Mixing the profit motive and poverty efforts can be highly combustible, but also very powerful. Should rich people earn profits providing services to the poor? Sure, as long as both gain from the exchange. But how do we preserve an equitable balance in this unequal transaction?

Asia Times: Impoverished Cambodia has emerged as a global microfinance leader, becoming the first Asian nation to hold lenders accountable to their original mission of poverty reduction. If a new global initiative aimed at promoting greater transparency over microfinance institutions (MFIs) recently launched here gains traction, the multi-billion dollar industry could be set for a shake-out.

The Financial Express: MFTransparency led a 2-day seminar in Bangladesh on pricing transparency. During the inaugural sesssion, the Finance Minster of Bangladesh stated “Micro finance institutions (MFIs) should maintain transparency in determining their interest rates and there should be a guideline in this respect.” For more information, refer to the story from the Financial Express.

MicroFinance Transparency led the presentations at the Institute of Microfinance (InM) and the Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA) seminar on Transparent Pricing. View Chuck Waterfield’s presentation on the importance of transparency in microfinance and the leading role that Bangladesh is poised to play in this initiative.

The Transparent Pricing Initiative in Cambodia was launched with an event in Phnom Penh, opened by the Head of the Central Bank, with two presentations about the need for transparent pricing in microfinance by Chuck Waterfield. View the launch presentations here.