<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[RSS Feed]]></title><description><![CDATA[RSS Feed]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com</link><image><url>http://direct.ecency.com/logo512.png</url><title>RSS Feed</title><link>http://direct.ecency.com</link></image><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 04:07:06 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="http://direct.ecency.com/created/micro-finance/rss.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Faith, Finance, and the Future: Leveraging Hive for Mission and Ministry]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is time to write the proposal I have in mind. Of course, this proposal is addressed not to request a fund from DHF but to NCR South Metro Presbytery. 😄 After publishing this article, I am thinking]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-173575/@rzc24-nftbbg/faith-finance-and-the-future-leveraging-hive-for-mission-and-ministry-9ld</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-173575/@rzc24-nftbbg/faith-finance-and-the-future-leveraging-hive-for-mission-and-ministry-9ld</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-173575]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[rzc24-nftbbg]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 13:47:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/YpihifdXP4WNbGMdjw7e3DuhJWBvCw4SfuLZsrnJYHEpsqZFkiGGNCQLha5A6dpRUYNKZdZTVWofQYQi5nNoBFVmz9aFVWSEsSwv2WaqnDCH4vXutUq36b7vfjHjMBhziFh43M7wXDK6Y8cUojkTdEX1HnNNAP7vhKjt9zjrmFJe?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Week 01 -- Sometimes Operating a Charitable Business ‘For Profit’ is a Better Way to Help Hurting People]]></title><description><![CDATA[Not-for-Profits have an Inherently Divided Focus Although some charitable enterprises might best serve society by following a ‘not-for-profit’ organizational structure, it is undeniable that such organizations]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-112987/@trostparadox/week-01-sometimes-operating-a-charitable-business-for-profit-is-a-better-way-to-help-hurting-people</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-112987/@trostparadox/week-01-sometimes-operating-a-charitable-business-for-profit-is-a-better-way-to-help-hurting-people</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-112987]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[trostparadox]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 12 Feb 2021 04:31:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/HuuaCwcKuiEkUBREBgfx8YYPyXsQDjP8GebJZTQMdD7HebFiFpohdmBCdLMwcb1irYN?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Crowdfunding/micro-lending in India]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Indian sub-continent is not only vast geographically but has a huge diversity of people, cultures problems and solutions. When I reviewed kiva a couple of months ago it became clear that many of the]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/crowdfunding-micro-lending-in-india</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/crowdfunding-micro-lending-in-india</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 08 Nov 2017 10:23:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2gsjgna1uruvUuS7ndh9YqVwYGPLVszbFLwwpAYXYXYfwFkyfWE9p7bKoTNuEGSfkYwRn7gzxkNEUfcoeAWcRYMr6gUHbMhhndibkKoFVV6o6cxZTU?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Microloan Foundation]]></title><description><![CDATA[Malawi is one of the poorest nations in the world. A visit to this country inspired Peter Ryan to start the Microloan Foundation which is aimed at poverty alleviation and improving gender equality in countries]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/the-microloan-foundation</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/the-microloan-foundation</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2017 11:42:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2gsjgna1uruvUuS7ndh9YqVwYGPLVszbFLwwpAYXa8bZ7HMXMHkCpKwoA8u8qqytjW7rNopqvqsBjNY2WsEgd6dqxoj84pYQGVy3gQzAwMFzsSzkFx?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[HOW DO I BENEFIT FROM MICRO-FINANCING?]]></title><description><![CDATA[What is 'Microfinance?' Microfinance, also known as microcredit, is a type of banking service offered to unemployed people or low income people or groups that do not normally have access to financial services.]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/micro-finance/@microinvestment/how-do-i-benefit-from-micro-financing</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/micro-finance/@microinvestment/how-do-i-benefit-from-micro-financing</guid><category><![CDATA[micro-finance]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[microinvestment]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 27 Sep 2017 17:14:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/HNWT6DgoBc18GVREvvsnAjfLwLF5qHHFduNHKinq1JhehFQvMZ6eeN2nAtot289sX9KkoV3Ji25xYFQgVS4s7hyHaK5rUjaKpGStxBR4Pw3Enfw4wB4WXwzsnc6?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab assessment of microcredit]]></title><description><![CDATA[Most countries have poverty alleviation policies. However poverty alleviation is a very challenging and diverse problem to tackle. Not every policy or strategy dreamed up is going to be successful. Different]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/abdul-latif-jameel-poverty-action-lab-assessment-of-microcredit</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/abdul-latif-jameel-poverty-action-lab-assessment-of-microcredit</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 28 Aug 2017 13:59:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/mXkfdToSwHyB6JhoYNkw4ybNDkVLD4EsqUXXZxnMFteroBUn7qykysoBkg7drmu5z2VoeTR1EHZboMTJ7ZwGo6GKwWibcMb77DDTU77xz?