2012-3-22
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
Modern microfinance started with economist Muhammad Yunus. In the nineteen seventies, he started what became the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. He and the bank jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in two thousand six for the idea of offering small loans to the poor to fight poverty.
Photo: AP Muhammad Yunus has his picture taken with students at a technical school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti last year. The school received a loan from a group headed by Mr. Yunus to help build social businesses. |
Last month, Mr. Yunus spoke to the New York Times newspaper about lending problems in India. In twenty ten, reports of harmful microlending methods and corruption shook the state of Andhra Pradesh. Mr. Yunus noted Andhra Pradesh had intensive microlending activity at the time. He said things got out of control.
We spoke to Ghiyath Nakshbendi about changes in the world of microfinance. He is an expert in international business and teaches microfinance as a business model at the Kogod School of Business at American University.
GHIYATH NAKSHBENDI: "After what we witnessed in Andhra Pradesh, then, for example, the government of India in certain states started taking steps in order to implement, in order to introduce, regulations that will guarantee that these institutions are operating under a strict system."
Some experts have raised questions about whether microlending lifts women or poor families out of poverty. David Roodman is with the Center for Global Development, a research group in Washington. He says microloans do not do a good job of fighting poverty. He says over three billion dollars went into microcredit in twenty-ten. But many lenders failed because of bad supervision or failure to repay loans.
In one model, governments or nongovernmental organizations, NGOs, give money to microcredit operations. Interest income is often used up by costs, rather than helping other poor borrowers. But Ghiyath Nakshbendi says that model is changing.
GHIYATH NAKSHBENDI: "In the old days, when we talk about microfinance, we are talking about an operation by which the funding is coming from wealthy individuals or government, or what have you. So it is the NGO model. Then we discovered that whatever we are getting in terms of contributions, donations and what have you -- we cannot sustain the operation."
Mr. Nakshbendi says sustainability is now a main goal.
GHIYATH NAKSHBENDI: "We moved in the last five, six years to find ways and means by which make these operations sustainable. Sustainable means simply that, ‘Yes, we are going to rely on donations, but in the meantime, we are going to encourage these borrowers to save some of their money.'"
Money from savings can then be used for new loans. Mr. Nakshbendi says private equity companies are looking closely at microfinance as an investment. New models are being developed to offer more than business loans.
GHIYATH NAKSHBENDI: "And now in microfinance we talk about loans to start a business. We are talking about educational loans. We are talking about construction loans. We are talking about health insurance loans and what have you."
And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report. I'm June Simms.
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
這里是美國(guó)之音慢速英語經(jīng)濟(jì)報(bào)道。
Modern microfinance started with economist Muhammad Yunus. In the nineteen seventies, he started what became the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. He and the bank jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in two thousand six for the idea of offering small loans to the poor to fight poverty.
現(xiàn)代小額信貸由經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家穆罕默德·尤努斯開創(chuàng)。在20世紀(jì)70年代,他開辦了后來的孟加拉鄉(xiāng)村銀行。2006年,因?yàn)闉楦F人提供小額信貸消除貧窮這樣一種理念,他和該行共同獲得諾貝爾和平獎(jiǎng)。
Last month, Mr. Yunus spoke to the New York Times newspaper about lending problems in India. In twenty ten, reports of harmful microlending methods and corruption shook the state of Andhra Pradesh. Mr. Yunus noted Andhra Pradesh had intensive microlending activity at the time. He said things got out of control.
上月,尤努斯先生對(duì)紐約時(shí)報(bào)談到了印度的貸款問題。在2010年,有關(guān)有害小額信貸方式和腐敗的報(bào)道震驚了安德拉邦。尤努斯先生指出,當(dāng)時(shí)安德拉邦存在著密集的小額信貸活動(dòng),事情變得一發(fā)不可收拾。
We spoke to Ghiyath Nakshbendi about changes in the world of microfinance. He is an expert in international business and teaches microfinance as a business model at the Kogod School of Business at American University.
