From Haiti to Hastings: Niki Armacost, Microfinancing Pioneer on Clean Energy

In this episode of The Fixers Podcast, host Amrita Kumar talks with Niki Armacost, CEO of Arc Finance and former mayor of Hastings on Hudson, New York, about using microfinance to bring clean energy access to the world's poorest communities.

We explore how energy loans work at the last mile, why microfinance institutions originally considered them too risky, and how Niki reframed that assumption entirely. Niki also shares what surprised her most—that the community organizing skills she honed in villages across India and Bangladesh translated almost perfectly to her role as mayor of Hastings, where she made it the highest-ranked climate-smart community in New York State.

Whether you're curious about how clean energy reaches the people who need it most or want to understand finance as a tool for climate action, this conversation will change how you think about what it takes to make change stick—locally and globally.

Learn more about Arc Finance at ⁠arcfinance.org⁠

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