Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist who pioneered microcredit and microfinance. In 1976, he provided small loans totaling $27 to 42 women in a Bangladeshi village to help them purchase materials for their bamboo furniture businesses. This helped the women lift themselves out of poverty. Yunus went on to found Grameen Bank, which provides small, low-interest loans primarily to impoverished women. Today, over 97% of Grameen Bank's 7.5 million borrowers are women. The bank aims to provide $176 million in loans over five years to help the millions of Americans who lack access to traditional banking.
2. Introduction : History
Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940)
is a Bangladeshi banker, economist and
Nobel Peace Prize recipient. He
previously was a professor of economics
where he developed the concepts of
microcredit and microfinance. Yunus
himself has received several other
national and international honours.
3. Introduction : Social
Entrepreneur
In 1976, during visits to the poorest households in the
village of Jobra near Chittagong University, Yunus
discovered that very small loans could make a
disproportionate difference to a poor person. Jobra women
who made bamboo furniture had to take out usurious loans
for buying bamboo, to pay their profits to the
moneylenders. His first loan, consisting of US$27.00 from
his own pocket, was made to 42 women in the village, who
made a net profit of BDT 0.50 (US$0.02) each on the loan.
Accumulated through many loans, this vastly improving
Bangladesh's ability to export and import as it did in the
past, resulting in a greater form of globalisation and
economic status.
4. History of his Venture
The origin of Grameen Bank (which was
founded by Muhammad Yunus) can be traced
back to 1976. The Grameen Bank Project
came into operation to, extend banking
facilities to poor people, eliminate the
exploitation of the poor by money lenders,
create opportunities for self-employment, help
disadvantaged women from the poorest
households, within the fold of an
organizational format which they can
understand and manage by themselves and
allow them to break out of the cycle of poverty.
5. Impact of his venture
Yunus founded the Grameen Bank (Village
Bank) with half the borrower being women.
Today 97 per cent of the 7.5 million
borrowers at the Grameen Bank are women.
The bank plans to provide $176 million
dollars in loans over the next five years,
targeting the 28 million Americans who have
no bank accounts and another 44.7 million
who have limited access to financial
institutions.
6. The End
Team members : Tan Jing Ming, Khant Oo
Maung, Ong Zheng, Samuel, Zhang Xin
Sources:
http://knowledge.insead.edu/csr/social-
entrepreneurship/muhammad-yunus-helping-the-less-privileged-
unleash-their-entrepreneurial-skills-1930
http://www.grameen-
info.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemi
d=114
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Yunus