The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based multilateral institution that finances development projects in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and North Africa, is expected to issue a four-year, senior loan worth the local-currency equivalent of USD 5 million to Imon International, a microfinance institution (MFI) based in Tajikistan, to increase its lending to small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Category: Deals
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mozido Raises $185m from MasterCard, Wellington Management, Individual Funders to Expand Operations
Mozido, a US-based mobile payment and marketing software company, recently raised USD 185 million in capital in the first round of its Series B financing to expand its mobile and payment services in Africa, China, Europe, India, Latin America and the Middle East.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) Provides $12.5m to Fibabanka of Turkey to Support Small, Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)
The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a Luxembourg-based microfinance investment vehicle (MIV), will disburse a EUR 10 million (USD 12.5 million) senior loan to Fibabanka, a Turkish commercial bank, for lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: The MasterCard Foundation, Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) Provide $6.5m to Launch Accion Africa Board Fellowship
Accion, a US-based nonprofit organization that offers services such as microenterprise loans and business training in 32 countries; The MasterCard Foundation, a Canadian nonprofit that promotes financial inclusion and education in Africa and other emerging markets; and Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Dutch development bank, recently partnered to launch the Accion Africa Board Fellowship in an effort to promote improved corporate governance and risk management practices in financial institutions assisting people with low incomes.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) Mutually Reinforcing Institutions, Microcredit Summit Campaign, Freedom from Hunger Partner to Launch “Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies” in Effort to Reach 600k Filipino Women
The Center for Agriculture and Rural Development Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI), a group of organizations in the Philippines that includes CARD Bank; the Microcredit Summit Campaign, a US-based advocacy organization; and Freedom from Hunger, a US-based non-governmental organization (NGO) that offers financial and health protection services in 23 countries, launched the program “Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies,” which is expected to provide maternal health services to 600,000 Filipino women.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Dianrong.com to Expand Peer-to-Peer Lending to Small Businesses in China Via Joint Venture With Bank of Suzhou
The Bank of Suzhou Limited, a Chinese commercial bank, has announced that it will collaborate with Dianrong.com, a Chinese peer-to-peer lending platform, to build a website to intermediate loans from members of the public to micro- and small enterprises.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: VisionFund Selling Georgian Microfinance Institution (MFI) Credo to Impact Investors AccessHolding, responsAbility, Triodos
VisionFund International, a subsidiary of US-based, Christian NGO World Vision International, recently received approval from the National Bank of Georgia to sell its stake in Microfinance Organization Credo, LLC (Credo), to “a consortium of social impact investors” including Access Microfinance Holding AG (AccessHolding), a holding company based in Germany that specializes in microfinance investments; responsAbility Investments AG (responsAbility), a company based in Zurich that primarily invests in developing economies; and Triodos Investment Management BV (Triodos), a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Triodos Bank.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Hivos-Triodos Fund (HTF) Loans $3.1m to India’s IntelleGrow for Loans to Small, Medium-Sized Enterprises
The Hivos-Triodos Fund (HTF), a Netherlands-based microfinance investment vehicle, recently loaned EUR 2.5 million (USD 3.1 million) to IntelleGrow, an Indian nonbank financial company that specializes in making loans to small and medium-sized “social enterprises” in the agriculture, clean energy, education, financial, healthcare, sanitation and water sectors.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Spain’s Gawa Capital Partners Launches Global Financial Inclusion Fund for Investing in Microfinance Institutions
Gawa Capital Partners, a Spain-based investment firm specializing in microfinance funds, recently announced its launch of The Global Financial Inclusion Fund, which is slated to invest in microfinance institutions that provide financial services such as loans, microinsurance and savings accounts.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Enhancement Facility (MEF) Raises $25m via German Bank Gemeinschaftsbank für Leihen und Schenken (GLS)
Gemeinschaftsbank für Leihen und Schenken (GLS), a German bank that focuses on investing in social and ecological projects, has received USD 25 million from unspecified private investors to contribute to the Microfinance Enhancement Facility (MEF), a Luxembourg-based fund that aims to support the growth of microfinance institutions active in the trade, service and agriculture sectors in developing countries by providing them with refinancing liquidity.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Développement International Desjardins (DiD) Loans $1m to Microfinance Institution Arnur of Kazakhstan
Développement international Desjardins (DiD), a Canada-based nonprofit organization that focuses on providing technical support and investment to community financial institutions, recently granted a loan of USD 1 million to Arnur Credit, a Kazakhstan-based microfinance institution (MFI) that focuses on agribusiness and individuals living in rural areas.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Green for Growth Fund Southeast Europe, FMO, Fibabanka Invest in Energy-Efficient Businesses
Green for Growth Fund Southeast Europe (GGF), a Luxembourg-based foundation that finances environmentally sustainable enterprises, along with the Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappijvoor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Dutch development bank, recently entered a joint agreement to provide Turkish bank Fibabanka with a credit line of EUR 40 million (USD 50 million) for on-lending to businesses for efforts that have plans to become more energy-efficient.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Liberia Investing for Business Expansion (IBEX) Provides Technical Support, Access to $860k in Credit to Small, Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Via Banks
The Liberia Investing for Business Expansion (IBEX) program, a project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that focuses on improving access to financial services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by linking them with banks, provided clients in the agriculture, construction and trade sectors with access to loans totaling USD 860,000 from July to September 2014.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Crédit Agricole Microfinance Foundation Invests $788k in Oxus DR Congo, $321k in Uganda’s Encot
The Grameen Crédit Agricole Microfinance Foundation (GCAMF), a Luxembourg-based provider of financial services to microfinance institutions (MFIs) and other social businesses, recently informed MicroCapital that it has issued the following two loans:
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Dutch Development Bank Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappijvoor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) Loans $9.5m to Nigeria’s Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) for Microfinance
The Dutch development bank Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappijvoor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) recently signed an agreement to provide a five-year, local-currency loan equivalent to EUR 7.5 million (USD 9.5 million) to Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO), a Nigerian microfinance institution (MFI).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Togo-based EcoBank to Accept MasterCard Debit, Credit, Prepaid Cards via 2,500 ATMs, 10,000 Points of Sale in 28 African Countries
MasterCard, a US-based payment solutions company, recently partnered with EcoBank Transnational Incorporated (EcoBank), a Togo-based bank, to enable Ecobank’s customers to use MasterCard debit, credit and prepaid cards at all of Ecobank’s point-of-sale (PoS) terminals and automated teller machines (ATMs).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC) Loans $5m to KazMicroFinance (KMF) of Kazakhstan for On-Lending to Small Enterprises
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, has announced that it will loan the equivalent of USD 5 million in Kazakh tenge (KZT) to KazMicroFinance Limited Liability Company (KMF), a microfinance institution (MFI) in Kazakhstan.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Call for Applicants for $227k Ashden International Sustainable Energy Awards Open until November 4, 2014
Ashden, a UK-based nonprofit established in 2001 that promotes the use of sustainable energy, has issued a call for applicants for the 2015 Ashden International Awards, which will recognize development programs with a focus on reducing carbon emissions and increasing access to sustainable energy.