About

Abishek Viswanathan is a senior at Penn State University majoring in Finance and Economics. This summer, he will be interning at Grameen Bank, the winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize,in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His focus will primarily be on impact studies of microfinance initiatives.Microfinance is the extension of financial services to the world’s poor, and is widely considered as one of the most powerful and cost-effective poverty alleviation tools.  His internship will consist of multiple field stays and overnight visits to the rural villages of Bangladesh where Grameen borrowers live and work. He will also be auditing the microcredit management system at the grass roots level, which includes new group formation, loan proposals, loan disbursements, loan monitoring, financial reporting, and accounting systems. Lastly, he will have the chance to visit many of the Grameen sister companies, including Grameen Knitwear ,Grameen Shikkha (Education), Grameen Shakti (renewable energy), Grameen Kalyan (well-being) and Grameen Health Care Services.