by Hugh Sinclair | Aug 12, 2015 | Opinion
It seems the tide has turned on microfinance, and the assumption that small loans miraculously alleviate poverty is increasingly treated with skepticism. Greeks are making similar discoveries regarding large loans. I have lost track of how many frauds, collapses and...
by Hugh Sinclair | Jul 31, 2015 | Opinion
Our fascination with microfinance began last century; the love affair in the mid-2000s. The United Nations declared 2005 as the year of microcredit. Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize the following year. Little empirical evidence supporting...
by Hugh Sinclair | Oct 15, 2014 | Opinion
A fascinating BBC news story emerged recently. A controversial payday lender called Wonga came to a voluntary settlement with the United Kingdom regulator after admitting it had been lending recklessly, at high interest rates, to people otherwise excluded from the...
by Hugh Sinclair | Jul 15, 2014 | Opinion
I bought a five-year bond issued by the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFI) in 2009. I invested £5,000 ($8,566) and received £5,810 ($9,954) a few days ago, with accumulated interest. Not the best return on capital in history, but not bad...