One of the most recognizable names in Indian microfinance has decided to step down from his role as CEO. Vikram Akula, the visionary founder and leader of SKS Microfinance will step down. Mr. Akula says that this change will allow him to focus on a new initiative – microinsurance.  As MicroCapital reported earlier this year, SKS [...]

The Center for Innovative Financial Design (CIFD), housed inside IFMR, Chennai is dedicated to Designing financial products to bridge the gap between the financial needs and the financial access of the rural poor. The Center Centre creates and tests novel financial products that improve financial access for the poor and works in close partnership with the newly formed [...]

The government of Punjab has been in the news this week, unveiling cutting-edge efforts to boost the local economy and build knowledge capital in the state The government announced a partnership with Bharati Wal-Mart, a national retail chain to set-up skill training center for youth [via PR Newswire]: The Punjab government has tied up with [...]

Monitor Inclusive Markets is looking for a new Chief-of-Staff! More information follows: Monitor Inclusive Markets a new practice within the India office that aims to establish Monitor as a thought leader, both in India and globally, within the realm of market-based solutions for social change. We will do this by identifying commercially viable business models [...]

This week has had no shortage of announcements of accepting nominations for some competitions and the unveiling of winners from others. Today, IndiaPRwire reports that the Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation, Schwab Foundation, and UNDP has picked finalists for the 2008 Social Entrepreneurship of the Year Award. The Award recognizes individuals who offer the most [...]

The logic is simple – only less than 0.1% of the Wikipedia readers contribute back, and my guess is that the percentage is even lower in India. The solution is Chennai Wikipedia Academy: The Chennai Wikipedia Academy is NOT a brick and mortar entity. It’s a concept that embodies the spirit of sharing. It’s a [...]

Remember the Tech Museum Awards? The award “honors innovators from around the world who are applying technology to benefit humanity.” The 25 winners were announced yesterday, with two innovators from India. MercuryNews.com covered the ceremony in San Jose, California and met with the winners, including DESI Power and Digital StudyHall. First, DESI Power is based [...]

IndiaPRwire helps announce the launch of yet another challenge; this time, focusing on micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) business plans. The nationwide challenge, titled Sankalp, is presented by India Development Gateway, a new portal “designed to overcome the barriers currently limiting flow of capital into social enterprise.” Sankalp 2009 is a serious attempt at [...]

We all know the power of prizes to motivate innovation and so this new award will hopefully do just that: The financial services firm, Edelweiss Capital Ltd is partnering Kubera Partners, a private equity firm based in USA to launch the Kubera-Edelweiss Social Innovation Honours, three awards totaling US$ 60,000 to felicitate outstanding innovations that positively impact [...]

An Ahmedabad-based business, Moralfibre, is short listed for the Ethical Business award given by the Ethical Fashion Forum. Promoting khadi and making it fashionable for the modern taste, the business offers a new twist on an old practice. The CEO, Shalini Sheth Amin, recognized a market for khadi in the growing zero carbon footprint and [...]