Microfinance has a respected history in the field of international development. Often described as a hand up rather than a hand out, its aim is to reach the un-bankable – providing access to financial services for populations traditionally marginalized by the economic mainstream.
October’s 2010 Toronto Microfinance Conference & Gala brought together several hundred microfinance practitioners, students, advocates and micro-newbies. The program featured speakers who live and breathe the “micro way” as well as individuals representing organizations who do not deliver microfinance programming but whose work falls into the very dynamic and growing space of social finance.
In only its second year, the conference’s co-hosts spanned the social finance spectrum; from micro-credit lending organizations that work in the global South like Impact First International, to local community fund organizations such as Access Community Capital Fund and corporations working in innovative ways like Home Ownership Alternatives.
To read the full, original article click on this link: MaRS Blog – Innovation and Commercialization in Canada » Blog Archive » The micro way: A veteran in the social finance space
