In this video series-1, Elisabeth Littlefield, CEO, CGAP, talks about financial crisis within microfinance industry and its impact on MFIs and their clients. Elisabeth highlights that the food crisis coupled with oil crisis has resulted in the fall in financial condition of microfinance borrowers. She notes that due to the crisis remittances were going down in most countries and in some cases they were going up because of a variety of reasons.
Being Strategic about HR
Given that Human Resource Management (HRM) is designed to act as a support function, what exactly does “being strategic” entail? The human resource function assumes a different role depending on the stage of the organisation’s evolution: growth phase; product diversification phase, and steady state. HRM must be treated as a strategic function, must be integrated into all other strategic planning and implementation, and must be developed to operate as a strategic peer to all other institutional components such as operations, risk management, product development or finance.
Dinosaurs and Rabbits – Indian Microfinance Market Evolution
The microfinance world is changing – very fast. Because different clients have different needs and no one product or microfinance player is going to meet all needs. If microfinance is to deliver on its promise it must evolve and adapt in a way which meets clients’ needs more effectively, as clients change, and as the world changes around them. This note assesses what is needed for MFIs to keep up with the pace of change.
Managing Agent Networks to Optimise E- and M-Banking Systems Part-2
There is growing recognition that effectively managing agents is key to the success of e-banking and indeed m-banking systems. There is growing literature on the functioning of agent networks and strategies to get the best out of them. This note examines some of the international experience using the “8Ps of marketing” as a framework. MicroSave Briefing Note 73 analysed the agents of e-banking and m-banking systems in the context of Product, Price and Processes. This note extends the analysis into an additional 5Ps of marketing: Place, Physical Evidence, Promotion, Positioning and People.
Managing Agent Networks to Optimise E- and M-Banking Systems Part-1
There is growing recognition that effectively managing agents is key to the success of e-banking and indeed m-banking systems. There is growing literature on the functioning of agent networks and strategies to get the best out of them. This note examines some of the international experience using the “8Ps of marketing” as a framework – focusing on the first 3Ps: Product, Price and Process. MicroSave Briefing Note # 74 looks at 5 more Ps of marketing: Place, Physical Evidence, Promotion, Positioning and People.
Making Business Correspondence Work in India
This note summarises the findings of a 3-month project by MicroSave India to clarify prospects for a sound business model for Banking Correspondent operators under the current regulations. The study analyses three diverse cases that involve differing institutional arrangements with business correspondents and strategies for sustainability; concluding that achieving profitable operations will remain challenging under the current regulatory environment.
