Alternative Finance: Savings
A common problem in underserved markets is lack of access to savings, caused by distance and inefficiency. Saving money is essential for businesses and individuals that want to expand and develop. A secure way for saving money enables people to improve their lives with their own resources. Savings-led microfinance This form of microfinance is most […]
Alternative Finance: Credit
Credit services are loans to MSMEs or individuals, often giving capital to those who could not get loans from commercial banks. The microcredit and Peer-to-Peer sectors are two of the fastest growing areas of Alternative Finance. Microcredit Some of the first Alternative Finance institutions were in microcredit, targeting the poor members of the community and […]
Alternative Finance: Payment Systems
Many of the greatest technological advances in Alternative Finance have been seen in payment systems, allowing people to access and send their money from anywhere to anywhere, reducing the need for trips to the bank. Remittances Accounting for around half of mobile transactions in countries that are developing mobile payment systems, this pressing demand has […]
What is Alternative Finance?
Microfinance has sought out the customers that banks ignored, making financial services available to people at the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’ (BOP). Microfinance is now widening to Alternative Finance, including the essential credit, savings, insurance and payment services needed by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’ (Tier 4 in the […]
How Does iMAP Crack the i-Myth?
The article in Tuesday 27 May 2014’s Evening Standard (London), “End of the peer-to-peer is a long way off” again reaffirms our view at Learning Without Borders. Banks are failing to serve their SMEs and other customers. Alternative Finance, such as Peer-to-Peer lending, mobile money and new types of insurance, is filling this gap. But […]