Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 1, 2011

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.

Microfinance 13

Microfinance IPO Bottom-up Finance 13

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 8, 2011

On this 100th International Women's Day , it is right to reflect on how women have become the heart of the microfinance industry. It is easy to forget that the initial motivation for microfinance roughly 30 years ago was, to a great extent, gender neutral. Microfinance is about much more than extending credit.

Microfinance 15

Microfinance Banking Globalization Insurance 15

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 22, 2011

The microfinance industry has in just a few years gone from making headlines for the Nobel Peace Prize to stories about limited impact, allegedly abusive tactics, client suicides, government crackdowns, major lenders struggling with insolvency and the forcible removal of Mohammed Yunus as Managing Director of Grameen Bank.

Microfinance 15

Microfinance Entrepreneur Crisis Short-term 15

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 13, 2011

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.

Banking 10

Banking Pharmaceuticals Microfinance Risk Management 10

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 22, 2013

We can take some lessons from Bangladesh, where BRAC is heading full steam into mobile banking with bKash (bikash means "growth" in Bengali), which is now the largest mobile banking provider in the country. At the program's peak, 700 pumps covered 27,000 acres, with the loans constituting 9% of BRAC's total microfinance portfolio.

Technology 18

Technology Microfinance Banking Document 18

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 4, 2012

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 goal is "to develop sustainable banking products which are more accessible for qualified candidates and women in general."

Entrepreneur 14

Entrepreneur Globalization Microfinance Finance 14

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 1, 2013

Sasikala, a Block Development Officer (BDO), talked to the Kodapattinam villagers about microfinance , only Shantha, of all the villagers, saw the opportunity and took action. The bank (in this case Indian Bank ) would then loan a matching amount, bringing the available funds to $400. Shantha was driven, focusing on outcomes.

Microfinance 8

Microfinance Innovation Committee Banking 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 13, 2012

The microfinance industry is a rare D and E success story. Microfinance banks, which provide desperately needed loans to low-income consumers, draw mainstream investors because of their attractive returns. Compare that to the 7%-10% NIM that is the norm for traditional banks serving wealthier consumers.

Microfinance 13

Microfinance Prahalad Bottom-up Banking 13

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 22, 2013

We can take some lessons from Bangladesh, where BRAC is heading full steam into mobile banking with bKash (bikash means "growth" in Bengali), which is now the largest mobile banking provider in the country. At the program's peak, 700 pumps covered 27,000 acres, with the loans constituting 9% of BRAC's total microfinance portfolio.

Technology 8

Technology Microfinance Banking Document 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 22, 2015

” Microfinance and other market-based interventions don’t generally reach them. Unfortunately, these trends still have little to no impact on the lives of a critical and chronically marginalized subset of the extreme poor around the world, those living on less than 60 to 70 cents per day. And we may have found a way to do this.

Microfinance 8

Microfinance BHAG NGO Participative 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 2, 2014

That year, two global headlines raised the profile of social enterprise: Mohammed Yunus and the Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace prize. You can find the answer to the timing question nestled among the facts that David Bornstein lays out in the preface to his book, How to Change the World. In the broader U.S.

Entrepreneur 12

Entrepreneur Microfinance NGO Mission Statement 12

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 15, 2016

” And the Legatum Institute, when aggregating data from the World Bank, the United Nations, and elsewhere to formulate its Prosperity Index , has found that of its many indicators, “entrepreneurship & opportunity” correlates most strongly with a country’s overall prosperity. .”

Microfinance 8

Microfinance Policies Entrepreneur NGO 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 17, 2014

sanitation, housing, mobile banking). Whether it’s solar lighting, mobile authentication, micro-insurance, mobile banking, drinking water, urban sanitation, low-income housing or primary health care, entrepreneurs need time to test, modify, and refine business models. To make sense of this kaleidoscope, three things need to happen.

Development 9

Development Microfinance Biotechnology Exit Strategy 9

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 20, 2012

Grameen Bank, the microfinance bank in Bangladesh, is well known for its use of peer groups: Self-formed clubs of five to 10 people, usually women, share responsibility for microloans. Peer groups also drive up the size of sales transactions: A single sale aggregates the demand of many customers.

Bottom-up 10

Bottom-up Microfinance Price Banking 10