Devin Erhardt (Manager, Global Programs) focuses on relationship management and consulting for Unitus. In recent months, she has been exploring new strategies for reaching poor, rural populations in the developing world who cannot access formal financial services. So, what is “mobile banking”?Mobile banking can describe many things, but primarily it means financial services—deposits, withdrawals, payments,… Read more >
Updates
Brigit Helms Interviewed by Next Billion
April 7, 2010 – Media Exposure
Brigit Helms Discusses What’s Next in Financial Services for the Poor on NextBillion From NextBillion, What’s Next in Financial Services for the Poor? An Interview with Brigit Helms, CEO of Unitus, by Sriram Gutta. NextBillion Editor’s Note: In his first post as Staff Writer, Sriram Gutta shares an interview he recently conducted with Brigit Helms, CEO… Read more >
Ganesh Rengaswamy Speaks With Inc. Magazine
March 31, 2010 – Media Exposure
Ganesh Rengaswamy Speaks With Inc. Magazine on Social Entrepreneurship From Inc. Magazine, How to Build a Values-Driven Business, by Tamara Schweitzer. “…Focus can be a big challenge for social entrepreneurs, says Ganesh Rengaswamy, a vice president at Unitus, an international non-profit that promotes the growth of microfinance. Most do-gooders have started a social enterprise because they… Read more >
Brigit Helms Featured in Lafferty Retail Banking Insider
March 31, 2010 – Media Exposure
Brigit Helms Weighs In on State of and Potential for Microfinance and Retail Banking in Lafferty Retail Banking Insider > Download the February 2010 Lafferty Retail Banking Insider “As MFIs scale up and expand the range of services offered, particularly in rural areas, they need to continue to keep costs low in order to stay viable.… Read more >
Unitus Teams Up With OPIC & Citi
March 29, 2010 – Press Release
Unitus Teams Up With OPIC & Citi to Make $15 Million Available for the Development of Emerging Microfinance Institutions Credit facility will provide debt funding to smaller MFIs in challenging markets SEATTLE, 29 March 2010 – In their ongoing effort to empower the world’s poor through microfinance, international nonprofit Unitus, Inc., the Overseas Private Investment… Read more >
Unitus & GV Healthcare Study Highlighted in Microfinance Focus
March 9, 2010 – Media Exposure
Unitus, GV Study Debunks Myths and Finds Potential Solutions for Improving Healthcare for the Poor From Microfinance Focus, Study by Unitus, Grama Vidiyal Microfinance shows prospects for financial prodcuts to meet healthcare needs, by Nagesh Narayana. “Increasingly microfinance institutions (MFIs) are realizing the need to go beyond Micro-Credit, like providing divergent financial products to address the small… Read more >
Samhita Wins Unitus Acceleration Award
February 1, 2010 – Update
We are pleased to announce that Samhita Community Development Services, a Unitus MFI partner since January 2008, was awarded the 3rd Annual Unitus Acceleration Award. The award was presented at the recent Unitus Leadership Summit in Mussoorie, India. Each year, Unitus presents the Acceleration Award to a partner who best exemplifies the goal of accelerating… Read more >
Interview with Samit Ghosh, Microfinance Innovator
February 1, 2010 – Update
Ujjivan, a Unitus partner since 2006, is an MFI providing financial services to the economically active urban and semi-urban poor in India. Since their launch in November 2005, they’ve reached more than 550,000 clients with a diverse range of financial products and services. In October 2009, Unitus sat down with Mr. Samit Ghosh, founder and… Read more >
Unitus Featured on Fast Company’s 30 Second MBA Series
January 18, 2010 – Media Exposure
Unitus Partners with Fast Company on 30 Second MBA Series Featuring Microfinance Entrepreneurs and MFI Executives As part of their Thirty Second MBA series, Fast Company is featuring a video series highlighting microfinance entrepreneurs and MFI executives who are partners of Unitus. Each of the five videos includes an unfiltered interview with a microfinance entrepreneur answering questions about… Read more >
Unitus Discusses Market Linkages on Next Billion
January 8, 2010 – Media Exposure
Sriram Gutta of Unitus Discusses Market Linkages on Next Billion From Next Billion, Market Linkages: The Achilles’ Heel of Livelihoods, by Sriram Gutta. “Over the last two decades, models for livelihoods for the poor have come of age and many organizations have focused their efforts on reducing the vulnerability of marginalized communities. A lot of these… Read more >
Microfinance Focus Announces Compensation & Benefits Survey
January 7, 2010 – Media Exposure
Second Annual ‘Unitus-Hewitt Microfinance Compensation & Benefits Survey’ Announced on Microfinance Focus From Microfinance Focus, Unitus announces 2nd ‘Microfinance Compensation & Benefits Survey’ for Indian MFIs. “Jan. 7, 2010: Microfinance funding and consultancy firm Unitus has announced the second annual Unitus-Hewitt Microfinance Compensation and Benefits Survey.Open to microfinance institutions throughout India, the survey is a successor… Read more >
Unitus Featured on Cause Capitalism
January 5, 2010 – Media Exposure
Unitus Featured on Cause Capitalism From Cause Capitalism, Poverty Alleviation at a Rate of 7: The Unitus Model, by Olivia Khalili. “I spoke with Windy Wilkins and Steve Schwartz from Unitus, a non-profit that works to increase access to microfinance services, to learn about Unitus’ specialized model (instead of working directly with borrowers, Unitus identifies high-impact microfinance… Read more >