This event will promote networking among impact ecosystem actors to facilitate the deployment of capital in Latin America and the Caribbean. On August 27, members of the Colombia-based network Latimpacto will meet for a pre-event dinner. The main event offers sessions titled: (1) The Role of the Multilaterals Acting as
Category: Latin America & Caribbean
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Desjardins Lending $1m from Aequitas Impact Fund to ADIGUA to Expand Microfinance Loans in Guatemala
Through its Aequitas Impact Fund, the Canadian NGO Desjardins International Development recently lent USD 1 million to the nonprofit Asociación para el Desarrollo Integral de Guatemala (ADIGUA). ADIGUA was founded in the city of Sololá, Guatemala, in 2003 to support
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: 60 Decibels Microfinance Index Data from 32 Countries Indicates Higher Confidence Among Group Borrowers, Greatest Debt Burden in Cambodia
This year’s second annual Microfinance Index from US-based impact measurement firm 60 Decibels draws on phone calls to approximately 32,000 users of microfinance services delivered by 115 financial services providers (FSPs) in 32 countries. In general, FSP clients reported higher confidence in dealing with economic shocks than
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Pro Mujer Borrows $2m from Aequitas Impact Fund to Uplift Women-owned Businesses in Nicaragua
The Canadian NGO Desjardins International Development (DID) recently lent USD 2 million from its Aequitas Impact Fund to the Nicaragua-based unit of Pro Mujer, a US-based NGO that supports women and their businesses with health, training,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FSPs in Ecuador to Evaluate Role of Bias in Financial Access for Women-led MSMEs with Support from IDB Invest, RFD
Red de Instituciones Financieras de Desarrollo (RFD), a network of 53 banks, cooperatives and nonprofit financial services providers (FSPs) in Ecuador, recently agreed to partner with IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, to offer RFD members advisory services relating to boosting their financing of female-led micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). RFD will distribute an online survey designed by the IDB Group to address
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Lending $4.9m to Support MSMEs Led by Women in Paraguay Via Ueno App
Oikocredit, a cooperative investor based in the Netherlands, has agreed to loan EUR 4.5 million (USD 4.9 million) for five years to Paraguay-based Financiera Ueno, aiming to promote microenterprises as well
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Ualá App Offers Saving Account Paying 9% Interest in Mexico
Ualá, a financial technology (fintech) firm based in Argentina, recently unveiled a savings account in Mexico that promises a one-year yield of 9 percent. With the annualized inflation rate in Mexico at 6 percent during May,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EIB Loans $214m to Sicredi for Solar Panels for Households, SMEs in Brazil
Banco Cooperativo Sicredi, a Brazil-based financial cooperative owned by its 6.5 million members, recently agreed to borrow EUR 200 million (USD 214 million) from the EU’s European Investment Bank (EIB). Sicredi plans to use the capital to equip houses and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Cubo Raises $3.5m in Debt, Equity to Boost Acceptance of Digital Payments by Microenterprises in Central America
El Salvadoran startup Cubo, in an effort to bring its digital payments solutions to Guatemala, Panama and Costa Rica, recently raised USD 3.5 million in seed financing from investors including IDB Lab, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, and three venture capital firms, Colombia-based Latin Leap, Peru’s Seedstars and India’s Soma Capital. Cubo expects the new funding to allow it to reach about
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroVest Lending $3.4m to Financiera Finexpar for Agriculture, SME Lending in Paraguay
MicroVest, an asset management subsidiary of US-based DAI Global, recently issued a loan of USD 3.4 million to the Paraguay-based microfinance institution (MFI) Financiera Finexpar to support the MFI’s lending activities, specifically the funding of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Fintech Summit Latam; August 31 – September 1, 2023; Mexico City, Mexico
This event will focus on trends and solutions relating to banks and mobile operators providing digital financial services. This can range from becoming a virtual bank to offering a new service, such as
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Ilu Women’s Empowerment Fund Invests $1m in Acceso Financiero for Microfinance in Honduras
The managers of the Ilu Women’s Empowerment Fund recently invested USD 1 million from the fund in the Honduran unit of Mexico-based Acceso Financiero, a microfinance institution (MFI) that provides credit to approximately 40,000 low-income clients in rural El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. The investment, which is in the form of “risk adjusted blended finance capital,” is
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BIM Borrows $20m from IDB Invest for Locfund Next to Support Lenders to MSMEs in Latin America, Caribbean
Locfund Next, a debt fund managed by Bolivia-based BIM Asset Management, recently accepted a 6-year loan of USD 20 million from IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group. The loan is intended to help funders of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to expand their outreach to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Purchases 5% Equity Stake in ProCredit from IFC, Increasing Exposure to SMEs in Europe, Ecuador
The multilateral European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) recently purchased a 5-percent stake in Germany-based ProCredit Holding from the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), along with a
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Lab Accepting Applications from Entrepreneurs in Latin America, Caribbean for WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition, Partner of Google for Startups, Through March 31
WeXchange, a program of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group’s IDB Lab, recently started accepting applications from female entrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean for the WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition. The competition targets women whose businesses
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO Lends $10m to Latin American Agriculture Development Corporation (LAAD) to Boost Green Investment
The Dutch development bank Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) recently lent USD 10 million to the US-based Latin American Agriculture Development Corporation (LAAD), a funder of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that export agricultural products. The loan is intended to support
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Asociación de Cooperativas Argentinas (ACA) Borrows $80m from FMO, FinDev Canada, Rabobank to Boost Exports of Produce from 50,000 Farms in Argentina
Asociación de Cooperativas Argentinas (ACA), a network of 143 agricultural cooperatives in Argentina, recently borrowed USD 80 million from three institutions, led by the Dutch development bank Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO). FMO is lending ACA half of the total, and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Ebanx Acquires Payment Initiator License, Accessing Pix to Simplify E-commerce Purchases in Brazil
Ebanx, a Brazil-based payments company with operations in 15 countries, recently received authorization from the Banco Central de Brasil, Brazil’s central bank, to use the bank’s instant payments platform Pix. This follows Ebanx’s acquisition of a Payment Initiation Service Provider (PISP) license from