) This report evaluated the extent to which Sinapi Aba Trust contributed to poverty reduction among rural and urban poor especially women by supporting them with small loans to expand their businesses to build their asset base.
	Rural Manual Estelle Berger, John Magnay, Shadreck Mapfumo, Nick Walden, Bryan Campbell, Aleksandr-Alain Kalanda, Opportunity International (January 2009) This manual presents a compilation of articles discussing topics relevant to reaching the rural poor with financial services: agricultural finance, microinsurance, m-banking, back-end barriers, cost-benefit analysis, and rollout approaches.
	Developing a Cost-Benefit Analysis Tool: Experiences and Lessons from Malawi and Mozambique Nick Walden and Estelle Berger, Opportunity International (2009) This case study shares the experience of Opportunity International in designing a cost-benefit analysis tool to evaluate and compare microfinance delivery channels. It chronicles the tool’s design and analysis features, the challenges faced, and offers practical experience to other microfinance institutions looking to design similar tools.
	Banking Rollout Approaches to Rural Markets: Opportunity International Bank of Malawi Beth Houle, Bryan Campbell, and Aleksandr-Alain Kalanda, Opportunity International (February 2008) This paper examines strategies for expanding microfinance bank operations to a rural setting based on the experience of Opportunity International Bank of Malawi (OIBM), looking specifically at client responsive product modification, marketing/education, technology and distribution channels, and rollout.