Report on the debate between Muhammad Yunus and Michael Chu organized by the World Microfinance Forum Geneva. What is the role of commercialization, commercial capital and commercial investors in delivering microfinance to poor people? Is it ethical to make money out of the poor? These were the central questions of a debate organized by the [...]

Over the past two decades, institutions that make microloans to low-income borrowers in developing and transition economies have focused increasingly on making their lending operations financially sustainable by charging interest rates that are high enough to cover all their costs. They argue that doing so will best ensure the permanence and expansion of the services [...]

The Private Equity Council today announced that its members have adopted a set of comprehensive responsible investment guidelines that they will apply prior to investing in companies and during their period of ownership. The guidelines cover environmental, health, safety, labor, governance and social issues. The guidelines grew out of a dialogue between PEC members and [...]

FinanCités, société de capital-risque solidaire, dédiée au financement des Très Petites Entreprises (TPE) des quartiers et filiale du groupe PlaNet Finance, annonce l’entrée de BNP Paribas à son capital. Pour accompagner FinanCités dans son développement, BNP Paribas s’est engagé à souscrire à hauteur d’un montant maximum de 1 million d’euros à son capital, rejoignant ainsi [...]

La Convention internationale sur la protection et la promotion de la diversité des expressions culturelles, entrée en vigueur le 18 mars 2007, prévoit d’intégrer la culture dans le développement durable. Pour inciter les entreprises et les collectivités à atteindre un tel objectif, l’investissement socialement responsable (ISR) constitue aujourd’hui un levier efficace. Pour un investisseur ou [...]

World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick and German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul today launched a $500 million facility that will support microfinance institutions facing difficulties refinancing as a result of the global financial crisis and ensure that low-income borrowers in developing countries continue to have access to finance. The Microfinance Enhancement Facility, created by [...]

Sustainable Finance Geneva is a new network of philanthropy professionals, SRI experts and investors involved in sustainable finance and socially responsible investing. “Geneva, with its concentrationof international organizations, NGOs active in sustainable development and expertise in financialservices, is the ideal place to promote excellence in this new orientation of finance,” says Etienne Eichenberger, co-founder. Geneva [...]