Financing Aboriginal Enterprise: Is there a role for Co-operative Models?

This lecture is part of a SSHRC research project Regional Co-op Council grant # 603 2007-0008 led by Dr. Ana Maria Peredo and organized by BCICS and the Faculty of Business at UVic

January 8, 2009 - Aboriginal Financial Institutions (AFIs) are a key source of business financing and support services for Aboriginal entrepreneurs. AFIs provide developmental loans to fill gaps resulting from private lenders’ failure to provide commercial loans to Aboriginal businesses. Evaluations of existing AFIs question the sustainability of these developmental lenders over the long term. At the same time, the emerging Aboriginal private sector continues to mature and business financing needs are becoming more diverse. Against this backdrop, the current roles and activities of AFIs may become less relevant to the market place.

This presentation by Dr. Lou Hammond Ketilson (Associate Professor, Department of Management and Marketing; Director, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan) examined the feasibility of using co-operative models of financing for supporting Aboriginal enterprise development.

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Date: 
Thu, 01/08/2009