Microfinance Funds Continue to Grow Despite the Crisis: As MFIs think about moving their funding "downstream", this recent report describes the tremendous rise in microfinance investment funds (MIVs): while emerging market funds have experienced a 20 percent sell-off, MIVs experienced positive returns in 2008 - in fact, assets in the top 10 microfinance investment funds grew by 32 percent in 2008. Eleven new microfinance funds were created in 2008, and microfinance funds’ assets under management are expected to grow 10–35 percent in 2009.

Pushing the Boundaries on Mobile Banking and Microfinance: A fascinating paper, titled "M-Bureaus: M-Banking´s Next Killer Application?", explores the possibility of using mobile phone payment transaction history to determine credit information for customers at the bottom of the pyramid. Kenya is used as the case study due to its successful mobile-payment (m-payment) system: M-PESA (which registered 2 million customers within one year of operation, and currently boasts, 6 million of the 39 million Kenyan population as users).

Raising Funds Online - What Microfinance Institutions Should Know: CGAP has released a focus note that highlights some important issues microfinance institutions (MFIs) may want to keep in mind before borrowing online. The note looks at the success of online lending and investing to date, and considers the key questions MFIs should ask themselves when considering attracting funds through online lending and investing platforms.