Charlie Rose - Muhammad Yunus

Muhammed Yunus, banker, economist, professor and Nobel Prize winner, learned very early in his career that small loans could make a disproportionate difference to a poor person. That simple thought eventually led him to start the Grameen Bank in the 70's in Bangladesh and the result has inspired efforts around the world for similar micro-lending efforts. Taken from the Grameen Bank site, Yunus' most valuable contributrion is that his bank has reversed conventional banking practice by removing the need for collateral and created a banking system based on mutual trust, accountability, participation and creativity. As of November 2008, the Grameen Bank had 7.64m borrowers (97% are female).