Founded in the mid-1970s, microfinance provided tiny loans to poor families to help them get started and / or expansion of small businesses. Thirty years later, the practice has helped more than 80 million people out of extreme poverty and become a global industry consists of more than 3,000 microfinance institutions. Early pioneers of microfinance, such as Muhmmad Yunnus of Grameen Bank, became famous family, getting dozens of humanitarian awards, including the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. In addition, the microfinance movement itself has become so well known that he had invited comments from the major cultural icons such as Bono, lead singer of U2, who said: "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day give. Woman microcredit, she, her husband , her children, and her extended family will eat for a lifetime. " Despite these honors, Jeff Davis and Mike Murray believes that while microfinance has been an important social innovation, it was much less so in relation to its potential because it has not yet reached an adequate scale. They pointed to less than 20% of global demand for microfinance is currently locked. Murray noted that "as a rule, the industry, which were these speakers would be closed." Driven by his vision of the potential of microfinance, they founded Unitus, Inc, a non-profit aimed at accelerating the growth of microfinance sector so that many more people can access the capital they need to generate income, increase the level of their living, and to fulfill their basic needs. Explores the dynamics of the microfinance industry, describes the Unitus business model, and establishes the important decisions facing the company: is it possible to expand the amount of capital it can provide to its partners through the establishment of microfinance debt or equity fund "Hide <. br /> by James A. Phills Source: Stanford Graduate School of Business 40 pages. Publication Date: February 28, 2007. Prod. #: SI87A-PDF-ENG
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