Developing Stories

In this interview Samit Ghosh, CEO and Founder of Ujjivan, a microfinance institution based in Bangalore working with the urban poor, talks about the microcredit crisis in Andhra Pradesh, and how other institutions continue to work in India. Ghosh discusses the role for microfinance given the impact of inflation on the poor in India. Ghosh founded Ujjivan when he retired from banking in 2005, and here he makes the case for MFIs to understand the importance of their connections to the community and the customer. He says that the microcredit model in India using joint liability loans is outdated, and that poor customers need access to savings and microinsurance. He also argues that IPOs, far from being the cause of mission-drift, can help MFIs diversify their sources of capital and thereby stay true to their mission and vision.