Today, June 28, WorldWise Microfinance celebrates the birthday of Muhammad Yunus, a visionary economist, social entrepreneur, current head of Bangladesh, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate whose work has transformed lives around the globe. Best known as the founder of Grameen Bank and the father of modern microfinance, Yunus pioneered a revolutionary idea: that small loans to the poor—especially women—could be a powerful tool to fight poverty.
In the 1970s, while teaching economics in Bangladesh, Yunus saw firsthand that traditional banking systems excluded those with the greatest need. He began lending small sums from his own pocket to poor villagers—loans too small for commercial banks but large enough to help individuals start or expand small businesses. This simple yet radical concept gave rise to Grameen Bank, which grew to serve millions and inspired microfinance institutions around the world.
Yunus’s model did more than offer credit; it offered dignity, agency, and hope. By empowering the underserved to lift themselves out of poverty, microfinance shifted the development landscape. Today, his legacy continues to ripple through more than 100 countries, influencing not only microfinance but also social business and inclusive capitalism.
At WorldWise Microfinance, we draw daily inspiration from Muhammad Yunus’s vision. Since 2010 we have been working to extend financial tools to those most often overlooked, we stand on the foundation he built. His belief in the power of trust, community, and opportunity guides our mission to support local entrepreneurs—especially women—as they grow businesses, support families, and transform their communities. Yunus showed the world that even the smallest loan can unlock human potential, and that lesson fuels everything we do.
On his birthday, we honor Muhammad Yunus not just for his innovations in finance, but for reminding us that banking can—and should—serve humanity.