A Unitus partner since September 2007, Equitas based in Chennai, India, is one of the fastest-growing MFIs in India. In just over 20 months of operations, the young MFI has reached more than 500,000 clients. The bedrock of Equitas’s scalability is its approach of delivering efficient back-office support to its branch teams. Equitas has established a… Read more >
Team Unitus Labs,
Posts by Team Unitus Labs
An Open Letter to the Wall Street Journal
August 14, 2009 – Press Release
An Open Letter to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal While it was not surprising to find coverage of microfinance in your paper the morning after Dr. Yunus received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, we at Unitus were quite surprised to see such a bleak depiction of the microfinance industry, more than 30 years… Read more >
Unitus and Jamii Bora Trust on CNBC Africa
July 7, 2009 – Media Exposure
Unitus and Jamii Bora Trust Featured on CNBC Africa In June 2009, Unitus President Ed Bland was featured on CNBC Africa discussing Jamii Bora Trust, a Unitus partner since 2004. > Watch the CNBC Africa feature Tags: Jamii Bora, kenya
Unitus Featured in the Seattle Times
June 24, 2009 – Media Exposure
Unitus Featured in The Seattle Times “Unitus Expands in Africa as Indian Partner Mulls IPO” . . . From its new location on the fifth floor of a Queen Anne building, Unitus President Ed Bland talked about the group’s progress to help small microfinance organizations grow by providing capital and business consulting. Unitus has about… Read more >
Tamil Nadu MFI Gets $4.25M From MicroVest, UEF, Vinod Khosla
June 23, 2009 – Media Exposure
Grama Vidiyal Micro Finance Limited (GVMFL), a Tamil Nadu based microfinance institution, has raised $4.25 million from MicroVest and its existing investor Unitus Equity Fund in its second round of fundraising. Vinod Khosla, who had also invested in the first round of funding of GVMFL, has invested in this round too, through his non profit private… Read more >
Grama Vidiyal Raises $4 million of Equity
June 16, 2009 – Press Release
Grama Vidiyal raises over USD 4 million of equity capital, the first equity investment in India in 2009 Tamil Nadu, India-based microfinance institution successfully completes second round of equity infusion from MicroVest, Unitus Equity Fund I (UEFI) and Amar Foundation. Tamil Nadu, India June 16, 2009: Grama Vidiyal Microfinance Private Ltd (GVMFL) is pleased to… Read more >
Announcing NIS Sparta Partnership to Create Training Program
June 9, 2009 – Press Release
Unitus and NIS Sparta Partner to Create Microfinance Management Training Program Unitus and NIS Sparta Partner to Create Breakthrough Management Training Program to Support Next Generation of Microfinance Leaders Seattle, WA and New Delhi, India, 9 June 2009 — Unitus, Inc., an international nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing global poverty by accelerating access to microfinance,… Read more >
Ganesh Rengaswamy Joins Unitus
June 4, 2009 – Press Release
Ganesh Rengaswamy Joins Unitus as India Country Director Unitus Announces Ganesh Rengaswamy as India Country Director and Newest Member of Global Senior Management Team Seattle, WA and Bangalore, India, June 4, 2009 — Unitus, Inc., an international nonprofit dedicated to reducing global poverty by accelerating access to microfinance, is very pleased to welcome Ganesh Rengaswamy… Read more >
Financial Literacy for the Working Poor
June 1, 2009 – Update
Swadhaar FinAccess was founded with the goal of providing the urban poor in Mumbai increased access to regular, reliable, and efficient financial services in a sustainable and scalable manner, and became a Unitus partner in 2006. In 2008, the organization launched Swadhaar FinServe Pvt. Ltd.—an NBFC (Non-Banking Financial Company)—to take over microfinance operations, which has… Read more >
Jamii Bora and Unitus in the Independent
May 28, 2009 – Media Exposure
Jamii Bora and Unitus Featured in The Independent From “Kenyan eco-town: From the slums to a shining town on the hill” by Daniel Howden. The Independent. In Kenya a little bit of money and a can-do attitude go a long way. Daniel Howden sees how Kaputei has transformed the lives of the country’s poor Clarice Adhiambo… Read more >
Unitus and Yehu Microfinance Trust Form Partnership
April 15, 2009 – Press Release
Unitus Expands Presence in East Africa through New Partnership with Kenyan Microfinance Provider Yehu Microfinance Trust Third East Africa partnership demonstrates Unitus’s deepening commitment to increasing microfinance accessibility in the region Seattle, WA, April 15, 2009 — Unitus, Inc., an international nonprofit dedicated to reducing global poverty by accelerating access to microfinance, is pleased to… Read more >
Africa Microfinance Growth Centre Launch
April 14, 2009 – Press Release
Unitus Announces Groundbreaking Leadership Development Program for CEOs of Early-Stage Microfinance Institutions in East Africa Innovative program will increase access to life-changing financial services for low-income families in rural Africa Seattle, WA, April 14, 2009 — Unitus, Inc., an international nonprofit dedicated to reducing global poverty by accelerating access to microfinance, is deepening its commitment… Read more >