MIcro Money

A collection of articles I'm reading about Financial Inclusion.

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The Progress out of Poverty Index(PPI) is a poverty measurement tool for organizations and businesses with a mission to serve the poor.

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You don't need an app for that

Are the simplest phones the smartest? While the rest of the world is updating statuses and playing games on smartphones, Africa is developing useful SMS-based solutions to everyday needs, says journalist Toby Shapshak. In this eye-opening talk, Shapshak explores the frontiers of mobile invention in Africa as he asks us to reconsider our preconceived notions of innovation.

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"The current edition of the Microscope , documents, among other trends, how the inclusion of microfinance-related information in credit bureaus in many countries is correcting information asymmetry to reduce the incidence of over-indebtedness and multiple lending in saturated micro-credit markets. Credit bureaus that include positive information even help borrowers to access new financial services by providing a more complete picture to potential lenders"

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Bill Gates on the digital future and financial inclusion

Mr. Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, delivered this video message at the Alliance for Financial Inclusion's 2013 Global Policy Forum (GPF) held 10-12 September 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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The state of philanthropy: A conversation with Acumen Fund’s CEO

Jacqueline Novogratz discusses the challenges that divide and unite today’s philanthropic community. A McKinsey & Company article.

The Quarterly: The charitable community doesn’t understand well how to sell things to the poor does it?

Jacqueline Novogratz: No. In fact, I’ve been in many meeting over the last decades where marketing is seen as a dirty word, which is really unfortunate because we market ourselves, we market things that we do every day. And I was just in one of the toughest slums on the planet and really struck by how capitalist the slums are, how capitalist the farmers are, in the way that they interact with each other, even if it’s within a more social-oriented system.

And so I think in a way it’s demeaning not to think about marketing to the poor. I think it’s not caring enough about what they want, because it’s all about what you think is right for them.

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Capturing the promise of mobile banking in emerging markets

Very poor people in emerging economies not only have a surprising degree of interest in financial services but also, when possible, use them enthusiastically. A McKinsey & Company article.

This may be a dated stat (article is from 2010) but even still the nascent potential it reveals is powerful: "For every 10,000 people, these countries have one bank branch and one ATM—but 5,100 mobile phones."

Such a good article, reviews a lot of the major points about how the unbanked bank informally.

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Guest post by Dan Radcliffe and Rodger Voorhies, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation1 India faces a major financial exclusion challenge. According to the 2011 World Bank Global Findex Survey, only 35% of Indian adults have access to a formal bank account and 8% borrowed formally in the last 12 months. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services for Small Businesses and Low Income Households (or “CCFS”) was tasked with formulating policy recommendations to close this exclusion gap while protecting the stability of India’s financial system and the safety of customers’ deposits. The CCFS report marks a big step forward in India’s financial inclusion deliberations.

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Kipochi launches first Bitcoin wallet in Africa with M-Pesa integration - Kipochi Blog

How will this change things?!? Trendwatching.org

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This Focus Note aims to do two things: (i) explore the various roles that MFIs can play in m-banking and (ii) explore the potential benefits MFIs and their customers expect to gain from pursuing m-banking.

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Aadhaar, the effort to give every Indian resident a unique identification number for the purpose of accessing services and social benefits, is at the center of India's progress towards financial inclusion. Already there are 58 million bank accounts linked to a UIDAI number, a sharp rise from the less than 2 million just 12 months ago

Goal: All adults over age 18 should have an account by January 2016.

http://uidai.gov.in/aapka-aadhaar.html

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The Art of the Responsible Exit in Microfinance Equity Sales

> Posted by Daniel Rozas, Independent Consultant The Investing in Inclusive Finance program at the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion explores the practices of investors in inclusive finance. Across areas including risk, governance, stakeholder alignment, and fund management, this blog series highlights what’s being done to help the industry better utilize private capital to develop financial institutions that incorporate social aims.

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Mobile money is at the heart of a digital payment movement that aims to deliver financial services to the world'€™s poorest communities.

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While cash will most likely have a role in developing economies for many years to come, there is emerging evidence that connecting poor people to digital payment systems can help them get and stay out of poverty