Watch the following video explaining why a Google.org initiative has commited 10.1 million US$ to fuel the growth of small and medium sized enterprises in developing countries. With a focus on India and East Africa Google aims to:
While you cannot lend as an individual in this Google initiative, have a look at Kiva, MyC4 or Microplace which have similar aims.
Kiva.org send a newsletter to lenders yesterday with current numbers:
Kiva has grown a widespread group of supporters, ranging from Kiva Fellows over company supporters to a lively community discussing at Kiva Friends or contributing at Kivapedia.
KivaTV is showing a mix of promotional, educational and informational video clips.
Kiva still maintains a low default rate, which currently is 0.2%. The 20 Kiva loans I myself have invested in are all repaying on time.
P2P lending service Lendingclub, which launched last month has passed 100000 US$ in closed loans. The growth rate, compared to other peer to peer startups launched this year in other markets (see previous articles) is very high. More than $210000 in loans will close in the next 12 days. (Source: Techcrunch)