article thumbnail

The Microfinance Contagion Scenario

Harvard Business Review

So far, the Andhra Pradesh (AP) microfinance crisis has largely been viewed as a local issue, with relatively little impact beyond AP or India's borders. Other microfinance crises, in Bolivia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, and Bosnia, have not spread beyond the borders of a particular country. That could likely have consequences.

article thumbnail

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

Harvard Business Review

Store displays, user reviews, and expert employees with firsthand experience all play a role in building the confidence that is critical to a purchase. Experiment #5: Microfinance Institutions. Prem, a BioLite Burner on our West India team, gives a HomeStove demonstration to a group of customers at a microfinance branch in Rajasthan.