responsAbility launches second microfinance fund
November, 30 2006
Zurich, Switzerland - In response to a mandate from an institutional investor, responsAbility has launched the responsAbility Microfinance Leaders Fund1 with an initial volume of USD 100 million. The investment strategy is geared specifically to the needs of the microfinance market. ...

Opportunity International Receives Bank License in Rwanda and NBFI License in Chennai, India
November, 30 2006
Oak Brook, Illinois - Opportunity International continues to make progress toward its rapid build-up strategy of microfinance banks and in the last six months has received two licenses for Rwanda and India ...

Microfinance growing, but needs more commercial funding: Vikram Akula
November, 28 2006
New Delhi - Microfinance in India, one of the largest emerging markets for it, is growing exponentially but needs more commercial funding to grow, says Vikram Akula, winner of the coveted Social Entrepreneur Award. ...

Grant to Grameen Foundation Supports Software Infrastructure for MFIs
November, 28 2006
Santa Cruz, CA - The Cisco Systems Foundation recently awarded a grant towards completion of a software project that will enable microfinance institutions (MFIs) worldwide to run their operations more effectively and efficiently. In an effort unrelated to the MicroVest investment, the foundation made a grant of US$300,000 to Grameen Foundation, USA to help the organization finalize version 1.0 of its Microfinance Open Source (MiFOS) project, a software platform for MFIs to manage their clients, portfolio and reporting needs. ...

Easy Money
November, 27 2006
India - Microcredit is booming in India, but the loans don't often pull people out of poverty. ...

European Microfinance Week
November, 26 2006
Luxembourg - 29th November – 1st December 2006 Chamber of Commerce, Kirchberg, Luxembour ...

the V National Conference on Microfinance "Microfinance in Russia: Elements of Success. Prior Experience for Future Growth"
November, 26 2006
Moscow, Russia - The Russian Microfinance Center and the National Partnership of Microfinance Market Stakeholders (NAMMS) have the pleasure of inviting you and your colleagues to attend the V National Conference on Microfinance "Microfinance in Russia: Elements of Success. Prior Experience for Future Growth" to take place at President Hotel, Moscow, from 29 November to 1 December 2006 ...

Microfinance in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – Perspectives from the field
November, 23 2006
Berlin, Germany - The ESCP-EAP and PlaNet Finance Deutschland invite you to a roundtable on “Microfinance in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – Perspectives from the field”, to discuss the state of microfinance in MENA and debate on experience gained in other region ...

Caterpillar Inc. Donates $1.2 Million To Opportunity International
November, 20 2006
Oak Brook, Illinois - Caterpillar grant to expand microfinance program offerings to more poor people in China and Afric ...

Round Table on Women and Microcredit
November, 20 2006
Metz, France - Adie-Lorraine, in collaboration with the regional government in Lorraine and EMN, is organising a one-day round table discussion on women and microcredit. The purpose is to share experience on promoting women’s entrepreneurship through microcredit and to consider concrete steps that could be undertaken in Lorraine to increase the number of women starting and succeeding in business ...

Caterpillar Inc. Donates $1.2 Million to Opportunity International
November, 20 2006
United States - Caterpillar grant to expand microfinance program offerings to more poor people in China and Afric ...

Macro Microfinance
November, 20 2006
Switzerland - Jacques Grivel is a soft-spoken and very innovative young Swiss financier, founder of high-performance risk analysis and asset management firms such as theScreener.com and Fundo ...

Unitus Wins 2007 Social Capitalist Award
November, 16 2006
United States - For Second Consecutive Year Unitus is Recognized for Reducing Poverty by Accelerating Growth of the Microfinance Industr ...

Unitus Expands to the Philippines with Lifebank Partnership
November, 14 2006
United States - Partnership to bring microfinance to 270,000 poor families by 200 ...

Microcredit is booming in India, but the loans don't often pull people out of poverty
November, 13 2006
India - In the K.R. Puram slum in Bangalore, India, a group of 15 women gather in a small, muggy living room. The electricity comes and goes, turning the fan and the single bare light bulb on and off. Flies buzz around the room and children run in and out ...

Ottawa pledges $40-million to break cycle of world poverty
November, 12 2006
Canada - The federal government pledged more than $40-million on Sunday towards microfinance projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America that help poor people access financial services ...

The Mifos Software Initiative
November, 10 2006
United States - Grameen Foundation’s Technology Center established the Mifos Initiative to address the microfinance industry’s information management challenge. The Mifos Initiative delivers an open source information management system for the global microfinance industry via a collaborative development and support community ...

A new arrival on the Microfinance Scene
November, 10 2006
Canada - A new organization entitled Proxfin, a network designed to stimulate study and discussion, has arrived on the world microfinance scene. Proxfin brings together 21 community finance institution partners of Développement international Desjardins (DID), from 18 developing or emerging countries on four different continents. Proxfin is intended to foster communication among these institutions, which share the share business model and values, and to advance good practices in community finance ...

Alex Counts, Founder of the Grameen Foundation
November, 09 2006
United States - The Grameen Foundation is a microfinance network that impacts an estimated 11 million lives worldwide. Alex discusses innovation in microfinance and international development and his vision for the future ...

MicroCred group announces the launch of MicroCred Madagascar
November, 07 2006
New York, Paris - MicroCred group announces the launch of MicroCred Madagascar operations in November 2006 following finalized approval to open a financial institution in Madagascar ...

Q & A with Jeffrey Sachs
November, 06 2006
United States - Once again, I sent one of our experts from Columbia University a representative set of your questions from which to choose. And once again, he answered them all. We owe thanks this time to Jeffrey Sachs, whose book, The End of Poverty, offers much more of his insights and experiences. Please feel free to comment on his responses ...

Micro-credit helps many Moroccans escape poverty
November, 03 2006
Morocco - Microfinance is thriving in Morocco. Poor people who cannot qualify for traditional loans can now start businesses with micro-credit loans ...

Sharpening the Debate: Assessing the Key Constraints in Indian Micro Credit Regulation
November, 02 2006
India - Despite recent gains in India’s micro credit sector, total financial inclusion is still a distant prospect. Over 80% of poor households in rural India have no access to formal financial services. For those who can access these services, it takes an average of thirty-three weeks to get a single loan approved. Inadequate regulation is one element curbing this sector’s healthy expansion. Our goal in this paper is to identify the most commonly cited regulatory roadblocks to the growth of the sector, explain existing regulation in these areas, and determine whether or not different regulations need modification ...