ThoughtWorks, a global technology company based in the US state of Illinois, has announced that it will provide software engineering services for The Grameen Foundation’s Mifos Platform, a software platform launched in 2006.
Search Results for: yunus
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: $1m Investment from Wells Fargo Helps Grameen America Open Microfinance Bank in San Francisco, Its Fifth in the US
Grameen America, a microlender in the US whose board is chaired by Dr Muhammad Yunus of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, has made plans to open its fifth branch in the United States. Grameen America, which already has three branches in New York City and one in Omaha, Nebraska, announced that it will use USD 1 million in equity investments from the Community Lending and Investment division of the financial services provider, Wells Fargo and Company, to open a new branch bank in San Francisco, California.
MICROCAPITAL EVENT: CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) and Grameen Foundation Virtual Conference: Getting Past the Technology Hurdles at Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)
Event Name: CGAP and Grameen Foundation Virtual Conference: Getting Past the Technology Hurdles at MFIs
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFTransparency to Launch Transparent Pricing Initiative in Eight West African Countries, in Partnership with Luxembourg Development Cooperation
(Version Française de la publication ci-dessous)
MFTransparency, a non-governmental organization which promotes accurate and transparent pricing in the microfinance industry, recently expanded its transparent pricing initiative to eight West African countries: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Niger.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Foundation Releases Paper, “Measuring the Impact of Microfinance: Taking Another Look” by Professor Kathleen Odell
The Grameen Foundation, a US-based nonprofit organization, has released a paper, titled, “Measuring the Impact of Microfinance: Taking Another Look,” to address and inform the current debate surrounding microfinance’s efficacy in reducing poverty and ameliorating other social problems.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: The Grameen Foundation Announces Pioneer Fund to Focus on Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Underserved Areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America
Through a webinar last week, the Grameen Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, that aims to help microfinance institutions (MFIs) replicate the model of the Grameen Bank, introduced its newest campaign, the Pioneer Fund, and examined how the organization assists MFIs so that they might reach poor people in underserved areas with microloans. The webinar was the organization’s largest online event ever held with over 600 subscribers [2].
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Reaching the Poorest of the Poor: “The Making of a Tiny Loan” Hosted by the Grameen Foundation on May 7, 2010, 12:00 PM EDT, Webinar
Event Name: The Making of a Tiny Loan
Event Date: Friday, May 7, 2010 – 12:00 PM EDT
Event Location: Webinar
Event Website: To learn more about the campaign and register, you may go to http://grameenfoundation.org/pioneer
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: New York Times Article Addresses High Interest Rates and Mission Drift Among Microfinance Providers
A recent article featured in the New York Times newspaper entitled, “Banks Making Big Profits From Tiny Loans,” argues there is a growing mission drift among microfinance providers and discusses the efficacy of microloans and the need for more transparency in the industry.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Government of Bangladesh to Limit Interest Rates for Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)
The Finance Minister of Bangladesh, Mr Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, recently told the Bangladeshi Parliament that, in collaboration with Transparency International Bangladesh, an international non-governmental organization aimed at fighting corruption, the government would limit interest rates charged by microfinance institutions (MFIs).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Foundation to Upgrade Mifos, an Open Source Microfinance Institution (MFI) Management Software with Grants of $500,000 from Cisco Foundation and $1.23m from MasterCard Foundation
The Grameen Foundation, an independent non-profit organization, has announced that it will add functionality to Mifos, a microfinance institution (MFI) management software package that is open source, meaning that it is free software that can be changed by users.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Finance Minister of Bangladesh Argues Few Escape Poverty Due to Microfinance, High Interest is Main Challenge Facing Country’s Microfinance Industry
At a recent three-day conference in Bangladesh titled, “Microfinance Regulations: Who Benefits,” the country’s Finance Minister, Mr Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, argued that high interest rates and charges are the main challenges facing Bangladesh’s microfinance industry.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroFinance Transparency Receives Ford Foundation Grant to Promote Transparency in Latin American Microfinance Industry
MicroFinance Transparency (MFTransparency), a US-based non-governmental organization that aims to disseminate accurate and comparable microfinance product cost information, has received a grant from the Ford Foundation to expand its work in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Standard Chartered, an International Commercial Bank, Provides $1.6m Loan to Mitra Bisnis Keluarga Ventura (MBK), a Microfinance Institution (MFI) Located in Indonesia
Standard Chartered, an international commercial bank headquartered in London, has provided an IDR 15 billion loan, the equivalent of over USD 1.6 million, to Mitra Bisnis Keluarga Ventura (MBK), a microfinance institution (MFI) located in Indonesia.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Foundation Announces Joint Initiative with Oikocredit, Catholic Relief Services, Terrafina Microfinance, and Planet Rating to Apply Progress out of Poverty Index to MFIs in Africa
The Grameen Foundation, an independent non-profit organization, has announced a two-year initiative to assist African microfinance institutions (MFIs) in targeting and tracking clients using its poverty assessment tool, the Progress out of Poverty Index (PPI).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation Provides $3m Grant to Bankers Without Borders (BwB), a Grameen Foundation Volunteer Program, to Support Microfinance Initiatives
The J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation, the charitable arm of the U.S.-based financial services company, has provided a USD 3 million grant to Bankers Without Borders (BwB), a volunteer program of the Grameen Foundation based in the U.S. that supports microfinance and technology initiatives related to finance in low-income countries.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Foundation Releases Version 1.4 of Mifos Open Source Microfinance Institution Management Software
Grameen Foundation recently released the latest version of Mifos, its open source software platform for microfinance institutions.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Awards $38m in Grants to Help Microfinance Institutions Expand Savings Initiatives for Poor
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded six grants worth a total of USD 38 million to help 18 microfinance institutions (MFIs) expand or launch savings initiatives.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Organizations Launch Fundraising Efforts to Help Haitian Earthquake Victims
Several microfinance institutions (MFIs) have launched fundraising campaigns to raise donations for the victims of the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.