You may have noticed that the Resources library on our website has been undergoing a metamorphosis over the past few weeks. The many educational tools, articles, presentations, videos and other materials created by MFTransparency have been looking for a home, and they are now finally moving in.

On August 9th 2010 MFTransparency launched the Transparent Pricing Initiative in Malawi with a workshop in Lilongwe. Topics covered included the implementation of pricing transparency and consumer education schemes. View the presentations here.

Depuis le lancement de l’initiative de la Transparence des coûts dans le secteur de la microfinance au Sénégal nous avons enregistré d’énormes progrès. Nous avons rencontré beaucoup de partenaires du secteur et eu des réunions très enrichissantes.

MFTransparency spoke with Mr. Vasudevan PN, Founder and Managing Director of Equitas Microfinance India, about the need for transparency in microfinance, what responsible finance means, and policies that can help to further promote transparency in the Indian microfinance market. Equitas Microfinance is a member of MFIN, and was the first institution to submit data as part of MFTransparency’s Transparent Pricing Initiative in India.

MicroFinance Transparency has begun a global movement to promote transparent pricing in the microfinance industry by collecting data and training microfinance institutions, regulators, and other stakeholders about the true cost of loans. Next week we will launch a project that will expand this movement throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

Depuis le lancement en juillet 2010 de l’Initiative sur la Transparence des Coûts au Burkina Faso, l’équipe Afrique de l’Ouest a fait beaucoup de progrès. Nous avons rencontré de nombreux intervenants et acteurs de la microfinance et nous prévoyons une deuxième série de réunions dans les semaines à venir.

Microcredit products often carry additional fees on top of the basic nominal interest rate charged to the client. In this blog post I will discuss credit insurance, also known as credit-life or credit-plus insurance, as it is one of the most common charges associated with microcredit products.

The following training sessions will provide you with the tools you need to demystify transparent pricing. Featuring practical examples, screenshots from the Calculating Transparent Prices Tool and practice exercises, this educational resource provides you with classroom-quality lessons for a solid foundation in the concepts of transparent pricing.

Portal de Microfinanzas: MFTransparency conversó con Katya Collao Grandi, Jefe de Responsabilidad Socia Empresarial y Andrés Urquidi Selich, Gerente Nacional Comercial de Banco FIE sobre la situación actual con respecto a la transparencia de precios en Bolivia, el Código de Etica de Banco FIE y su compromiso social, así como los beneficios y desafíos de la Iniciativa de MFTransparency en Bolivia.

Mundo Microfinanzas: MFTransparency y sus socios estratégicos, las redes microfinancieras locales Asofin y Finrural, lanzaron la Iniciativa de Transparencia de Precios en Bolivia con dos talleres en La Paz y Santa Cruz de la Sierra en mayo del presente año, la cual está patrocinada por la Fundación Ford y MicroNed con el objetivo de promover precios justos y transparentes en la industria de microfinanzas.