Daily Archives | Kiva
Microfinance and Discrimination
April 13th, 2012
READ MOREAn insightful study made by researchers at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University has found that attractive, thin, light-skinned women are the best candidates to receive the benefits of microlending sites and charitable initiatives. They have the best chances compared to men, …
April: Month of Microfinance
April 3rd, 2012
READ MOREThere is a growing interest on microfinance in the United States, a surprising movement taking on account that this financial scheme was originally devised for poor people in developing countries. The Student Microfinance Movement is a student-run microfinance organization based …
Benefits of Crowdfunding Platforms
February 8th, 2012
READ MORECrowdfunding platforms are intermediary services that act as interface between the public and the project. According to Daniela Castrataro, co-founder of Twintangibles, a UK-based social media consulting agency, they can offer increased audience size, reduced transaction costs and decreased legal …
Microlending in the Bay Area
November 14th, 2011
READ MORESixteen years after making its first loan, The Opportunity Fund, based in San José, California, has become the third most important microlender in the United States. It demonstrates that microfinance’s scheme has become an increasingly popular method of alternative financing …
Happy Birthday Kiva!
November 1st, 2011
READ MOREPatricia Salber, a regular loaner of Kiva, joined the celebration of its sixth anniversary and shares her personal experience: “Over the years, I have made more than 80 loans and every single one of them has been paid back”. She …
Growing wit Zidisha
October 28th, 2011
READ MOREKiva is the most important online microcredit institution, but it is not the only. Many organizations have developed their own model. Zidisha Inc., for example, is a nonprofit entity incorporated in the state of Virginia, U.S.A. Its slogan is “Link …
Babyloan Offers Loans to Borrowers in France
October 27th, 2011
READ MOREAccording to news reported by www.kivafriends.org, the French micro-lending site Babyloan is now offering loans to borrowers in France in addition to developing world countries. Babyloan’s website presents snapshots of the rich mosaic created by micro-entrepreneurs across the world. They …
Kiva Celebrates Six Years of Microlending
October 20th, 2011
READ MOREKiva is the most popular online microlending platform in the United States and the most important in the world. Surprisingly it began only six years ago and this week it is celebrating its anniversary with loans made to almost every …
Microfinance in the Age of Internet
October 10th, 2011
READ MOREThe development of microfinance’s innovative scheme and the growth of Internet have been parallel processes and now both are deeply intertwined. Erich Archer, journalist in the WellesleyPatch believes that thanks to the Internet “microfinancing has been thrust into popular culture, …
Kickstarter: Microfunding and Creativity
September 27th, 2011
READ MOREMicrofinance is not only a new financial option. It is a change of paradigms in contemporary world. Kickstarter?! counts among the clearest proofs of our assertion. It is the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. Based on …