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WWB CEO on CGI Panel on Microfinance
WWB CEO Mary Ellen Iskenderian participated in a lively panel discussion with Vikram Akula from SKS Microfinance and Muhammad Yunus from Grameen Bank at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting. The special session on microfinance, Profiting from the Poor? A Discussion on Microfinance IPOs focused on the implications of commercializing microfinance institutions. The often heated debate positioned WWB both physically and philosophically between those who advocate for no capital markets involvement and those who believe that reaching scale is not possible without the capital markets. WWB continued to be a strong advocate for a balance between raising capital for greater scale and sustainability, while ensuring the mission to serve the poor, especially women remains central.
Related Coverage and Documents
- Forbes.com: Microfinance Or Loan Sharks? Grameen Bank And SKS Fight It Out
- FT.com: Facing off on microfinance
- Portfolio.com: Entrepreneurs' Adventures: A Star-Studded Gathering of Do-Gooders
- Economic Times: Don’t cap microfinance lending rates
- Vanguard: MFIs not a cure all for poverty, LAPO
- Microcapital.org: Article Defends Indian Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) from Calls to Rein in Profitability
- The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Clinton Philanthropy Gathering Opens in New York
- WWB Publication: Stemming the Tide of Mission Drift: Microfinance Transformations and the Double Bottom Line