mifos

Jason Polen works as Social Media Intern for Grameen Foundation based out of our Seattle office.

Investing in Technology– Is it worth it for MFIs?

From “Speed-Geeking” to “ROTI”; when microfinance and technology leaders come together in India to explore the power of technology, innovation is inevitable.  This year’s Microfinance Leadership Summit in India was called, “Fueling Growth: Strategic Technology for Microfinance”. One of the key goals of the conference was to engage microfinance and technology leaders in a dialogue about the immense potential of technology in helping microfinance institutions (MFIs) grow.

Starting a dialogue around investing in technology is vital for leaders of small and medium sized MFIs. As MFIs scale, they begin asking themselves a number of critical questions about the use of technology. How can technology help us grow? Which kind of technology is right for us? How much will it cost? How difficult will it be to integrate it into our existing system? When is the right time to invest? All these unknown factors can be summarized into one term a speaker at the conference, PC Narayan, introduced: ROTI – Return on Technology Investments.

Most MFIs are not adverse to adopting technology. In fact, they are usually ahead of the curve, especially in India; however, when operating at the grassroots level, adopting technology incongruent with their clients’ can mean failure. In other words, MFIs are very conscious about the importance of using technology appropriately. A key theme throughout the conference was answering this question: “Is it worth it?” Fully understanding the risks and benefits is essential. Picking the correct technology at the right time ensures they will fully capture the benefits.

We worked with Microfinance Focus to post a live blog throughout the conference which highlights many of the events in greater detail.