The United States of microfinance

The Green Sheet 2.0 :: E-Magazine:
Microfinance, an industry more than 30 years in the making, is finding a home in the U.S. economy. The implications of this for the acquiring sector will be significant, as this movement compels millions of Americans to transition from cash to card payments.

Microfinance was conceived in Bangladesh in 1976 as a strategy for alleviating poverty. Today, that first Bangladeshi microfinance institution (MFI), known as Grameen Bank, has gained footholds in dozens of countries, both underdeveloped and developed countries like the United States.