Microfinance

Microfinance, or social lending, is an investment vehicle for lending money to the working poor around the world that emerged in the 1970s and 1980s. Investors can gain access to the microfinance market easily through Web platforms such as Kiva and MicroPlace. Through Kiva, investors can provide business loans to the working poor in developing countries around the world.; Microplace, in contrast, provides investors with the opportunity to buy securities for as little as $100, which are pooled into a larger fund that finances businesses among the working poor.

Sources:
https://www.microplace.com/
http://kiva.org/
http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/microfinance-institution-reviews-51486.aspx http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/microplace-thinks-big-to-alleviate-global-poverty-through-microfinance-51422.aspx