An Insider’s Look Back at the Evolution of Microfinance: Episode 36 of Money + Meaning

SOCAP Global December 3, 2019

A new episode of SOCAP’s podcast series, Money + Meaning is now available!

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A Panel of Microfinance Experts Share Their Insights in a Session Recorded Live at SOCAP19

“We claimed we never said microfinance was a panacea, but we sure acted like it. I see us in impact investing having potentially the same risk.” –Geoff Davis

The evolution of microfinance from radical idea to global industry was surprisingly fast, sometimes messy, and filled with successes and failures. Despite numerous challenges, microfinance grew into a global industry that has helped lift millions of people out of poverty. From questions about intentions, stakeholder alignment, impact measurement, and governance to questions about the business model, today’s impact investing community grapples with many of the same issues and criticisms that early microfinance practitioners faced. What can impact investors learn from a look back at the development of microfinance?

This week’s episode of our Money and Meaning podcast, recorded live at SOCAP19, features a panel of leading microfinance experts and practitioners who have been in the industry since its earliest days. Together they will look back at the development of the field from their unique perspectives, offer examples of times when things didn’t work as planned, share lessons they learned from those experiences, and offer insights into the current state, and potential future, of impact investing.

Featured Voices

Geoff Davis
CEO / Founder
Cicero Impact Capital

Monica Brand Engel
Co-Founder & Partner
Quona Capital

Johanna Posada
Founder and Managing Director
Elevar Equity

Arun Kumar Sharma
Senior Advisor
International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Alex Kravitz
Host

About Money + Meaning

Money + Meaning is the official podcast of SOCAP. This series aims to expand the conversation around impact investing and strategies to finance and support social change while stimulating innovative and valuable new partnerships across sectors.

Resources

Watch the entire session, including the Q&A and other parts of the conversation not featured in the podcast on SOCAP’s YouTube Channel:

SOCAP19 - Lessons Learned from Microfinance

Impact Investing
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