abstract: Microlending aims at providing low-barrier loans to small to medium scaled family run businesses that are financially disincluded historically. These borrowers might be in third world countries where traditional financing is not accessible. Lenders can be individual investors or institutions making risky investments or willing to help people who cannot access traditional banks or do not have the credibility to get loans from traditional sources. Microlending involves a charitable cause as well where lenders are not really concerned about what and how they are paid. This thesis aims at building a platform that will support both commercial microlending as well as charitable donation to support the real cause of microlending. The platform is expected to ensure privacy and transparency to the users in order to attract more users to use the system. Microlending involves monetary transactions, hence possible security threats to the system are discussed. Blockchain is one of the technologies which has revolutionized financial transactions and microlending involves monetary transactions. Therefore, blockchain is viable option for microlending platform. Permissioned blockchain restricts the user admission to the platform and provides with identity management feature. This feature is required to ensure the security and privacy of various types of participants on the microlending platform. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Software Engineering 2020

Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH SUMMARY: This study explores the application of Web 2.0 thinking to development studies. It specifically addresses ‗online social lending for development' as an example of ‗Development 2.0,‘ the subject of an ongoing conversation between the fields of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and international development. The paper has two aims: to develop a definition of Development 2.0, and to explore an empirical example of a Web 2.0 model that seeks to alleviate poverty. Reflecting on the literature pertaining to ICT for development (ICT4D), the investigator establishes preliminary principles of Development 2.0: facilitating citizen participation and voice, encouraging collaboration, increasing transparency and enabling relationships. These principles are then considered in the context of online social lending for development, with a particular look at Kiva.org, the microlending website at the center of the study. The empirical research for this case involved several months of interaction with some of Kiva‘s primary stakeholders in San Francisco, CA and Kisumu, Kenya. As a Kiva Fellow, the investigator engaged in participant observation, focus groups, analysis of secondary data, email interviews and weblog interviews with various people involved in the Kiva system. Stemming from this investigation, the author offers a descriptive and exploratory case study of Kiva‘s operations and its level of Development 2.0 integration. With reference to this Kiva case study and the initial Development 2.0 principles, the investigator offers a new definition: Development 2.0 is the application of Web 2.0 thinking to development studies. Development 2.0 practice takes advantage of networked social interaction and data generation, reaching the ‘long tail’ of the world’s poor; it actively employs transparency, collaboration, and citizen participation with the aim of continual, reflexive improvement in sustainable human-centered development. The author concludes that Kiva is a relevant example of Development 2.0, but it does not offer full transparency to all stakeholders, nor does it take advantage of the full possibilities of networked social interaction, which could lead to more holistic development for Kiva borrowers. The author argues that Development 2.0 principles have intrinsic value, and should be pursued as both a means and an end for ICT4D practice. The paper ends with a call for further research into Kiva, Development 2.0, and the practice of online social lending for development. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie stel ondersoek in na die toepassing van Web 2.0 beginsels vir ontwikkelingstudies. Dit spreek spesifiek ‗aanlyn sosiale lenings vir ontwikkeling‘ aan, 'n onderwerp wat debat ontlok tussen die velde van Inligting en Kommunikasie Tegnologie (IKT) en Internasionale Ontwikkeling. Die verhandeling het twee doelwitte: om 'n definisie vir Ontwikkeling 2.0 te ontwikkel en om ondersoek in te stel na 'n empiriese voorbeeld van 'n Web 2.0 model wat die verligting van armoede nastreef. Na 'n refleksie oor die literatuur wat met IKT‘s verband hou, stel die navorser die voorwaardelike beginsels van Ontwikkeling 2.0 vas: die fasilitering van burgerlike deelname en inspraak, bevordering van samewerking, verhoogde deursigtigheid en instaatstellende verhoudings. Hierdie beginsels word dan oorweeg in die konteks van aanlyn sosiale lenings vir ontwikkeling, met spesifieke ondersoek na Kiva.org, 'n mikro-lening webwerf wat sentraal tot hierdie studie staan. Die empiriese ondersoek vir hierdie gevallestudie het verskeie maande van navorser-interaksie met van Kiva se primêre rolspelers in San Francisco (VSA) en Kisumu (Kenia) behels. Die ondersoeker het as 'n 'Kiva Fellow‘ deur middel van deelnemende waarneming, fokusgroep onderhoude, benutting van sekondêre bronne, e-pos- en webblog onderhoude met verskeie persone betrokke in die Kiva stelsel in wisselwerking getree. Na aanleiding van hierdie studie, bied die navorser 'n beskrywende en verklarende gevallestudie van Kiva se werksaamhede en vlak van Ontwikkeling 2.0 integrasie aan. Met verwysing na hierdie Kiva gevallestudie en die aanvanklike Ontwikkeling 2.0 beginsels, bied die ondersoeker ‗n hersiene definisie aan: Ontwikkeling 2.0 is die toepassing van Web 2.0 beginsels tot ontwikkelingstudies. Ontwikkeling 2.0 praktyk trek voordeel uit netwerk-sosiale interaksie en data-generering, wat die ‘verste punt’ van die wêreld se armes bereik; dit streef aktief deursigtigheid, samewerking en burgerlike deelname na; tot die bevordering van die aaneenlopende, refleksiewe verbetering in volhoubare mens-gesentreerde ontwikkeling. Die ondersoeker kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat Kiva 'n relevante voorbeeld van Ontwikkeling 2.0 is, maar dat dit nie volwaardige deursigtigheid vir alle rolspelers bied nie, en nog minder van die geleentheid gebruik maak om voordeel te trek van die volle moontlikhede van netwerk-sosiale interaksie, wat tot meer holistiese ontwikkeling vir Kiva leners kan lei. Die ondersoeker argumenteer dat Ontwikkeling 2.0 beginsels 'n intrinsieke waarde het en nagestreef behoort te word in die praktyk as beide ‗n middel tot en ‗n einde vir ‗IKT vir Ontwikkeling‘ (ICT4D). Die verhandeling word afgesluit met 'n oproep vir verdere navorsing oor Kiva, Ontwikkeling 2.0 en die gebruik van aanlyn sosiale lenings vir ontwikkeling.

Even though the idea of microcredit is to stimulate entrepreneurial activities in developing countries, there is an ongoing debate whether this is achieved. Many argue that only providing credit is not enough and see a need for additional components in promoting entrepreneurial activities for the stimulation of economic growth. Moreover, the importance of including women in economic development is widely acknowledged. In Lao People's Democratic Republic where many women run their own businesses and a majority of microcredit borrowers are women, we aimed to examine the relation between microcredit and female entrepreneurship. This was accomplished by conducting semi-structured interviews with 13 Laotian female microcredit borrowers running businesses, as well as interviews with seven representatives from organizations related to microcredit and female entrepreneurship. To understand the female entrepreneurs and the environment in which they operate, we developed a model where factors related to the loan agreement, networking, motivation, gender division of labor and training were identified as important components in the context of Lao PDR. The results support the view that a credit only approach is not enough for the development of female entrepreneurship in Lao PDR.

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