NextBillion brings together the community of business leaders, social entrepreneurs, NGOs, policy makers, and academics who want to explore the connection between development and enterprise.
Our Staff Writers and Editors offer insights on the latest news, events, interviews and other happenings from the development through enterprise and base of the pyramid universes
March 10, 2010 — 08:00 am
Early childhood development is a term used to describe the personal growth of a child until he reaches the age of 6. Poverty at this stage will have irreversible consequences on individuals’ future lifetime opportunities. In this post I explain the role of BoP businesses in serving this vulnerable population segment.
February 24, 2010 — 07:00 am
SME Banking represents the next frontier in BoP finance in terms of its social impact and the sophistication required for profitably serving the poor. In this post and based on a recent IFC publication, the SME Banking Knowledge Guide, I explain how commercial banks are catering to SMEs by taking recourse to their competitive advantages.
January 29, 2010 — 04:00 pm
Why do we define firms on the basis of an industry if many of the most success BoP business models are hybrid? Why do we analyze the impact of an industry at the household level independently of other industries if the biggest impact occurs through its inter-industry effects? Is this hampering the potential of BoP solutions in low-income markets?
January 12, 2010 — 09:30 am
This article examines the competitive relationship between mainstream and microfinance banks, which is beginning to shape the microfinance landscape in developing countries. I examine how these two groups are developing strategies and financial products that play with their respective competitive advantages and against their competitors.
December 14, 2009 — 07:21 am
SMEs in developing countries have become in the last years a strategic priority for financial institutions, as their margins in other markets fall due to the intensified competition coming from non-financial organizations. This has resulted in many large banks changing their business models and organizational structure to cater to them.
December 8, 2009 — 08:27 am
MajorityMarkets.org is a new website led by the Opportunities for the Majority Office (OMJ) at the Inter-American Development Bank. Staffed by reputed OMJ experts, it aims to share its knowledge about BoP markets while aiming to become a "clearinghouse for people and organizations" seeking advice and guidance in the field.
November 20, 2009 — 05:00 pm
Vittana is a non-profit start-up founded to bring student loans to the developing world, a yet-to-be-tackled market failure. It aims to fulfill its mission by sharing best practices with microfinance organizations and by tapping into potentially millions of small investors through its person-to-person microlending website.
October 29, 2009 — 11:09 am
The earning power of women globally is expected to reach $18 trillion by 2014 - a $5 trillion rise for current income. That is more than twice the estimated 2014 GDP of China and India combined. Yet there are very few BoP businesses making use of women’s skills to enhance their economic and social bottom lines. This is a huge lost opportunity.
October 14, 2009 — 10:50 am
According to our publication “The Next 4 Billion” yearly expenditures on housing in the BoP market is about $331.8 billion.The unmet need for housing is often equated with the need for new housing. However, these segments usually build their houses incrementally, a room at a time. This has significant implications for BoP business models.
August 21, 2009 — 12:30 pm
Achieving scale is essential for BoP firms to maximize social impact. In this third of a series of three, we explain in more detail the different characteristics of platforms belonging to mass consumer goods, construction and microfinance firms, and conclude the series.