我們就小額信貸領(lǐng)域的變化采訪了Ghiyath Nakshbendi。他是一位國(guó)際貿(mào)易專家,在美利堅(jiān)大學(xué)Kogod商學(xué)院講授小額信貸商業(yè)模式。
GHIYATH NAKSHBENDI: "After what we witnessed in Andhra Pradesh, then, for example, the government of India in certain states started taking steps in order to implement, in order to introduce, regulations that will guarantee that these institutions are operating under a strict system."
他說,“在我們見證了安德拉邦之后,印度的一些邦政府開始采取步驟執(zhí)行、引入法規(guī),以保證這些機(jī)構(gòu)在嚴(yán)格體系下運(yùn)作。”
Some experts have raised questions about whether microlending lifts women or poor families out of poverty. David Roodman is with the Center for Global Development, a research group in Washington. He says microloans do not do a good job of fighting poverty. He says over three billion dollars went into microcredit in twenty-ten. But many lenders failed because of bad supervision or failure to repay loans.
一些專家對(duì)小額信貸是否使得婦女或貧苦家庭擺脫貧困提出了質(zhì)疑。大衛(wèi)·魯?shù)侣?David Roodman)就職于全球發(fā)展中心,該研究組織位于華盛頓。他說,小額信貸在消除貧困方面表現(xiàn)并不好。他說2010年超過30億美元進(jìn)入小額信貸,但許多貸款人因?yàn)楸O(jiān)管不力或失敗而無法償付貸款。
In one model, governments or nongovernmental organizations, NGOs, give money to microcredit operations. Interest income is often used up by costs, rather than helping other poor borrowers. But Ghiyath Nakshbendi says that model is changing.
在一種模式中,政府或非政府組織向小額信貸業(yè)務(wù)提供資金。利息收入通常被成本耗盡,而不能用于幫助其它貧困的借款人。但Ghiyath Nakshbendi表示,這一模式正在改變。
GHIYATH NAKSHBENDI: "In the old days, when we talk about microfinance, we are talking about an operation by which the funding is coming from wealthy individuals or government, or what have you. So it is the NGO model. Then we discovered that whatever we are getting in terms of contributions, donations and what have you -- we cannot sustain the operation."
他說,“過去我們說小額信貸指的是資金來自于富人或政府等等的一種運(yùn)作模式,這是一種非政府模式。我們后來發(fā)現(xiàn),無論我們?cè)诰杩罹栉锏确矫嫒绾?,我們都無法維持運(yùn)作。”
Mr. Nakshbendi says sustainability is now a main goal.
Nakshbendi先生表示,可持續(xù)發(fā)展是現(xiàn)在的主要目標(biāo)。
GHIYATH NAKSHBENDI: "We moved in the last five, six years to find ways and means by which make these operations sustainable. Sustainable means simply that, ‘Yes, we are going to rely on donations, but in the meantime, we are going to encourage these borrowers to save some of their money.'"
他說,“在過去五、六年我們努力尋找途徑使得這些運(yùn)作可持續(xù)發(fā)展??沙掷m(xù)發(fā)展就是指,‘是的,我們將依賴捐贈(zèng),但在此期間,我們將鼓勵(lì)這些借款人節(jié)省一些資金。’”
Money from savings can then be used for new loans. Mr. Nakshbendi says private equity companies are looking closely at microfinance as an investment. New models are being developed to offer more than business loans.
省下來的錢可以用于新的貸款。Nakshbendi先生表示,私募股權(quán)投資公司正在密切關(guān)注將小額信貸作為一種投資。新模式已經(jīng)被開發(fā)出來,它提供的不僅僅是商業(yè)貸款。
GHIYATH NAKSHBENDI: "And now in microfinance we talk about loans to start a business. We are talking about educational loans. We are talking about construction loans. We are talking about health insurance loans and what have you."
Nakshbendi先生說,“現(xiàn)在在小額信貸方面,我們談的是貸款創(chuàng)業(yè),教育貸款,建設(shè)貸款,醫(yī)保貸款等等。”
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