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why I love this blog - connecting and  J-PAL]]></title><description><![CDATA[I set up this blog to create awareness around challenges for micro, small and medium sized enterprises, in the hopes of discovering like minds on steemit. It is doing that, from the comments, I am getting]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/why-i-love-this-blog-connecting-and-j-pal</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/why-i-love-this-blog-connecting-and-j-pal</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 26 Aug 2017 11:48:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2gsjgna1uruvUuS7ndh9YqVwYGPLVszbFLwwpAYXYCTL9bKwPJjLRbmAQVKzHsdbMiW65cBq4xb23ByaUvkKfuhUTBggWDrz1sGHByrrWUSV6EpaqU?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kiva loans at 0% interest]]></title><description><![CDATA[Up till now, in reviewing Kiva I have focused on loans with field partners. They do have an experimental model that they are currently operating in the US. These are direct loans without a field partner]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/kiva-loans-at-0-interest</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/kiva-loans-at-0-interest</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 25 Aug 2017 13:59:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2gsjgna1uruvUuS7ndh9YqVwYGPLVszbFLwwpAYXYqWChxrV8vAE78DXuE4eiizdsXCpcDsdU4jUT1hwW5g1ULuUiYPusKkci3LfMZ4fn2MK3c1zZt?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bitbond.com - the catch]]></title><description><![CDATA[Bitbond is great on paper, all the principles are solid. But then there is this tiny little catch, which has nothing to do with the idea or its implementation. Image Source The catch is Bitcoin and its]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/bitbond-com-the-catch</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/bitbond-com-the-catch</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 24 Aug 2017 14:35:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/eAyTuXc4toTar7sUdY8Ks6ufTxvN6BVtGJrEdoz1Gkhntj7wGFv5f7XBhrr4gmKD6G2wgKMntgW?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Kiva great lend.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Up till now I have been looking at the pros and cons of kiva.com. Now its time to look into an actual lending scenario indepth. There are some real gems there if you dig around, take a look at this one.]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/a-kiva-great-lend</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/a-kiva-great-lend</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 23 Aug 2017 13:04:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/HNWT6DgoBc197tZKXUvXXnunTBgFzh7bXVisYe2ss87vCWRiKq47njTD4vAEuSYa5gsHHme5aYL9Gfvxu44jf1hxvpVn1PQZq3qvhcTYdhmd8cwyYozfQ7GAiNA?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bitbond.com - lending for cryptoheads.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today we take a look at bitbond.com. Yesterday, we had a comment from @ebargins which prompted today's review. In short, the answer is they are very different. Kiva.com is for "do good'ers" whereas]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/bitbond-com-lending-for-cryptoheads</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/bitbond-com-lending-for-cryptoheads</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 22 Aug 2017 12:10:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2gsjgna1uruvUuS7ndh9YqVwYGPLVszbFLwwpAYXZ6Qkkz5TpTAmuk2xUioJGBotjPLbRdt7igRbBzyYbiZQ9QdAkzus4j45Tu2nR8ryDSw29a3kD4?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Micro lending sites - Kiva.org - Due diligence and risks.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Kiva makes it clear that they take due diligence and monitoring very seriously but in the end all the risk lies with the lenders. This is understandable since they are only the facilitators of the lending]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/micro-lending-sites-kiva-org-due-diligence-and-risks</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/micro-lending-sites-kiva-org-due-diligence-and-risks</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 21 Aug 2017 11:52:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2gsjgna1uruvUuS7ndh9YqVwYGPLVszbFLwwpAYXa8vXEwcHZkp7X1SRU1u7YNyAKZx7BAbTh8kK5FHrvZJ3BCARkiwyJ9sqb6VZdECdtviUFk8WaJ?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Kiva Team Steemit]]></title><description><![CDATA[Based on the last two posts I did on Kiva.org I was able to discover there are a number of Steemians on Kiva and there is already a Steemit Team there. I definately plan to sign up there next week and]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/the-kiva-team-steemit</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/the-kiva-team-steemit</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 19 Aug 2017 16:06:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2gsjgna1uruvUuS7ndh9YqVwYGPLVszbFLwwpAYXYS7yKgSPDHRKVco2WnNnoZvrqemJHCfW4XyQybi7FM1MDoqadhfAUigD3B6Y93uQWCpjU8f81k?