Tag Archives: Deutsche Bank

Smart or Crafty?

Smart Campaign rarely speak in public. They lecture, but dislike questions. This is a rational response given their flawed certification model, which has just managed to praise one of the world’s most vilified institutions, Compartamos. Besides a few MIVs paying … Continue reading

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Incestuous Relationships, Spin & PR in Microfinance

My friend Beth Rhyne (of Smart, CFI and Accion) recently posted a bizarre article on the CFI blog (i.e. on her blog) in which she pleads for money. The premise is that the infrastructure of the microfinance sector, by which … Continue reading

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MIBs: Microfinance Investment Barbarians

Private capital to microfinance is mostly channelled through gatekeepers (microfinance investment vehicles – MIVs). Some public capital also flows through these vehicles. On the micro scale the P2Ps (Kiva, MyC4 etc) act as more trivial gatekeepers for those wishing to … Continue reading

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End of Year Microfinance Sector Wrap-up

Another few million clients, new banks emerging daily, relentless spin without much evidence of poverty reduction: I thought I’d provide a light-hearted summary of what’s happened this year in the embattled microfinance sector. The best news is that the microfinance … Continue reading

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Corrupt Microfinance Players attend Conference

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

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