XacBank -Mongolia Pilot

[Guest]

.

[jtbob]

First off let me apologize if I'm posting this message improperly or not within forum etiquette but I believe the post belongs here and hasn't bee adequately addressed in other topics.

I have been lending on Kiva for a few months now and was excited when I say that Mongolia might be added as a county I could lend to. I have a particular interest in Central and East Asian countries and was hoping that it would be made available quickly. Unfortunately I don’t understand how the pilot process works or the timeline for a field partner to move from pilot to full fledged status.

Is there a general timeline for how long it takes to properly vet a field partner or does it vary substantially?

Also is there any information that is specific to XacBank that could point to a general deadline for when it will be either accepted or rejected as a field partner?

[wthepoo]

Hi and welcome,

there has been a post by Kiva staffer Liz, recently, on what "Pilot Status" means and how long it can take: http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,1718.msg48569.html#msg48569

But I feel it has little to do with your actual question, namely when we will see any actual loans to Mongolia on Kiva. The answer to that is not connected, as far as I know, with the status of XacBank (or only the other way round: they won't lose their Pilot Status until they have raised and dealt with a substantial number of loans) - many MFIs with "Pilot Status" have already become "regulars" like IMON Tajikistan with 1253 Kiva entrepreneurs. I have no idea why XacBank has not posted a single loan on Kiva so far...

Best wishes,
Wolfgang.

[jtbob]

Thank you. That post did clear up my general question about how the pilot process works and what that means for the potential for loans but as you point out I'm still confused as to why XacBank is dormant. It would seem that the holdup is on the XacBank side. Hopefully someone who is more informed can answer that question.

[howard]

It is indeed odd that there is nothing from Xacbank, but it is not the first time this has happened from Mongolia. In mid-2007 Mongolcredit was listed as a new partner (no.42), but there were no loans from it, and, as far as I know, we never heard anything further from Kiva. We would all love to see Mongolia available for loans, but we may never have that pleasure. So don't hold your breath, jtbob!

Howard

[cpbailey]

I wonder if Mongolia has legal or technical issues to deal with.  It may have to work with laws or regulations for money transfer between the states.  Alternatively, the how to wire transfer money or computer images in the particular area may have some challenges which must be overcome before it is reliable.  I doubt this is a Kiva specific issue...

Colette

[BenElberger]

Hey KF Community,

Sometimes we have a delay in bringing on partners due to language issues or staff turnover at the MFI.  XacBank is still moving with us in the right direction but there are a number of i's to dot and t's to cross before we're good to go.

Thanks for all of your interest and keep your eye on the website for Mongolian businesses in the future!

Best,
Ben

[Turtle]

Ben,

I really appreciate the clarification.  I'm another who'll be keeping a keen eye out for loans from Mongolia.  Thanks for all your work to get these new MFIs up & posting on Kiva