technology for scaling up microfinance james dailey grameen foundation usa december 12, 2004...
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Technology for scaling up Microfinance
James Dailey
Grameen Foundation USA
December 12, 2004
Barriers to scale: Microfinance
Operational Efficiency
Information
Capital
…In the information business
Cash flow projections Loan officer productivity Financial statements Portfolio at risk, detailed aging Client retention Impact on poverty Regulatory reports Donor fund reporting Transactional histories
RTS Uganda Leveraged:
GSM network POS devices Smart Cards Existing MIS systems
But difficult because… Created entirely new channel, new processes Currently MIS systems for microfinance are
not sufficiently ‘standardized’
Mifos – Microfinance Open Source Data standards (transactions,
credit reporting, commercial bank interactions)
Architecture for microfinance “back office” operations
RTS as one “plug-in” module through open APIs
Alignment with Microfinance
Bottom of Pyramid Thinking Lessons Get close to customer Align design to “less is more” Commoditization through
standards Leverage existing technologies Business model means looking
for partners up front Innovation requires information