CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) is an independent policy and research center dedicated to advancing financial access for the world’s poor. Their “Microfinance Now” series features interviews with leading figures in the world of microfinance.  Here is a recap of their last 5 episodes:

Samit Ghosh
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…

Shodh Yatra: an Indian microfinance journey
Shodh Yatra: an Indian microfinance journey This film follows Vijay Mahajan on the final days of his journey through India exploring the lives and livelihoods of the poor. Vijay, who is the current Chair of CGAP’s Executive Committee and Chairman of BASIX, a microfinance and livelihoods business headquartered in Hyderabad, has been on the front lines of the battle in Andhra Pradesh. His journey by foot, public transport, and by car took him across five thousand kilometers of India to meet and …

Sub-K: seeking the next breakthrough in financia…
In this short video Vijay Mahajan, Chair of Basix, welcomes a new customer to Sub-K, Basix’ new agent banking service in Panchlingala, a small village on the outskirts of Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh. The customer has brought two forms of photo ID with him to open the account, and he speaks his voice password into the agent’s mobile phone in Kannada, one of five languages in which the service works. It is “truly a high-tech solution,” says Mahajan, brought to outlets like this small store where p…

Microfinance Now: Tilman Ehrbeck
Interview with Tilman Ehrbeck, CEO of CGAP

Richard Rosenberg on over-indebtedness
CGAP senior advisor Richard Rosenberg talks about what he considers to be the biggest challenge facing the microfinance industry today: defining and “getting a handle” on the levels of over-indebtedness experienced by poor people around the world.