Panelists: Innovations in Microfinance

John Hatch
Founder
Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA)

John Hatch is the founder of FINCA, one of the world's leading microfinance institutions. FINCA operates loan programs in 23 countries and has served nearly 1.2 million low-income families since its inception in 1984. John is known as the father of "village banking", a group loan methodology now replicated by over 400 microfinance programs in 60 countries.

John's career in economic development spans 45 years, during which time he has been a Peace Corps volunteer and staff member, Fulbright Scholar, Economist (Univ. Wisconsin, 1973), and Consultant to small farmer development projects in some 50 countries. John currently directs FINCA's global research efforts, which feature surveys of some 3,000 clients per year to document poverty levels, business profitability, and changes in living standards. He is the co-founder and executive committee member of the Microcredit Summit Campaign, a global coalition of 2,900 institutions seeking to provide 100 million of the world's poorest women with loans for self-employment by the year 2006.

John also serves as an adjunct professor of microfinance at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, George Washington University, UC Berkeley and the Monterey Institute.

[ Back to Top | Panels]