World Radio Switzerland

Microfinancing: Small loans with big hopes

Microfinancing has been credited with saving poor populations and giving people in some of the most impoverished places a chance to be entrepreneurs. Microfinancing is the practice of giving small loans for brief periods of time with no collateral to some of the poorest people in the world. The world’s top experts in the practice will be at the World Microfinance Forum in Geneva starting Wednesday.  World Radio Switzerland’s Alex Helmick talks to Jean Zwahlen, the chairman of the World Microfinance Forum and the former director general of the Swiss National Bank.  

• play
• pause
• mute
• unmute
• max volume

Update Required: To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.

Loans as low as 200 francs given for a period of two-to-three weeks can create entrepreneurs and a better lifestyle for some of the poorest people in the world. (KEYSTONE)