Small and Growing Business. A commercially viable business that has significant potential for expansion and social impact in the communities where it operates.

Households or individuals that previously did not have access to credit. Access to Healthcare: Individuals who previously were not served by the formal healthcare system because of distance they had t [..]

According to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in the context of a natural person, an individual who has either 1) earned income exceeding $200,000 (or $300,000 with a spouse) during the p [..]

Housing for which the associated financial costs are at a level that does not threaten other basic needs and represents a reasonable proportion of an individual’s overall income.

Increase in the value of a financial instrument or currency as a result of market forces of supply and demand.

Base of the Pyramid. The term describes groups of people in emerging markets who earn less than $3,000 a year (2002 purchasing power parity).

Capable of decomposing under natural conditions.

Concept that the value generated by an organization (whether for-profit or non-profit) is financial, social and environmental, and that these three constituents of value are indivisible from one anoth [..]

Community Development Finance Institution. These are institutions, mainly in the U.S. and the U.K., that seek to reduce poverty in economically depressed areas through credit, financial and other serv [..]

Item of value that a lender can take as compensation if a borrower fails to repay a loan. Borrowers generally are required to secure a loan with personal property as collateral. On mortgage loans, the [..]