Katalysis in the News

Thanks to our always supportive Lodi duo of Heather Pyle and Davis Lucas Katalysis is back in the Lodi News Sentinel. The article focuses on the sights and stories of the latest Partnership Journey to El Salvador. Please follow the link below to view the article.

Lending a Hand

Microfinance Fever

Forbes Magazine’s Mathew Swibel ‘s discusses the increased awareness the microfinance sector has been receiving from global investors. In particular the microfinance sector has enticed many private and high-profile investors to participate in this dynamic and successful effort to alleviate poverty through self– sustained business practices. Socially conscious investors are making wiser decisions as to how and who they decide to invest their money with. Ebay’s founder, Pierre Omidyar has been a long time investor and in the microfinance sector and has recently began to sell microfinance loans online. However, Swibel highlights that not all lenders are good lenders, a list of the Top Ten micro lenders has been provided, the United States does not fall under the top ten.

Microfinance Fever

Coming Soon: Partnership Journey 2008 El Salvador

Hello and welcome to the first installment of a series of blog postings by the Katalysis Bootstrap Fund. Postings will focus on in country reports concerning the day to day experiences of the group traveling to El Salvador with the Bootstrap Fund. The trip begins on February 3rd and ends on the 9th. So please check back periodically to keep up to date with reports from the field looking at the realities of microcredit in El Salvador.

Microenterprise Update

Rob Katz explains the difference between the newest web-based microfinance institution, MicroPlace and the very popular Kiva, also a web-based microfinance organization. Kiva was established in 2005 and has received much media attention. Microplace and Kiva have very similar peer-to-peer lending models. However, Katz explains that while Kiva is a NGO, MicroPlace had the resources (with backing from Ebay), to become a SEC-registered broker/dealer. Because of this, lenders on Kiva only receive their loans back - without interest. MicroPlace, as a broker/dealer, can pay interest to lenders and are backed by securities.
Read more at

http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2007/10/24/kiva-vs-microplace-whats-the-difference.


Unitus Holds Summit to Unite Microfinance, Business, and Philanthropic Leaders

Unitus, Inc. a leader in implementing new strategies to help the world's poor, held the Unitus Leadership Summit. Unitus invited Pierre Omidyar, an eBay founder and founding partner of Omidyar Network, and Matt Bannick, partner of Omidyar Network and former president of eBay, to provide their insights to the Summit attendees. The Summit's discussion sessions focused on strategy, technology, financing, and business efficiency. Conversations focused on the need to lower operating costs, the importance of developing new products and services to meet the growing needs of the poor, and opportunities to utilize private capital in the microfinance sector. Also discussed was the opportunity for microfinance institutions to provide other products and services, such as healthcare and clean water. Summit attendees ranged from start-ups to highly experienced organizations. All attendees had powerful lessons to share from their experiences fighting poverty.

Read more at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/11/prweb565821.htm

Microcredit news

In early June, Grantmakers without Borders hosted a conference on international grantmaking and social change called Just Giving: Global Social Change Philanthropy. During the conference they discussed such issues as agriculture in Africa, US-consumption and its sustainability, and the challenges and opportunities of microcredit.

On Philanthropy

Microfinance News

In the Foreign Policy In Focus article Microcredit: False Hopes and Real Possibilities, Robert Pollin, a professor of economic at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, takes a look at how a new microfinance model can bridge the gap between smaller micro credit firms and commercial banks to target small well established businesses.

Foreign Policy In Focus

In an interview with American Public Media's Tess Vigeland, Nicholas Kristof tells of his experience with microfinance and meeting his beneficiaries.

American Public Media

Bootstrap News

Dean Margee Ensign from University of the Pacific's School of International Studies wrote an article in the Stockton Record about "Putting poverty out of business." She takes a look at the current situation of poverty in the world and how the World Bank has been involved in trying to remedy the situation. She also looks at how local organizations are making a difference and sites how Katalysis and UOP's Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship are helping pave the way toward change.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070603/A_OPINION0615/706030312/-1/A_OPINION06

Microcredit in the news

Microfinance may be the answer to the debate in America about immigration. Elizabeth Napp from The Journal News, discusses the recent death of an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala in New York and how aid and microfinance might alleviate the influx of immigrant to the United States.

http://www.nynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070526/OPINION/705260317/1151

As the G8 2007 meeting is upon us, ways to alleviate poverty are a major portion of the agenda. Here is an article about Germany's proposal for a micro-credit fund for African nations. One of their main goals is to raise aid to 0.7% of GDP by 2015.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/5d854866-bba8-11db-afe4-0000779e2340.html

Schools can be an important resource in the fight on poverty. This article talks about how one teacher rallied his students to take notice to the challenges people from other nations might face and to do their part and help.

http://www.bakercityherald.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=4984