Who We Are

Inside Microfinance is an independent resource for information and analysis of the emerging market for microfinance. Its executive editor is Patti Murphy. Patti has spent over 30 years in the U.S. financial services sector. Her career path has included:

• The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, where as a public affairs officer she helped develop materials explaining the agency’s new responsibilities under the Electronic Funds Transfer Act and the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).
• Washington correspondent for several financial sector publications focused on Capitol Hill and financial services regulatory agencies. This included the period of rapid deregulation in the early 1980s and the S&L crisis that followed. It also included a period of major market adjustment as the Federal Reserve emerged as both an overseer of and competitor within the U.S. payments system.
• Managing Editor of assorted topic-specific industry publications, including several related to credit, debit, prepaid and electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards, and payment technologies.
• Developing and presenting a series of topical conferences on the evolution of check payments to electronic processes
• Providing commentary and analysis for financial sector publications regarding the evolution of retail payments issuance and acquiring, EBT, and related issues such as data security, pricing and legislation.
• Developing and writing white papers and other documents that explain in plain English the workings of payment systems and the products and technologies that support payments function and the implications for customer service and market penetration. Clients included businesses, associations and government agencies.
• Hundreds of bylines, primarily in financial services publications. Among those publications that can still be found online and in company in-boxes: American Banker, Bank Technology News, The Green Sheet, Stores and U.S. Banker.
• Frequent media requests for background and attribution regarding checks, cards, and other payments trends.

Amomg adults living in Asia, Africa and Latin America, 2.2 billion (62%) are unbanked