In the News

Miami Herald
By Anne Hastings
June 8, 2010

Plagued by tropical storms, floods and hurricanes that have killed hundreds of thousands of people and left even more destitute, Haiti has a long history with Mother Nature. Then on Jan. 12, she struck the country with yet another blow.

WSBI News & Views
Interview with Robin Ratcliffe
March 2010

Microfinance has become one of the fastest-growing sectors in the global economy in the past five years. In many countries, it has become the norm for microfinance institutions (MFIs) to achieve sustained growth rates of 25 percent or more.

Forbes
By Elisabeth Rhyne and Asad Mahmood
February 5, 2010

In reaction to the financial crisis, the U.S. banking industry and its regulators have been forced to seek new consumer protections that will put the industry on stronger ground. In marked contrast, one global subsector of the financial industry is moving proactively to ensure that client protection remains at the core of its business model.

Microfinance Focus
By Matthew Fuchs
November 4, 2009

Microfinance Focus, Nov. 4, 2009: The ongoing Nicaraguan “No Pay” movement, which began Spring 2008 in the north of the country, is an example of an organized protest movement against microfinance institutions.

MicroCapital.org
By Hio Kyeng Lee, Research Associate
October 28, 2009

Recent events in the global financial sector have provided the impetus for the launch of the Smart Campaign, a consumer protection campaign focusing on fair lending within the microfinance industry.

Business News Americas
October 23, 2009

Making microfinance client protection an essential component of fulfilling the industry's double bottom line promise is vital to maintaining the health of the microfinance industry, executives from global organizations concluded at briefings held in Washington.

Microfinance Focus
October 23, 2009

The Smart Campaign convened by the Smart Campaign has reiterated that making client protection an essential component of fulfilling the industry’s double bottom line promise is vital to maintaining the health of the microfinance industry.

Inside Microfinance
October 23, 2009

Microfinance leaders from around the globe conferred this week to promote the Smart Campaign -- a global effort to get out ahead of any problems that might threaten developments in microfinance.

October 2009

Following are recordings from the two teleconferences held for the launch of The Smart Campaign.

MicroCapital.org
By Hio Kyeng Lee
October 23, 2009

On October 20, 2009, Vikram Akula of SKS Microfinance in India, Elizabeth Littlefield of CGAP at The World Bank and Kurt Koenigsfest of BancoSol in Bolivia spoke during a panel discussion on how to instill consumer protection principles within the microfinance industry. Elisabeth Rhyne, managing director of the Center for Financial Inclusion at ACCION International, made introductory remarks and Robin Ratcliffe, Director of the SMART Campaign, moderated the discussion.