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Micro lending sites - Kiva.org - the discerning lender perspective.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Based on the screen grabs @sme did yesterday, we could see that there were some very interesting details available for those who dig deeper. Basically Kiva.org gives a very limited amount of information]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@gavvet/micro-lending-sites-kiva-org-the-discerning-lender-perspective</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@gavvet/micro-lending-sites-kiva-org-the-discerning-lender-perspective</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[gavvet]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 19 Aug 2017 15:28:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2gsjgna1uruvUuS7ndh9YqVwYGPLVszbFLwwpAYXYgUZHDFmFdtuAJefpsPm33X2L7ThA28oq5LA5iYrpPw4SJArLw68Z3hogwX6ZzmBm9wbGGwkhC?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Micro lending sites - Kiva.org - the borrower perspective.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Yesterday I looked at Kiva.org from a lender perspective and it all seemed quite rosy. A couple of clicks as a lender and you are done. There is more to this than meets the eye though. If you click on]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/micro-lending-sites-kiva-org-the-borrower-perspective</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/micro-lending-sites-kiva-org-the-borrower-perspective</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2017 12:53:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2gsjgna1uruvUuS7ndh9YqVwYGPLVszbFLwwpAYXYMgV8TYUZaezyBY4EresvyAFYyTS84pZ25AJ2tYtsoCmpxcvYfn2KS9KR5tfVCjgEabpu18TG2?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Micro lending sites - Kiva.org - the lender perspective.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today I start to look at Kiva.org. It can be found following the URL below. It's simple to use and its mission is “to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty.” According to Wikipedia: Since]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/micro-lending-sites-kiva-org-the-lender-perspective</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/micro-lending-sites-kiva-org-the-lender-perspective</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2017 11:23:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2gsjgna1uruvUuS7ndh9YqVwYGPLVszbFLwwpAYXa3eTjupdKV5UWgGy4daec3cnJfD5p1mSa5ZJ2zcHfbdPEWid9GbmpbTJ1PDRPMbvxPDH7RXenJ?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Micro-lending and crowdfunding via the web]]></title><description><![CDATA[The internet has been a marvelous invention, with the way it is able to link people and information around the world. A number of experiments and even operational entities have been established to facilitate]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/micro-lending-and-crowdfunding-via-the-web</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/micro-lending-and-crowdfunding-via-the-web</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2017 15:07:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/EfcLDC2cS9irusiCBybHdWH6gE1EBVr8u5XJSRQStgrUa5Rte48o6u14uoJmYYmYnnvjKVFB7u6GCg8GL8vz5ch1zvRHG?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Stokvels]]></title><description><![CDATA[This is a very intriguing form of fund raising practiced in South Africa. It dates back to the rotating cattle auctions of English settlers in the Eastern Cape in the 19 century and is derived from the]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/stokvels</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/stokvels</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 15 Aug 2017 16:46:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/sML2JBPsdAyMUJWzxvYnDYtKNvrTaMv1eeo9E5PKx7bUPg7VDBd9Y2feywy5i58S?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Self Help Groups or SGH's]]></title><description><![CDATA[After Bangladesh's successes with Grameen Bank, some of India's micro-credit has been structured around Self Help Groups or SGH's. Image Source Many SGH's were primarily started by poor women getting together]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/self-help-groups-or-sgh-s</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/self-help-groups-or-sgh-s</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 15 Aug 2017 08:52:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2gsjgna1uruvUuS7ndh9YqVwYGPLVszbFLwwpAYXYmNhWS47AUKyW4uKMndr6NyfsspGEBpzXxKZx5Q9EemFtaF83QqxYCAC5SmPcK9stKaqh1XjUr?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Modern microcredit and micro loans]]></title><description><![CDATA[You can't really talk about micro-lending and microcredit with out mentioning Grameen Bank and Bangladesh. Muhammad Yunus would later receive a Nobel Prize for using his own money to launch what would]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/modern-microcredit-and-micro-loans</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/enterprise/@sme/modern-microcredit-and-micro-loans</guid><category><![CDATA[enterprise]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[sme]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 13 Aug 2017 14:19:12 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>