Grameen Appoints Americas CEO

Microfinance institution Grameen Foundation has appointed Guatemala native Alberto Solano as regional CEO for the Americas, based in Nicaragua. Solano has more than a decade of experience in microfinance, principally in LatAm, and was most recently the LatAm VP for Global Partnerships, a microfinance company. Grameen plans to focus on increasing access to microfinance and technology for the poor in the region, and exploring avenues for using microfinance as a platform for delivering other services to them such as healthcare and education. In Mexico alone, where Grameen recently entered a joint venture with Grupo Carso, it has about 300 borrowers, according to Grameen president Vidar Jorgensen, who adds that the institution’s goal is to reach 100,000 borrowers in five years in that country. Its programs in Costa Rica and Guatemala have about 7,600 and 14,700 borrowers respectively, he says.