Careers in Microfinance & Microcredit

Web Resources

Microfinance: providing financial services to poor individuals, households, and communities by delivering financial services on the "micro" level as a means to promote economic development (e.g. very small loans, savings accounts for small deposits, etc.). Microfinance institutions ( MFIs ) are active mostly in the developing world, although some have established themselves in the U.S. and Europe . Opportunities for MBAs are most plentiful at such domestic organizations, and at the management level within international development agencies, donor agencies, and policy / advocacy groups.

Some interesting web sites:

Microfinance Gateway (includes Job Board) - http://www.microfinancegateway.org/

Accion USA - http://www.accionusa.org - ACCION USA makes small business loans to people who need them. Part of of the U.S. ACCION Network, which has loaned almost $150 million to more than 15,000 entrepreneurs since 1991. Loans range from $500 to $25,000 and serve as a vital resource for small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the United States who may not have access to traditional bank credit. Part of Acction International - see http://www.accion.org/about_where_we_work.asp .

http://tinyurl.com/mph5f - Article in Wikipedia on microcredit .

http://www.yearofmicrocredit.org/ - International Year of Microcredit (2005) website

http://tinyurl.com/nbmyr - Book - Replicating Microfinance in the United States - available on Amazon.com

The Association of Enterprise Opportunity - http://www.microenterpriseworks.org/ - the first member-based Microfinance trade organization in the United States

http://www.microcapital.org - Microcapital - on Microfinance and Microcredit Investment

http://www.enterweb.org/microcre.htm - list of links to various web sites addressing topics related to Microfinance & Microcredit

http://www.grameenfoundation.org/ - Grameen Foundation - Grameen Foundation's mission is to empower the world's poorest people to lift themselves out of poverty with dignity through access to financial services and to information.