Oikocredit, a leading socially-committed investor in microfinance, has released the results of its social audit, looking to enhance human welfare through economic performance.

A church-backed microfinance institution has increased its field investments by one third, reaching out to poor people often excluded by the commercial banking sector in spite of the global economic downturn.

A pioneering charity has launched a new initiative in the face of the credit crunch, to take loans from people who need a decent return on their income, and invest their money to help those in the developing world.

Oikocredit, the worldwide co-operative which challenges churches and others to share their resources through socially responsible investments, has become a 'body in association' with Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.

The current global economic crisis is not just a squeeze on lenders, borrowers and spenders. It also crunch time for the politicians and for the Christian churches, says Simon Barrow. Now is a time to be investing in practical alternatives.

The current global financial crisis is not a counsel of despair, says Patrick Hynes. It is an opportunity to review our priorities and invest practically for change through agencies like Oikocredit.

Despite the global credit crunch, social entrepreneurs are continuing to invest in hope. Oikocredit – one of the leading financiers of microfinance – has decided to pay a dividend of 2% to its members for the 15th year in a row.

Everyone is talking about the 'credit crunch'. Patrick Hynes, from Oikocredit, reflects on how access to fair finance continues to be a problem for people who are poor, and proposes a simple solution.

Harnessing the power of the market to help solve the problems of global poverty, hunger and inequality is both possible and necessary, a Nobel Peace Prize winner told an invited audience of specialists in London on Thursday night.