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Innovating The Brick-and-Mortar Injustice Infrastructure

Mills Scofield

This week''s post is by Andy Posner , Co-Founder & Executive Director of Capital Good Fund ( CGF ), a non-profit microfinance organization targeting the root causes of poverty through innovative micro-loans and personal financial coaching. Maybe you can help! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

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Making Microfinance More Effective

Harvard Business Review

While meeting this challenge is a clear priority for policy makers and donors, it is also a major profit opportunity for commercial players who can solve market failures and create real value. Micro-insurance is not at scale anywhere except when heavily subsidized by government, a market we hope technology may change in the future.

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Under Fire, Microfinance Faces Falling Out of Favor

Harvard Business Review

Microfinance has come under fire in the past 18 months, triggered in part by SKS Microfinance's IPO. Critics complain that the institutions supporting microfinance have become too greedy, and many are using this as an argument to deeply regulate or, even more, cut support to microfinance operations. I hope not.

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Using Games to Get a Handle on Bank Risk

Harvard Business Review

Bank marketing materials focus on the dreams, anxieties and goals of consumers. Most audits and regulations of banks are focused on certifying the integrity of data and controls. The truly critical issue, though, is the integrity of banks' assumptions about consumer behavior. Data suggests that these are not sufficient.

Banking 10
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Global Entrepreneurs Need New Funding Models

Harvard Business Review

In low-income countries, according to World Bank data in a recent paper by the consultancy Dalberg, 43% of businesses with between 20 and 99 employees say that access to finance is a major constraint. The White House has called this gap between the demand and supply of finance for small and medium enterprises a "market failure.[and]

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How Social Entrepreneurs Can Have the Most Impact

Harvard Business Review

That year, two global headlines raised the profile of social enterprise: Mohammed Yunus and the Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace prize. Note: This post is adapted from my remarks at Babson College’s 2014 Lewis Institute Social Innovator Awards. In the broader U.S. The mind that is not baffled is not employed.