Harvard Business Review

MARCH 16, 2011

We're a network of microfinance organizations; we exist to share practices and develop the leadership skills required by a sector that has grown up fast. And as you might be aware, microfinance is a phenomenon that, while it did not set out to be "for women," has mainly turned out to be.

Microfinance 14

Microfinance Diversity Banking Trends 14

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. And in D and E markets, the environment demands a very high contribution per transaction.

Microfinance 13

Microfinance Prahalad Bottom-up Banking 13

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 11, 2013

Six years ago, David and Donna Allman approached Opportunity with an idea that fell outside our traditional microfinance model: to build a Community Economic Development (CED) program in Nicaragua. We know that microfinance alone will not break the poverty cycle. Today, Roger is president of the school, elected by his peers.

Microfinance 8

Microfinance Rogers Tourism Engineering 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Much like our team of engineers who are constantly testing for the best functionality of our products, our team for emerging markets set up a series of experiments to explore which distribution model functioned best in these remote environments. Experiment #5: Microfinance Institutions. Experiment #1: The Handi Shop.

Marketing 8

Marketing Microfinance Retail Development 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 24, 2012

Commercial microfinance organizations are perhaps the best-known hybrid organizations, but social entrepreneurs now use hybrid models to address a diverse set of social issues that includes hunger, healthcare, economic development, environment, education, housing, culture, law, and politics.

Entrepreneur 15

Entrepreneur Microfinance Market Segmentation Incubator 15

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 13, 2011

Creating immersive environments provides a chance for both consumers and financial institutions to make decisions on a real-time basis, rather than relying on pay stubs and historical data. What if people were given their salary virtually and an immersive environment like Farmville as part of the pre-qualification process?

Banking 11

Banking Pharmaceuticals Microfinance Risk Management 11

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 8, 2015

Those agenda add-ons that most conferences offer — morning fun runs, afternoon factory tours, evening cocktails — are great places to meet people, in part because different environments and activities help us to relax and to behave and think more openly. And, don’t worry, you won’t be the only who shows up.

Conference 8

Conference Microfinance Participative Creativity 8