Back in September of 2008, I wrote a piece titled on On Bailouts, Boons and Bill Clinton that attempted to explain how the onset of the credit crisis will affect the microfinance industry and as a result restrict…

Sa-Dhan, an association of community development finance institutions in India will host a National Microfinance Conference in New Delhi on March 31, 2009. The conference is centered on the theme, ‘Microfinance Ecosystem: Equilibrium Between Growth & Effectiveness’.

One…

Whether you are an individual investor, an institutional fund, or a microfinance organization, the issue of returns on social investment is always a concern.  The difference is usually in the approach that each stakeholder may take in measuring these…

It’s that time of year again – Atlas Corps is seeking fellows for their 2009-2010 fellowship.  This is a great opportunity for nonprofit/NGO leaders from around the world (including India!) to learn from, experience, and exchange ideas…

TC-I reader Suresh Parmar tipped us about a workshop focusing on social entrepreneurship on April 16-17 in New Delhi.  Held by the Centre for Training and Research in Responsible Business and Social Entrepreneurship (New Delhi), in partnership with the…

Here are some high level points from his talk last night. My own observations are preceded by initials, while comments he said are left alone. I kept them in this order as this was the original chronology of how they…

So, it looks as though many smaller MFIs will now become absorbed by the larger players as the microfinance sector is expected to enter into period of substantial consolidation within India. According to Microcapital.org,

The sector, which has

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Thumbs up: Obopay and Grameen Solutions partner together to provide microfinance services to clients. The initiative will be called the “Bank A Billion Initiative.”

The premise of the project is to provide access to basic financial services through

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Envirofit International has introduced a range of “clean-burning and biomass-based cooking stoves” in India, starting with the rural homes in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Envirofit’s announcement on its website says:

Designed by an international team of globally

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Once in a while, its not uncommon to see a Bollywood movie taking on a pertinent social issue and the same time striving to be commercially successful. On that spirit, the latest bollywood release titled Summer 2007, is taking on…