Week of March 30, 2015

1. Microfinance:  FAI’s Jonathan Morduch discusses the limitations of microfinance, the promise of new technologies, and the need for quality, effective financial services for the poor. The Wall Street Journal

2. Student Debt: A burgeoning student loan repayment strike is gaining attention from the US government. It bears a striking resemblance to microcredit repayment crises, with much bigger implications: the US government guarantees billions in student debt. The Washington Post

3. MFI Transparency:  Microfinance Transparency announced that after six years, it will no longer continue collecting global MFI pricing data. CEO Chuck Waterfield explains what led to that decision and what it means for industry transparency.  NextBillion

4. Social Impact Bonds:  "[E]ven skilled nonprofits and intermediaries will have trouble translating great ideas into contracts that really provide the right incentives. When you look at how the parties do the accounting, how they measure "savings,"... it gets inelegant, to say the least."  Chronicle of Philanthropy

5. Remittances:  Understanding the behavioral mechanisms behind migrants' decisions to use specific transfer services (both formal and informal) can potentially inform the design of more effective services for the poor.  MicroSave

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