In the rural Indian village of Jaltara, the village council is extending microfinance loans to villagers by issuing Gram Sabha (village council) Credit Cards (GSCCs). As part of the government-sponsored Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project, the council issues the GSCCs, which serve as loans from the village treasury, instead of distributing money. The size of each loan, which must be repaid in six months, and the repayment schedule are decided in the council meetings. Continue Reading »

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS (JUL. 31 - AUG. 2 IN MANILA)

DELINQUENCY MANAGEMENT (AUG. 4 - AUG. 6 IN VIGAN, ILOCOS SUR)

MARKET-BASED FINANCIAL PRODUCT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT (SEP. 1 - SEP 3. IN CEBU)

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS (OCT. 6 - OCT. 8 IN ILOILO)

STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS (NOV. 6 - NOV. 8 MANILA)

RISK MANAGEMENT, INTERNAL CONTROLS AND AUDIT (NOV. 10 - NOV. 12 IN CAGAYAN DE ORO)

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS (DEC. 1 - DEC. 3 IN DAVAO)

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Written by Gustavo A. Barboza and Humberto Barreto, published April 2006 in Contemporary Economic Policy Vol. 24, No. 2, 16 pages available at: http://econpapers.repec.org/article/oupcoecpo/v_3A24_3Ay_3A2006_3Ai_3A2_3Ap_3A316-331.htm Continue Reading »

In China’s Zhejiang province, small and medium enterprises’ growing demand for capital has compelled the Chinese government to expand microlending services into the province, according to an anonymous source quoted in a Shanghai Securities News report. Continue Reading »

Source: Business Standard. Continue Reading »

A partnership of big players seeks to franchise independently owned groceries throughout the Philippines. Founded in 2006, Hapinoy targets to open and/or convert 40,000 sari-sari stores by the end of 2008, by providing especially women borrowers a Hapinoy franchise. Continue Reading »

Source: Times Online. Continue Reading »

Source: Grameen Foundation. Continue Reading »

World Bank unit IFC (International Finance Corporation) and energy giant BP (British Petroleum) have announced a partnership to assist for-profit microlender MFBA (Micro Finance Bank of Azerbaijan) in expanding microfinance services to Azerbaijan’s untapped rural regions. IFC’s and BP’s assistance will consist of financial support for the establishment of additional MFBA branch offices in the country’s untapped rural areas. BP’s assistance is provided via its affiliate, nonprofit BP Foundation. Neither BP Foundation nor IFC disclosed a specific amount of financial support. Continue Reading »

Nonprofit Luxembourg Fund Labelling Agency (LuxFLAG) has granted its label to the
Rural Impulse Fund SA, SICAV-FIS (RIF). The LuxFLAG label indicates that RIF, which invests in microfinance institutions (MFIs) in rural areas, is truly investing in microfinance activities. The label was initiated to provide increased assurance to investors that commercial microfinance investment vehicle’s (MIVs) were committed to delivering microfinance services. Continue Reading »

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM FOR BUILDING FAIR FINANCIAL MARKETS FOR ALL

OCTOBER 1-2 2008 AT THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (ILO) IN GENEVA SWITZERLAND

Building Fair Financial Markets for All: Profitable Investment Opportunities in Micro
and Small Businesses Symposium is hosted by the World Microfinance Forum Geneva, a public-private partnership of nonprofit and for profit institutions that promotes inclusive financial markets by hosting events and conducting research. The 2008 Symposium is geared towards investors, “financial intermediaries”, microfinance professionals and public actors. The event will feature research on microfinance investment, the relationship between microfinance and the private sector and “new products, new technology, new markets”. There will be a special focus on China and its market for microfinance. Continue Reading »

Produced by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Nigeria PRISMS Project, for presentation at the International Year of the Microcredit (IYMC) Workshop, 16 December 2005, 8 pages, available here. Continue Reading »

Source: Daily Times. Continue Reading »

Source: Daily Nation. Continue Reading »

CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES ON THE ORIENTED PRODUCTIVE MICROCREDIT PROGRAM (PNMPO)

July 15-16, 2008, IN THE AUDITORIUM OF THE INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC RESEARCH (IPEA) IN BRASILIA, BRAZIL

Sponsored by the Brazilian government’s Ministry of Labor, with support from the National Bank of Economic and Social Development, the event brings together academics and practitioners of microfinance, in an effort to explore new ideas on how public policies can foster growth in the microfinance sector. Continue Reading »

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently published a report entitled “Creating Value for All: Strategies for Doing Business with the Poor”. The report is comprised of 50 case studies investigating both small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) and multinational corporations. It examines social and financial results on both local and international levels. There are eight chapters: Opportunities to Create Value for All, Constraints Standing in the Way, Adapt Products and Processes, Invest in Removing Market Constraints, Leverage the Strengths of the Poor, Combine Resources and Capabilities with Others, Engage in Policy Dialogue with Others, and Taking Action. Continue Reading »

Srijan recently announced the winners of its 2008 Business Plan Competition, reported by MicroCapital here. Cash prizes were given to the top three contestants, with the first prize sponsored specifically by Standard Chartered Bank. The winners will also have the opportunity to meet investors, though Srijan has not yet specified which investors. All finalists will be able to create accounts on the India Development Gateway Portal, as reported here by MicroCapital. Continue Reading »

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) recently announced that funds totaling USD 829,300 will be invested in a project for Uruguayan Institute for Economic and Social Development’s (IPRU) female and youth entrepreneurship in Uruguay’s capital Montevideo and district Saladero de Salto. USD 600,000 of the funds will come directly from IDB and USD 229,300 will come from counterpart financing from Uruguay. The IDB’s contributions will come through its Social Entrepreneurship Program (SEP), which aims to make credit available to the financially excluded. SEP is managed and administered by the IDB’s Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), which promotes inclusive private sector growth through grants and investments. USD 125,000 will be given in the form of a grant, while USD 200,000 will be given through a seven year loan that includes a two year grace period. The interest rate has not been specified. Finally, USD 275,000 has been allocated for “technical cooperation financing” and is funded directly from the IDB’s Italian Trust for Microenterprise Development. Continue Reading »