Having had a brief look at some of the apparently ethical MIVs, I had a quick sniff around Opportunity International (OI). I briefly commented on their ability to generate astonishing levels of hype and spin, but this is a slightly … Continue reading
It’s a question I often face. I’m apparently happy to criticise, often in gruesome detail, but slow to praise. What praise there is in the book is either anonymous or undermined: I suggested Mongolia was a good country for microfinance … Continue reading
I’m often asked “who are the good guys?”. It’s fair to say my reporting is somewhat skewed towards the less-than-ethical players, but is the entire sector rotten? I like to think not. I’m hesitant to say “XXX fund is a … Continue reading
I recently received a response to my blog-post “Doomsday”, which discussed a leaked document from Triple Jump and Incofin complaining about some of LAPO’s activities. The comment was from a group claiming to be students of LAPO. It’s as close … Continue reading
I rarely describe an article or PPT as obligatory reading. If you have any interest in the state of the microfinance sector, and wish to actually get to the heart of the matter rather than dance around the periphery, watch … Continue reading
I have criticised Kiva for being non-transparent in a number of ways, but one of my pet-peeves is their insistence upon using the portfolio yield statistic instead of an actual interest rate. Why is this so deceptive a statistic? What … Continue reading
They’ve both had sponsors abandon them They were both apparently miraculous, and then disgraced They both made promises they couldn’t (honestly) keep They both managed to out-fox regulators for decades They both lied to the world for extended periods They … Continue reading
I have been fairly critical of Kiva, as some of my more sensitive readers may have detected. Another peer-to-peer (P2P) microfinance platform, MyC4, actually endorsed my book. I did a project for MyC4 some years ago, helping them with their … Continue reading
The list of confirmed speakers at the forthcoming Capital Markets Conference reads like a summary of the worst offending parties mentioned in my book. Perhaps not surprisingly, I was not invited to the conference, although I would have rather enjoyed … Continue reading
…. is probably how Triple Jump described the day the KRO-Reporter documentary came out. In fact the day I received the attached document (Triple Jump/Incofin letter to LAPO March 2010) was Doomsday. They now face questions in the Dutch parliament. … Continue reading
