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December 3, 2008 1:08:37 PM CST


microfinance

microfinance news stories

3 Stories

Portman Wants to Talk About Microloans,
Not Movies

Teams with Jordan's queen to help women

(Newser) - Among Hollywood actresses, Natalie Portman may be an anomaly. “As opposed to talking about fashion,” the 27-year-old says she prefers discussing poverty alleviation. The Israeli-American discovered FINCA International, a microfinance program for women, through her inspiration, Jordan’s Queen Rania, a Palestinian and an “incredible woman whom I really admire,” Portman tells USA Today . More »

More about:  charity Arab Israeli conflict philanthropy Jordan Natalie Portman Harvard University microfinance Queen Rania

OPINION

What Killed Bear, Lehman Is What the World Needs

Subprime loans bring relief to millions worldwide

(Newser) - Sure, subprime loans toppled two pillars of American investment banking, gutted the world’s largest insurer, and plunged the entire US financial system into a tailspin. But they are exactly what the world needs today, Daniel Gross argues in Slate. “Far from the madding, depressed crowds of Wall Street, billions of people are starving for credit,” the columnist writes. More »

More about:  subprime mortgages interest rate banks loan consumer credit microfinance

eBay Launches Microfinance Loan Site

Users can lend money to the world's poor... and earn interest

(Newser) - EBay's newly launched MicroPlace lets users make loans through PayPal or a bank account to needy entrepreneurs worldwide. The idea? Even small sums can help poor people build businesses to raise themselves out of poverty. The site's founder remembers one Bangladeshi woman who bought a handloom, thus earning enough to repay the loan and school her children, reports Fortune. More »

More about:  eBay poverty investing developing world social responsibility private lenders microfinance antipoverty

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