Dvelo – Dvelo.org allows partnered microfinance institutions (MFIs) to request loans for the communities they work with through our innovative website. These organizations typically get their funds from either donations, grants, or loans from local commercial or institutional lenders that charge anywhere from 15-20% interest for capital. Dvelo.org serves to reduce this cost of capital for these MFIs by giving them a platform to request loans directly from social lenders like yourself.

Kiva – Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world. The people you see on Kiva are real individuals in need of funding – not marketing material. When you browse entrepreneurs’ profiles on the site, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan, you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence and improve life for themselves, their family, and their community. Throughout the course of the loan, you can receive email journal updates and track repayments. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else in need.

LendForPeace -  LendforPeace.org is a not-for-profit Internet platform that allows individuals like you to make small loans to specific micro-entrepreneurs in the Palestinian Territories.  Founded by two Jews and two Palestinians, LendforPeace.org (”LFP”) was created to enable people of all faiths and backgrounds to make a tangible difference in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Microplace – MicroPlace’s mission is to help alleviate global poverty by enabling everyday people to make investments in the world’s working poor. MicroPlace is currently the only website that provides everyday investors with the ability to make investments in the microfinance industry. Through MicroPlace, an investor can make investments that earn financial returns while having a positive social impact.

MyC4 – We see a world without poverty, where everyone has the same access to knowledge, markets and capital. As an infrastructure, MyC4 link African business with capital aiming to create sustainable prosperity in Africa via the Internet. The focus will be on Sub-Saharan Africa as this is the part of the world which United Nations predicts will not reach the Millennium Development Goals by year 2015.
Imagine a world without poverty!

myELEN.com – Based out of Prague, project myELEN.com – Electronic Loan Exchange Network – opens to European capital a new alternative to investment. Through the portal myELEN.com everyone can fund a chosen borrower, a whole group of them or directly a microfinancial institution that procures financing . Moreover, everyone can fund now a poor entrepreneur and get back the principal together with firmly determined interest.

OptINnow – a new initiative from Opportunity International that pledges to end global poverty faster. How? You give a gift that funds a loan. That loan builds a business. And that business helps hard working families out of poverty. When the loan is repaid, it’s recycled, and loaned again and again. It’s giving that keeps going.

United Prosperity -  United Prosperity is the world’s first person to person loan guaranteeing website. Small entrepreneurs all over the world need funds to start and grow their businesses. Banks however don’t lend to them without collateral. Small entrepreneurs cannot give collateral since they are often very poor. Your guarantee allows the entrepreneurs to access funds from local banks either directly or through United Prosperity’s partners.

Veecus – Veecus is an interactive platform allowing all members of the network to browse projects of microentrepreneurs and personal pages of users and lenders. Veecus also provides you with your personal space online and your own blog.

Vittana - Believe it or not, in most countries, college loans just don’t exist. Imagine: No matter how smart you were, how hard you worked or how good your grades were, if you didn’t have a bunch of money up front, you just couldn’t go to college. Your ability to raise a family, move up in the world and achieve your potential are forever limited, not because you didn’t have that potential but because you never got a chance. Together, we’re changing that.

Wokai -  All contributions made through Wokai are used to extend small loans that the borrowers will eventually repay. Once a loan is repaid to the Field Partner, it is then available to be lent to another individual that the original contributor has selected from Wokai.org. In this way, every single contribution will be used to create new opportunities year after year. Also, Wokai focuses solely on China.

Zidisha - Zidisha is an innovative nonprofit that lets ordinary web users make microloans to entrepreneurs around the world. Zidisha streamlines the ability of third-world entrepreneurs to secure start-up funds for their businesses at an average interest rate of 8% versus the 30% to 100% rates for other microfinance loans. Like eBay, Zidisha links borrowers and lenders directly, dramatically lowering interest rates.

If there are any other microfinance platforms or resources that you think should be on here, feel free to email: “jerryostradicky (AT) g m a i l (DOT) c o m”