Tom Easton, Bureau Chief of The Economist New York, will publish his special report on Microfinance on November 5, 2005 . Below is a paragraph from the author.

“Stripped to their essence, financial institutions provide only four things: capital, investments, money transference and risk mitigation. Of these, the poor in poor countries have traditionally received only one: capital, and it has come at great cost through money lenders and pawn shops. This survey looks at the remarkable innovations that are addressing this market failure to the benefit of not only the poor, but to the innovators as well.”

If your organization is involved in this groundbreaking industry, please contact Patrick Williams at The Economist for commercial opportunities.

patrickwilliams@economist.com or 212-541-0536.