The MasterCard Foundation has announced the launch of its Scholars Program by awarding grants totaling $600,000 to six leading microfinance training institutes. The foundation says its program will fund 200 scholarships for staff working in microfinance in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East to participate in management and professional development courses.   » Continue Reading

The MasterCard Foundation has announced it has awarded a 'two-year, $740,000 grant today to Microfinance Information eXchange (MIX) to launch MIX Market 2.0, a next-generation Web platform for sharing reliable, comparable and publicly available information on the financial strength and performance of microfinance institutions.' According to the foundation, 'MIX, a not-for-profit private company, has received industry-wide recognition for its efforts to increase the transparency of the microfinance sector.'   » Continue Reading

The MasterCard Foundation has announced the appointment of Reeta Roy as president and chief executive officer. 'The mission of the MasterCard Foundation, which has an endowment of more than $2 billion, is to broaden access to the global economy through innovative microfinance programs and to increase access to quality educational opportunities for youth worldwide.'   » Continue Reading

James Kelleher reports for Reuters on some questions being raised about the MasterCard Foundation that is being setup as part of the planned initial public offering upcoming for MasterCard.   » Continue Reading

MasterCard Incorporated has announced that its shareholders voted, at a special meeting of shareholders, to approve a range of proposals to provide MasterCard with a new ownership and governance structure.