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How One Startup Developed a Sales Model That Works in Emerging Markets

Harvard Business Review

We serve two markets that are very different but united by the common need for reliable, safe access to energy: outdoor recreationalists and low-income households in emerging markets. We found an ideal storefront near a busy market in central Bhubaneswar. Experiment #5: Microfinance Institutions. Photograph courtesy of BioLite.

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The Microfinance Contagion Scenario

Harvard Business Review

The average debt-to-equity ratio of the 10 largest MFIs in India is 7.06 , indicating an average 12% equity cushion. In other words, at current repayments rates, any MFI with more than 12% of its portfolio in AP is at risk of insolvency. That in turn could cause the MFIs portfolios to deteriorate.