Microfinance Summit
Last week a group of microfinance practitioners and investors gathered in New York City at the 2nd Microfinance Summit to discuss recent developments within the microfinance industry, as well as opportunities in providing healthcare, clean water, and renewable energy to low-income populations.
Thoughts from the CMF-CAB Conference
Last week I attended a conference titled “Microfinance: Translating Research into Practice”, hosted by the Centre for Microfinance in partnership with the College of Agricultural Banking (CAB) in Pune.
“Financial Inclusion is not a choice, but an absolute necessity”
The South Asian Economics Students Meet (SAESM) that concluded recently in Dhaka had Kshama Fernandes from IFMR Capital interacting with the students over a dinner talk on “Access to Finance for All”
Ratings upgrade highlights microfinance as a promising new asset class for investors
In March 2009, IFMR Capital (presently known as Northern Arc Capital) and Equitas Micro Finance concluded the first securitisation of micro-loans in India. Following that landmark transaction, on October 27th 2009 the associated PTCs (pass-through-certificates or securities) received a ratings upgrade from CRISIL. The senior tranche of PTCs was upgraded from AA (so) to AAA (so) — CRISIL’s highest long term safety rating. The junior tranche was upgraded from BBB (so) to A (so).
Conference presentation at the Brookings Institution
Nachiket and I presented at the Brookings Institution at a conference titled “Regulation in Emerging Markets”. We presented a paper that was authored by Suyash Rai and co-authored by Nachiket and I.
Calling for Technology Solutions in Rural Markets
The IFMR Trust is interested in finding practical solutions to challenges faced in the delivery of services across the areas in which it is involved.
Indian Initiatives In Microcredit
The Asian Institute on Transport Development initiated a dialogue on strengthening trade and communication ties between India and Bangladesh on October 12th, 2009 at the India International Centre in Delhi.
Mobile Technologies to Address Rural Market Needs
Mobile phones, unlike any other technology, have penetrated and affected the lives of ordinary Indians in a very short time.
The Miracle of Microfinance – An Evaluation
The miracle that microfinance is thought to be was subjected to a randomized evaluation in a study which was a result of a research partnership between MIT and the Centre for Microfinance at IFMR.
The miracle of microfinance? Evidence from a randomized evaluation
Microcredit has spread extremely rapidly since its beginnings in the late 1970s, but whether and how much it helps the poor is the subject of intense debate. This paper reports on the first randomized evaluation of the impact of introducing microcredit in a new market. Half of 104 slums in Hyderabad, India were randomly selected for opening of an MFI branch while the remainder were not.
