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Information about the conference to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 14, 2010 on the Potential of Private Sector Solutions in Nutrition
A guideline to participating in the financing of the Inter-American Development Bank's projects in majority markets through the IDB's A/B Loan program.
Since launching, Majority Markets has received a number of requests from socially driven investors looking for investment opportunities at the base of the pyramid. The truth is that there is not one answer for these requests, the opportunities and channels to connect are many, and the outlook is looking even more promising as awareness of BOP projects grows and market participants are increasingly eager to explore investment opportunities which have social impact along with financial returns.
Read about an innovative project being launched by a Peruvian social entrepreneur who hopes to involve citizens in the work of investing in their country's future.
I recently spoke with Guillermo MacLean, a social entrepreneur with a background in banking and finance. He is founder of a company called Social Futures Exchange Corp. (SFFX), which has the intriguing motto, “Anything a society truly wants is financeable and achievable.” He is developing a set of financial products and a system through which average citizens concerned about social problems in their country can play a direct role in solving those problems.
Opportunities for the Majority's Johnny Jiron describes a successful partnership between a Trinidad resort and some nearby farmers. If you know of any Caribbean tourism companies that might be interested in trying to engage with local majority markets, let them know about the IDB business plan competition accepting applications until April 9, 2010.
A couple of months ago, the Opportunities for the Majority initiative launched a business plan competition for companies in the tourism sector in the Caribbean that are seeking to engage with low-income communities. The deadline for applications is April 9, and we are just starting to receive proposals.
Former IDB manager Donald F. Terry shares excerpts from his recent Congressional testimony at a hearing on microfinance, and suggests that the time has come to take microfinance to a new level in order to reach the millions of people still living outside the formal economy in Latin America and the Caribbean.
I had the opportunity last month to speak at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee. Since I worked as a Congressional staffer earlier in my career, it was interesting being on the other side of the table.
After the devastating earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti needs private sector investment more than ever. Staff blogger Francisco Mejia discusses why he believes the private sector will be the most effective force for rebuilding and transforming Haiti.
In a recent opinion article in the Washington Post , Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs proposed creating a multi-billion dollar “Haiti Recovery Fund,” using contributions from the international community, to support the reconstruction of Haiti.
Opportunities for the Majority announces a business plan competition for companies in the tourism sector in the Caribbean region. Submit your ideas about including the base of the pyramid in your company's operations, and you could receive valuable advice on launching your project.
The Caribbean region is always a popular vacation destination, meaning tourism is perhaps the most significant sector in the economies of most Caribbean nations. A business plan competition launched by the Inter-American Development Bank’s Opportunities for the Majority initiative hopes to demonstrate that the Caribbean tourism industry can simultaneously improve both their businesses and conditions for the poor in their communities by engaging directly with base of the pyramid populations.
Making high-tech, low-complexity products affordable to majority markets is at the core of Conversion Sound high social impact venture. Read more about how the company’s innovative ‘business in a bag’ distribution model makes better hearing possible for populations at the base of the pyramid.
Worldwide, about 280 million people suffer from debilitating hearing loss, yet globally only 7 million hearing aids are sold annually. In the case of low-income populations, hearing problems affect two thirds of the population, because they face many problems in treating hearing deficiencies, which is reflected by the fact that less than a million hearing aids are sold in these majority markets.
In December 2009, Opportunities for the Majority is holding two roundtable events, one in Panama City and the other in Buenos Aires, at which local business leaders can hear about the challenges and benefits of developing projects that engage the base of the pyramid.
Visionaries, researchers and investors are all crucial to the development of BoP business models, but if businesses aren’t involved, there’s not much of a business model.
In 2007, Dr. Matthew Kiernan completed a study commissioned by the IDB on how majority markets fit into the corporate landscape of Latin America and the Caribbean. The purpose of this study was to create a “Social Index” that ranked firms based on their efforts and successes in reaching Base-of-the-Pyramid consumers. We recently sat down with Dr. Kiernan at IDB headquarters in DC and discussed his creation of the Index.
In 2007, Dr. Matthew Kiernan completed a study commissioned by the IDB on how majority markets fit into the corporate landscape of Latin America and the Caribbean. The purpose of this study was to create a “Social Index” that ranked firms based on their efforts and successes in reaching Base-of-the-Pyramid consumers.
