Muhammed Yunus on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos

Muhammed Yunus came up with an idea called micro credit. And it’s helped more than 7 million people in Bangladesh - one of the world’s poorest countries. It also got him the Nobel Peace Prize back in 2006. Now he has a new plan and he’s laid out in a new book called “Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism.”

Bangladesh orders Nobel laureate to step down from Central bank post

Mohammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s Nobel laureate has been ordered to step down as head of the microfinance Grameen Bank he founded following a long-running dispute with the country’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina. His supporters say the Nobel Peace Prize winner has been targeted by the government ever since he tried to get involved in politics. Charles Stratford reports.

Davos 2011 - Message From Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus

www.weforum.org Professor Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate shares his holistic perspective on social business, explaining that we need to rethink the conceptual framework and structure of modern capitalism.

Indian State Seeks Limits on Microfinance After Reports of Abuses

I’m Alex Villarreal with the VOA Special English Economics Report, from voaspecialenglish.com | http Microfinance is a fast-growing part of the financial industry in many developing countries. Micro lenders give small loans to poor people to start or expand businesses. Microcredit offers a chance to improve lives and reduce poverty. But officials in Andhra Pradesh, in southern India, are investigating whether debt collections are linked to a series of suicides among borrowers. Reddi Subrahmanyam is a rural development official in that state. He says many of these deaths happened immediately after the recovery agents of the microfinance institutions either visited the house or did something insulting.Reports of corruption and abuses have led to emergency measures in Andhra Pradesh to ban some collection methods. These rules also aim to limit costly fees and high interest rates on loans. The Asian Development Bank says microfinance institutions in the Asia-Pacific area charge interest of thirty to seventy percent a year. Charges can be even higher when other costs are added. But micro lenders also face higher operating costs compared to traditional lenders. Groups like the Asian Development Bank oppose limits on interest rates because of these high business costs.Economist Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in two thousand six for his work with microfinance. In the nineteen seventies he started what became the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Grameen says it charges twenty …

Muhammad Yunus speaking about the bonsai tree

2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate speaks to EARTH graduates about how individuals born in economically-depressed regions are like bonsai trees.

Micro Lending

Most people think of microfinance as lending by nonprofit groups to people who are largely ignored by mainstream financial institutions. The concept was made famous by the Grameen Bank and its founder - Nobel Peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus. But as VOA’s Philip Alexiou reports, microfinance is a growing industry across the developing world, but it could be facing some trouble.

Muhammad Yunus on globalization (Q5)

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus talks about poverty in a global context with Stephanie Kinnunen, founder of humanitarian magazine NEED. www.needmagazine.com

Muhammad Yunus: Banker to the Poor (preview)

A preview of Muhammad Yunus: Banker to the Poor - one of a series of 16 DVDs created by Ashoka’s Global Academy for Social Entrepreneurship. Dr. Yunus, recently awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, describes his three-decade-long effort to extend micro-credit (small loans for self-employment). Grameen Bank, his creation, now makes small loans to seven million families in Bangladesh, and has helped almost half of them work their way out of poverty. This is the story of his life-long struggle and accomplishments, told in his own words. Produced by Rooy Media LLC for Ashoka. To purchase the films, visit dvd.ashoka.org.

Muhammad Yunus: Building Social Business Ventures (preview)

Preview of Muhammad Yunus: Building Social Business Ventures - one of 16 DVDs created by Ashoka’s Global Academy for Social Entrepreneurship. Dr. Yunus, recently awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, shares his strategies for building businesses dedicated to the social good. He describes the founding and structure of Grameen Bank, Grameen Phone and other companies he has created on behalf of the poor. Produced by Rooy Media LLC for Ashoka. To purchase the films, visit dvd.ashoka.org.

Yunus Says Bailout Packages Should Also Reach the Poor

Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) — Muhammad Yunus, founder and managing director of Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank and winner of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, talkswith Bloomberg’s Erik Schatzker and Francine Lacqua about the impact of the financial crisis on the world’s poor. They speak at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. (Source: Bloomberg) For more Bloomberg coverage from Davos, see www.bloomberg.com

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