MIX Promotes Financial Inclusion and Transparency with New Premium Solutions

October 12, 2011 — Today, Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) announced the launch of MIX Silver—a value-added, fee-based service for business users that furthers MIX’s mission of promoting financial inclusion and fostering transparency in the microfinance sector. Developed in response to intensive market research, these new solutions address users’ need for timely data and deeper microfinance insight. In a rapidly changing microfinance ecosystem, practitioners will benefit from MIX Silver’s larger data set, more expansive fact base, and advanced analytical tools designed to meet business needs for timely, informed insight into MFIs and their markets.

MIX Silver will save subscribers time and resources through customizable analytical tools and reporting features, deeper and broader data access, and enhanced market intelligence on countries of critical importance in the microfinance space. The Silver offering includes all of the benefits of MIX Basic services, while adding the ability to create a personalized dashboard to track real-time movements in MFI positions and microfinance markets; build and track MFI portfolios using powerful tools for drill-down analysis; access enhanced benchmarking and aggregation tools; and utilize all interim and annual data for more than 2,000 MFIs in the MIX database.

Blaine Stephens, MIX Chief Operating Officer and EVP, MIX Solutions notes, “In less than a decade, MIX and its partners have built the fact base for microfinance that has moved the industry from case studies to broad, timely market information.  MIX Silver moves us from information to action, giving users the tools and insight necessary to monitor market developments and MFI performance where it matters to their business.”

In addition to launching MIX Silver, MIX has upgraded its MIX Market (website to improve user experience and increase access to MIX’s publicly available microfinance market data. Later this year, MIX will launch MIX Gold to enable enterprise-wide access to broader market intelligence, advanced benchmarking and aggregation tools, expert market insight and commentary, and MFI portfolio monitoring services. Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investor committed to financial inclusion, is providing funding for the launch of these services.

“MIX is an important partner to Omidyar Network in our efforts to bring access to financial services to the world’s poor,” says Stephanie Cohn Rupp, Principal of Investments at Omidyar Network. “With its premium services, MIX is now offering more in-depth analysis, expanded data, and reporting that provide greater transparency and support to the microfinance ecosystem.”

Marten Leijon, CEO of MIX, added “As we approach MIX’s 10th anniversary, we are excited to provide a new service that harnesses the power of MIX’s technology and global network to drive fast, accurate business decision-making for all microfinance leaders. This is why we exist: to continue to strengthen capabilities and bolster the microfinance sector.”

To learn more about MIX Premium Solutions, visit http://microfinance-business-solution.mixmarket.org

About MIX
MIX is the premier source for objective, qualified and relevant microfinance performance data and analysis. Committed to strengthening financial inclusion and the microfinance sector by promoting transparency, MIX provides performance information on microfinance institutions (MFIs), funders, networks and service providers dedicated to serving the financial sector needs for low-income clients. MIX fulfills its mission through a variety of platforms. On MIX Market (www.mixmarket.org), we provide instant access to financial and social performance information covering approximately 2,000 MFIs around the world. Incorporated in 2002, MIX is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC with regional offices in Azerbaijan, India, Morocco, and Peru. Our public information services are strengthened through our collaboration with the following global partners: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CGAP, Omidyar Network, The MasterCard Foundation, IFAD, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Citi Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Deutsche Bank. For more information about MIX, please visit www.themix.org.