In chapter 4 (a draft is coming soon), I survey the landscape of microfinance today. First, I tell the stories of such as people and institutions Muhammad Yunus and John Hatch, Accion International and Bank Dagang Bali, who led the development of the modern microfinance methods. Then I shift to surveying statistically, using the sort of numbers I discussed in my posts about the Microcredit Summit Campaign and postal savings banks.A gap in the chapter now, which reflects a gap in my own mind: I have nothing about microinsurance. As I write in chapter 2, I am certain that most poor people need insurance more than credit. It's the financial service I want most, because it protects me and my family against some of life's biggest financial risks. So the big question about microinsurance is whether it can be mass-produced in a relatively business-like way. Can a product be formulated that poor people will a) buy and b) pay enough for to cover most or all costs of delivery?Or, to put it more practically, is it being mass-produced in a relatively business-like way today? Where? I'd appreciate pointers to examples. What should I read and who should I talk to?I've found a few helpful documents already:
