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Ali
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« on: November 22, 2011, 12:26:54 PM » |
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Some of you may know that my husband, Jonny, also works at Kiva. (We actually met here at Kiva a few years ago and got married last year!) I wanted to share a cool project that he has been exploring, as I think it could be of interest to you all.
We're always looking for ways to reach more borrowers through Kiva, whether it be entering new countries, partnering with institutions that serve a particular demographic, or providing new loan types. One of the things that Jonny is looking into doing now is using new technology, like mobile payments, both to enable a more direct lender-to-borrower experience and to lower costs for the borrower. He is leading a pilot project that we're calling “Kiva Zip” to explore this. We’re hoping to learn a lot from his project, including how we can reach people in need of funds who aren’t currently being reached by banks or microfinance institutions.
We really value the close relationship the KivaFriends community has with Kiva, and while we don't have many details to share right now (as we are in pilot stage), we did want to share
with you our excitement for this new initiative. As the pilot continues, and we have learnings to share, we will continue to prioritize KivaFriends in our communications efforts. Stay tuned!
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KyRoamer
Kiva Supporter
Louisville, Kentucky
Gender: 
Posts: 17
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« Reply To This #1 on: November 27, 2011, 05:00:42 PM » |
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Interesting. Keep us posted.
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domenbajde
Kiva Supporter
Posts: 2
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« Reply To This #2 on: December 08, 2011, 03:21:50 AM » |
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zip.kiva.org states that you need an invitation to join this pilot programe.
Is there a way for lenders to get an invitation to join?
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« Last Edit: December 08, 2011, 03:22:33 AM by domenbajde »
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Ali
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« Reply To This #3 on: December 08, 2011, 08:18:01 PM » |
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zip.kiva.org states that you need an invitation to join this pilot programe.
Is there a way for lenders to get an invitation to join?
Thanks so much for your interest in lending through the Kiva Zip pilot program! Since this is a very early stage pilot, we are keeping the user group small so we can better manage feedback and track learnings. We plan on opening up it up to a larger pool of lenders in the future, so if you're interested in being invited to lend, you can enter your email address into the box on the Kiva Zip homepage here: https://zip.kiva.org/. |
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domenbajde
Kiva Supporter
Posts: 2
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« Reply To This #4 on: December 09, 2011, 02:36:13 AM » |
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Thanks for the quick reply and the link. I've submitted my e-mail.
Good luck with the project!
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Good Dogg
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« Reply To This #5 on: January 13, 2012, 09:52:51 PM » |
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Good Dogg
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Jan & John
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« Reply To This #6 on: January 21, 2012, 11:08:18 AM » |
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thanks Good Dogg... I would certainly be willing to give it a try with a small portion of my Kiva Credit (hugs) jan |
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"The place God calls you to is the place where your deepest gladness and the world's deepest hunger meet" - Fredrick Buechner (in Wishful Thinking). "Every child should be well born, well fed, well taught, well housed and well treated." Maude Riley, Alberta Council on Child and Family Welfare 1923 "Each of us feels that we are just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less without that missing drop." --Mother Teresa 1 click per person per day on this link means 1 additional cent for the Fistula Foundation - thanks! |
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charity
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« Reply To This #7 on: March 02, 2012, 04:21:29 PM » |
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I was really exited this morning to get an invitation to lend on zip.kiva.org, after having requested one several weeks ago. I really like the concept of providing loans with truly 0% interest to borrowers, so I like the idea of Kiva Zip. So far they are only piloting loans from Kenya and the US, and only using lenders from the US. Loans are distributed directly to the borrowers, either by a mobile phone banking system (in Kenya) or paypal (in the US). Borrowers are 'endorsed' by 'trustees' (mostly they look like nonprofit groups) partnered with Kiva, but there is no intermediary MFI. So far there are less than 70 loans that have been funded or are fundraising on the site.
One definite difference in the setup to Kiva is that all currency exchange losses are shouldered by the lender, which I am guessing is why they are starting with only two currencies (USD and Kenyan shilling) to begin with.
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« Last Edit: March 02, 2012, 04:36:09 PM by charity »
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heathermmc
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« Reply To This #8 on: March 02, 2012, 10:19:43 PM » |
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I was interested in this, but it's only open to people in the USA.
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charity
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« Reply To This #9 on: May 16, 2012, 05:43:39 PM » |
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If anyone from the US wants to try out lending on Kiva Zip, just let me know and I can invite you!
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