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 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
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
…. 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
A random traveller from Kiva’s Milepoint team (a group of people who like flying and have lent about $4m through Kiva) contacted me a week ago suggesting I join some online video chat with Kiva and ask them a tricky … Continue reading
NORAD, the Norwegian equivalent of DFID or USAID, recently announced that it has all but ceased microfinance activities. The Norwegian Microfinance Initiative (NMI) is the only remaining large microfinance investor, although it is partially funded from the Norwegian public purse … Continue reading
Philanthropedia has just published its list of the 11 most outstanding non-profit microfinance players. The mind boggles. Three feature in my book – prominently, and not too favourably. Grameen Foundation USA (GFUSA) was #2, Accion was #3 and Kiva was … Continue reading
For all the scrutiny, academic research and press coverage that the microfinance has attracted over the years, one niche has been exempt: the investment community. This is now changing. Individuals, NGOs, investors, CSR departments, even governments, have largely had to … Continue reading
