M-Banking and Microfinance

Wikipedia Definition & Overview – Mobile Banking
Mobile banking (also known as M-Banking, mbanking) is a term used for performing balance checks, account transactions, payments, credit applications and other banking transactions through a mobile device such as a mobile phone or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

Wikipedia Definition & Overview – Microfinance
Microfinance is usually understood to entail the provision of financial services to micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses, which lack access to banking and related services due to the high transaction costs associated with serving these client categories.

 

Kiva Loans that change lives
Kiva is an organization that allows people to lend money via the Internet to microfinance institutions in developing countries around the world and in the United States, which in turn lend the money to small businesses and students.

M-Banking Blogspot
Loan and savings innovation for mobile payments.

M-banking for the poor
As part of the broader work program on ICT and rural livelihoods, infoDev is exploring the potential to expand financial services to the poor and rural communities by leveraging ICT.

Microfinance Center
The Microfinance Centre is a regional microfinance resource center and network. They bring together 103 organizations (including 78 MFIs) in 27 countries of Central Europe and Asia, who serve over 800,000 low-income clients. Our mission is to contribute to poverty reduction and the development of human potential by promoting a socially-oriented and sustainable microfinance sector that provides adequate financial and non-financial services to a large numbers of poor families and micro-entrepreneurs.

Microfinance FAQ – CGAP

Microfinance for Global Entrepreneurs – Opportunity International

Microfinance Gateway
A service of CGAP, the Microfinance Gateway is the most comprehensive online resource for the global community dedicated to advancing financial services for the poor.

Microfinance Opportunities
Microfinance Opportunities is a global non-profit committed to understanding the financial realities of low-income households. They work with financial service providers, policy makers, telco’s, card providers, mobile money operators and other private sector organizations to connect product and service offerings to the realities of the unbanked or under-served.

Microfinance Transparency
Promoting transparent pricing in the Microfinance industry.

Mobile Banking in the Emerging World

Mobile Money for the Unbanked (MMU) programme
The GSMA Development Fund has initiated the Mobile Money for the Unbanked (MMU) programme to accelerate the availability of mobile money services to the unbanked and those living on less than US$2 per day. Bringing together mobile operators in developing countries, banks, microfinance institutions, governments, development organisations and the private sector,MMU has the goal of reaching 20 million previously unbanked people with mobile financial services by 2012.

Mobile Phone Banking for Rural Banks
An USAID funded m-banking project that services the customers of rural banks in Philippines.

TED Video – A History of Microfinance – Dr Muhammad Yunus
Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency.

The M-banking revolution
Article published by Foreign Policy discusses the spontaneous and unplanned explosion of m-banking in the developing world which has gone well beyond expectations.

The Myths behind Microfinance
Forbes discusses that the debate over the value of microfinance in the developing world appears to be long overdue.

Video Mobile Phone Banking for Rural Banks
An USAID funded m-banking project that services the customers of rural banks in Philippines.

Video – Open Source Microfinance promoted by Grameen Foundation

Video Technology-Enabled Microfinance
This is a video that demonstrates how Mifos Fuels Growth and impacts at Grameen Koota, in India.

World Vision Microfinance website
Small loans cannot end global poverty alone. But combine them with efforts to provide clean water, nutritious food, healthcare, and education, and a stronger, healthier community is born. That is what makes World Vision’s Micro so unique.

YouTube Video – Beware of Mobile Banking Dangers
Channel 4 Action News anchor Andrew Stockey takes a look at the dangers of mobile banking.

YouTube Video – Mobile Banking
Here are some important things to remember when using a mobile telephone or device to conduct online banking.

YouTube Video – The Hilltop Microfinance Initiative: CGI U 2012 CGI U 2012 Commitment Announcement
To address the high unemployment and poverty rates in D.C., Alex Honjiyo, Will Miller, and Craig Melcher commit to providing business education and microloans to low-income, minority entrepreneurs in the D.C. area, as part of their Hilltop Microfinance Initiative.