Aric LaBarr

Credit Modeling, Microfinance, and Improving the Lives of Families in the Developing World

There are many non-profit organizations trying to help develop and build economic opportunities for families in developing countries around the world by aiding individuals in starting and maintaining small businesses. Vision Fund International is one such organization that uses microfinance loans to jump start business opportunities in these countries. However, these developing countries do not have the credit institutions that countries in the developed world have, which leaves banks restricted on their ability to make loan decisions. Analytical modeling approaches are widely used in major banks in developed countries to efficiently make these decisions. This talk details a project worked on in partnership with Vision Fund International that develops data science driven scorecard models for use in loan decisions and the impact it is having on the growth of economies around the world.