Whether you're a small MFI with just a few dozen clients, or a big organization, your responses will help build a picture and create greater awareness of what's going on around information technology for the microfinance industry. The survey is available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.

As many as 300,000 Mongolians will be reached by a new mobile phone banking service to be launched by XacBank. The global microfinance body CGAP is supporting XacBank with technical assistance and funding.

CGAP invites photographers of all levels of expertise to enter the CGAP Microfinance Photo Contest.

This year's theme—innovators and entrepreneurs—speaks to the creativity of our industry. We know from past results that you'll be inventive in capturing the diversity, dynamism, and impact of microfinance around the world.

Chuck Waterfield, a professor at Columbia University and Muhammad Yunus have launched MicroFinance Transparency, a new self-monitoring organization, at this week's Asia-Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit 2008. MicroFinance Transparency’s goal is to prevent companies from taking advantage of poor people with high interest rates and misleading credit offers.

BANGALORE: Inflation is not necessarily a bad word. So it seems for the micro-credit industry if its growth trajectory and first quarter credit offtake are benchmarks. A cluster of large and mature micro-finance entities, many of whom are NBFCs with private equity funding, appear set for over 100% growths this fiscal as inflationary trends have triggered higher working capital needs for micro loanees.

Gradatim IT Ventures, one of the leading players in the Micro-Finance industry, announced the launch of MF-Insure, an on-demand micro-insurance technology platform which combines IT Infrastructure and Back Office Services, and delivered as a Business Process Utility (BPU) on a ‘Pay-Per-Use’ Pricing Model. This platform is all set to redefine the micro banking and micro-insurance segment in the country. MF-Insure is proficient in handling products for all lines of insurance business – Life, more...

Grameen Foundation today announced its inaugural Village Phone Grant Competition which will provide $10,000 each to up to two organizations to launch Village Phone programs. The competition is open to microfinance institutions and other non-profit organizations and is being run through Grameen Foundation’s Village Phone Assistance Center website, www.villagephonedirect.org. In addition to the $10,000 grant, the recipients will also receive technical assistance from the Grameen Foundation Vil more...

Morgan Stanley has announced the formation of the Morgan Stanley Microfinance Institutions Group (MFIG), the first time that an investment bank has established a group dedicated to serving microfinance institutions (MFIs). The group will provide a wide range of investment banking services to MFIs, networks and other market participants. The services will range from debt and equity capital to corporate advice, risk management, foreign exchange and derivative products. It will also structure and d more...

A Rangoon-based non-government organization, Myanmar Business Executive Group (MBEG), has announced a 50-million-kyat (more than US $40,000) microfinance scheme to help victims of Cyclone Nargis in the western outskirts of Rangoon and the Irrawaddy delta.

Pro Mujer International and Grameen Foundation announced a US$1.2 million loan for Pro Mujer Peru that will expand new opportunities for poor Peruvian women in need of credit. The financing from Banco de Crédito del Perú was facilitated through a US$400,000 co-guarantee split evenly between Grameen Foundation’s Growth Guarantees Program and Pro Mujer International. It is the highest leverage yet achieved on financing provided by a Peruvian commercial bank to an MFI, and is a clear indicati more...