tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285776752810970942.post1435202953124195810..comments2023-07-23T03:34:44.366-07:00Comments on Smart Aid Faux Pas: Can microfinance be both moral and profitable?Lithacahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07882547874829676892noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285776752810970942.post-60006178575696467152010-09-16T10:01:13.765-07:002010-09-16T10:01:13.765-07:00Thank you for the comments again, Jeff! Will check...Thank you for the comments again, Jeff! Will check the link, because I am very interested in social business!Lithacahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11441141692600456325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285776752810970942.post-33764575125511723102010-09-16T00:11:56.110-07:002010-09-16T00:11:56.110-07:00Yes, it's pretty difficult and my colleague wh...Yes, it's pretty difficult and my colleague who sourced that project was prevented from returning by being marked as a threat to national security on account of refusing to pay bribes. The follow on project in Crimea was undermined and he responded by blocking his own project until US gov was ready to take a harder line on corruption in more recent times.<br /><br />The protection of donated funds has been something that's concerned us here in the UK for some time. Though we had a company form without share capital, known as a guarantee company, it was consider relatively easy to convert to a share company and distribute fund. This is where the Community Interest Company model comes in around 2005, in that it has what's known as an asset lock to prevent such things being done. <br /><br />I've included this in the category of Social Business and For Benefit corporations along with Yunus' social business, B-Corps and L3C models on this network should you be interested in general developments.<br /><br />http://socialbusiness.socialgo.com/Jeff Mowatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15350496673678288137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285776752810970942.post-51271443986918744482010-09-14T19:19:11.351-07:002010-09-14T19:19:11.351-07:00Apparently, not many people in microfinance indust...Apparently, not many people in microfinance industry are alarmed by the capitalization of microfinance organizations. Here's the article from Huffington Post: <br /><br />http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elisabeth-rhyne/funding-the-risk-frontier_b_715327.html?ref=twitter<br /><br />Some MFIS apparently successfully combine profit-maximization with their social mission. Yet, at the same time, a lot of MFIs now charge more than 15% that Yunus thinks should be the maximum interest rate on microloans for the poor. So, the success of their social mission remains in question.<br /><br />Now, I, personally, wouldn't be against profit-maximization and IPO by microfinance organization, if they kept their interest rates below 15%. However, I do not see how making $10 million off an organization that was started with public donations could fit in any of the scenarios that I can accept. And I ma very surprised that nobody is talking about that.Lithacahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11441141692600456325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285776752810970942.post-26463579521169461182010-09-14T10:42:30.936-07:002010-09-14T10:42:30.936-07:00Wow, I am so glad to hear that there is at least o...Wow, I am so glad to hear that there is at least one truly propoor microfinance program working in Russia!!! And I do know how widespread corruption is in Russia and how easily profit-maximizing businesses can disguise themselves as social businesses or nonprofits.<br /><br />I am wondering how hard is it to operate these types of enterprises in Russian and ex Soviet Union countries? Because I know that nonprofit sector, at least in Russia, is very weak and virtually non-existent if you compare it with the American one.Lithacahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11441141692600456325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285776752810970942.post-83945034834309710402010-09-14T00:18:06.317-07:002010-09-14T00:18:06.317-07:00I stand with Yunus in that the model of microfinan...I stand with Yunus in that the model of microfinance that Grameen practises is a moral collateral form, the kind that serves poor people best. <br /><br />On the subject of making a profit, here is the case for a social purpose form of business. The key point here is that it's not whether one makes a profit, but what is done with that profit that counts.<br /><br />http://www.p-ced.com/1/about/history/<br /><br />The author goes on to source a project in Russia using his own funds. The community bank was based on the Grameen model and 5 years later describes the success. At this point I've joined him to create this social purpose business model in the UK.<br /><br />http://www.iccrimea.org/scholarly/economicdev.html <br /><br />More recently in an article for Axiom he gives our views on the protection of social emphasis.<br /><br />http://www.axiomnews.ca/gennews/966 <br /><br />Microfinance can be costly when it depends on expertise from wealthier countries. Grameen's loan circle approach has its overheads but isn't intended to profit from the poor. <br /><br />From the introductory project in Russia one of the impacts was the creation of the Russian Microfinance Centre which engages local staff and the moral collateral approach.<br /><br />Otherwise what is described as micro finance is available only to existing business and that's still the case in most of Eastern Europe. Some od these schemes not only profit from the poor but also indicate that they're being used in money laundering activity.Jeff Mowatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15350496673678288137noreply@blogger.com