Editor's Note: It’s a new year and a new faiV. I’ll try not to dwell on what precedes that famous line, nor will I spend a lot of time on explanations or apologies. I will note that the gap between this faiV and the last one is 30% smaller than the previous hiatus. But I figured there was limited time to write a few more faiVs before being replaced by Claude Code. The plan for this part of the cycle is to go to twice monthly, with me (Tim) writing once per month and Jonathan and Laura handling the other one. Also of note, we will be shifting away from Mailchimp imminently so stay tuned for details on shifting your “subscription.”
- Tim Ogden
Introducing Small Firm Diaries USA: An Innovative Study Focusing on Small Businesses in Low-Income Communities Amid a Rapidly Changing Landscape
In this webinar, we’ll introduce The Small Firm Diaries USA—a new research initiative examining the daily financial realities, challenges, and resilience strategies of small firm owners and their workers. Through a discussion with expert panelists, we’ll explore how the shifting U.S. business landscape—from policy changes to economic pressures—is affecting the smallest employer firms in low-income areas.
Read MoreAssessing the Future of Microfinance as a Development Tool: Continuing the Conversation
Co-hosted by the Financial Access Initiative (FAI) at NYU and FinDev Gateway, this faiVLive webinar will continue exploring the present and future of microfinance in development policy and practice. Join leaders from all parts of the microfinance sector as they discuss pressing questions for funders, practitioners, policymakers and others.
Read MoreThe Raining, Pouring Edition
Editor's Note: Just as I was returning from an excellent but exhausting weekend running a conference for my older son's ultra-rare genetic syndrome, my younger son broke his leg. Nothing like recovering from exhaustion by spending several nights sleeping in the pull-out chair/bed in a hospital room. And then Debby arrived on the US East Coast bringing 5 to 20 inches of rain, so the raining, pouring joke I'd been making all week seemed predestined.
- Tim Ogden
The Seeing Like a faiV Edition
Editor's Note: Week 2 of the Monday experiment and things keep happening on the weekends, which makes it a bit more complicated. There won't be a faiV next week, as one of my other "side gigs" is running the Bardet Biedl Syndrome Foundation, and we have our first in-person conference since 2018 this coming weekend. I raise this here because there's an item related to that, though it's kind of outside the usual faiV envelope, below.
- Tim Ogden
The Maybe Don't Hate Mondays Edition
Editor's Note: The next in the long series of faiV experiments—we're going to start sending it out on Mondays rather than Fridays for a bit. That gives me more time on Friday to assemble and write without it coming out well past the start of Asia/Europe weekends. We'll see how that goes on my side and on the opening/clicking side for a few weeks and then, who knows?
And just in case you need a reminder of a some good news, the cheaper of the new malaria vaccines is starting to be deployed in Ivory Coast today.
- Tim Ogden
The Never Believe Me Edition
Editor's Note: I last wrote: "For now, the plan is for the next faiV to be on the 22nd, and then on May 10th." You may have noticed it's now May 17th. Sigh.
- Tim Ogden
The Regulation Edition
Editor's Note: This new world of the faiV is going out decidedly more idiosyncratically than the prior incarnation. That's mostly to do with my travel schedule, and trying to find a balance on frequency. For now, the plan is for the next faiV to be on the 22nd, and then on May 10th.
I'll link this again below to make sure that people see it, but in the last edition I inadvertently left out a link to an article about tech-driven efficiency in financial services that was central to one of the items.
I didn't realize that the theme of regulation was running through this faiV from beginning-to-end until I got to the end myself.
- Tim Ogden
The Diptych (and no Fools) Edition
Editor's Note: I had been trying to get this out early given the holiday weekend in many places, but so it goes. One of the struggles of getting out the faiV is how to connect items together in something resembling a narrative flow. For this edition, it was especially difficult as there are two "diptychs" that are related, but not wholly overlapping—and I got myself turned into knots trying to figure out how to write about them. I haven't solved the problem so much as given up on it. So forgive me for this sub-optimal presentation. If you're ready to for a happy start to your week, scroll to the end. No April Fools here. - Tim Ogden
Read MoreSmall Firm Diaries Global Findings: What We Learned, What's Next
In this webinar coming up on March 27 at 10am EDT we’ll share some data and key findings from the Small Firm Diaries. We’ll talk about related research and initiatives from around the world. And we’ll discuss the implications for what’s next on the agenda. Don’t miss this chance to join in a live discussion of findings from this first-of-its kind research study.
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