Marta Rodríguez

Colombian social entrepreneur who revolutionized Latin American microfinance

Marta Rodríguez (1930-2005) pioneered microfinance in Latin America through her 1960s-70s innovations that transformed economic opportunities for marginalized women. Born in Medellín to a working-class family, she witnessed extreme poverty firsthand during Colombia's La Violencia era. After studying economics in Paris, she returned in 1958 to found Fundación Mujeres Productivas, the continent's first microfinance institution tailored for women.

Rodríguez's groundbreaking rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs) model allowed groups of women to pool resources without collateral. By 1975, her network had provided over 10,000 loans across 12 countries, inspiring Muhammad Yunus's Grameen Bank model. Her 1973 book Women's Capital: Building Economies from Below became a global reference in development economics.

In 1970, she created the first women's business incubator in Latin America, helping launch 300+ cooperatives in agriculture and crafts. Her advocacy led to Colombia's 1974 law requiring banks to allocate 5% of loans to women-owned businesses. Rodríguez's legacy endures through the Marta Rodríguez Global Fellowship, supporting female entrepreneurs in the Global South.

Her 1977 documentary Las Mujeres que Movieron el Dinero (Women Who Moved Money) is preserved in UNESCO's Memory of the World registry. Despite her influence, Rodríguez remained a grassroots advocate, famously stating, 'Money without purpose is just metal - it's people who turn coins into change.'