by A'kos Szebeni -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Using Subsidies for Inclusive Insurance: Lessons from Agriculture and Health;” by Ruth Vargas Hill, Gissele Gajate-Garrido, Caroline Phily, and Aparna Dalal; Published by International Labour Organization

“Using Subsidies for Inclusive Insurance: Lessons from Agriculture and Health;” by Ruth Vargas Hill, Gissele Gajate-Garrido, Caroline Phily, and Aparna Dalal; published by International Labour Organization; January 2014; 55 pages; available at http://www.microinsurancefacility.org/publications/mp29

This report was published by the Microinsurance Innovation Facility, a nonprofit research institution housed within the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) that promotes the development of insurance products and risk-mitigation markets in developing economies.

by Meraj Husain -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Literature Review on the Impact of Microinsurance,” Published by Microinsurance Innovation Facility

“Literature Review on the Impact of Microinsurance,” published by the Microinsurance Innovation Facility, October 2013, 15 pages, available at http://www.microinsurancefacility.org/publications/rp35

Microinsurance is a financial instrument that provides coverage to help low-income individuals hedge against various risks.

by Tejas Jain -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFX Solutions, Fonds pour l’Inclusion Financière en République Démocratique Congo to Provide Technical Assistance to Banks, Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)

MFX Solutions, a US-based company that provides currency hedging solutions for microfinance institutions (MFIs) and microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs), recently announced that it has entered into a two-year technical assistance partnership with Fonds pour l’inclusion financière en république démocratique Congo, a nonprofit microlending organization in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that is known by its English acronym FPM, in an effort to help financial institutions better manage risks.

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Arab Gulf Program for Development (AGFUND) Partners with Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) to Bring Ibdaa Microfinance Bank to Eighth Country

The Arab Gulf Program for Development (AGFUND), a Saudi Arabia-based development organization, and the Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), a policy- and advocacy-oriented group that represents approximately 35,000 businesses in the Philippines, have signed an agreement to create an iteration of the “Ibdaa Microfinance Bank” (IMB) that is intended to increase financial inclusion of poor people and micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines [1][2].

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Al-Amal Microfinance Bank of Yemen to Receive $4.2m Donation from Saudi Fund for Development

The Al-Amal Microfinance Bank of Yemen has received a donation of USD 4.2 million from the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), the international aid agency of the Saudi government [1].

by Megan McGowan -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Société de Promotion et de Participation pour La Coopération Economique (PROPARCO) Lends $4.1m to Association pour la Cooperation avec la Micro Enterprise (ACME) of Haiti to Boost Microlending

Société de Promotion et de Participation pour La Coopération Economique (PROPARCO), a French public-private development finance institution, reportedly has opened a credit line of HTG 178 million (USD 4.1 million) for Association pour la Cooperation avec la Micro Enterprise (ACME), a Haitian microfinance institution (MFI), to increase its lending portfolio. 

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Releases 2013 Financial Access Survey

The US-based International Monetary Fund, a United Nations institution aiming to foster global cooperation on monetary issues, recently announced the results of its fourth annual Financial Access Survey (FAS), which provides global supply-side data on financial inclusion [1].

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: UN’s Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI) Initiative Launches New Reporting Framework Seeking to Increase Transparency

The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Initiative, the United Nations-backed network of international investors seeking to integrate environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues into their investment strategies, has announced the launch of a new reporting framework for its signatories that is aimed to increase the transparency of their investment activities [1].

by Megan McGowan -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Former JP Morgan Asset Management Chairman Unveils $40m Impact Investment Fund, Charioteer-Fund I, to Support Skill Development, Microenterprises in India

Krishnamurthy Vijayan, the former executive chairman of JP Morgan Asset Management India, a Mumbai-based subsidiary of international investment and commercial bank JP Morgan Chase, reportedly has created Charioteer Fund-I, an INR 2.5 billion (USD 40 million) impact investment fund that will seek to place with investments in 25 ventures.

by Adrija Vaiciulionis -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Indian Government Seeks Parliamentary Approval for $859m in Spending for Women’s Bank; Women’s Safety; Skills Training; Micro-, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs); International Monetary Fund (IMF)

The Indian government reportedly is awaiting the Parliament’s approval to spend an additional INR 54.3 billion (USD 859 million) for several institutions including an additional INR 10 billion (USD 159 million) for each of the following: Nirbhaya Fund, a fund supporting women’s safety in India; National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), which is backed by the Indian Ministry of Finance and provides skill training programs to India’s workforce; and to establish a women’s bank in India.

by Anesa Kratovac -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Central Bank of Liberia Loans $483k to Three Counties in Western Liberia to Promote Financial Inclusion

The Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), the country’s central bank, reportedly has granted loans totaling LRD 38 million (USD 483,000) to 106 financial institutions located in the Liberian counties of Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Gbarpolu in an effort to “empower” rural businesses and increase the financial inclusion of rural people [1].

by Adrija Vaiciulionis -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Luxembourg-based Appui au Developpement Autonome (ADA) Appoints Arnaud Servais Executive Director

Appui au Développement Autonome (ADA), a nonprofit organization based in Luxembourg that supports microfinance institutions with product development, capacity building and information dissemination, has appointed Arnaud Servais to serve as its executive director.

by Adrija Vaiciulionis -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bank of Papua New Guinea, Pacific Financial Inclusion Program, Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion to Extend Financial Inclusion to 1.6m People in Papua New Guinea by 2015

The Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG), the nation’s central bank, the Pacific Financial Inclusion Program (PFIP), a UN-sponsored initiative that provides financial services to poor people, and the Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI), a coordinating entity for financial inclusion strategies in the country, met in August 2013 to discuss extending financial inclusion to 1.6 million unbanked and underbanked Papua New Guineans, of which 50 percent are low income women, by 2015.

by Meghan Gillis -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Fiji’s National Financial Inclusion Taskforce (NFIT), Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF), Pacific Financial Inclusion Program (PFIP) Make Progress Towards 2014 Goal of Financial Inclusion for 150k Unbanked Citizens

Fiji’s National Financial Inclusion Taskforce (NFIT), a committee formed in 2010 by the country’s national bank the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) and the Pacific Financial Inclusion Program (PFIP), a program established with the intent of increasing access to financial services among low-income households in the Pacific Islands, reportedly has reached 87 percent of its goal of extending financial services to 150,000 unbanked citizens in the country by 2014 [1].

by Michael Averell -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: “Financial Diaries Project” Preliminary Readings: Low-Income People in Papua New Guinea Travel Long Distances for Financial Transactions

The “Financial Diaries Project,” an initiative launched in September 2012 by the Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG), the nation’s central banking authority, and the Pacific Financial Inclusion Program (PFIP), a project designed by the United Nations to increase access to financial services for low-income Pacific Islanders, recently released a preliminary report that found that low-income people in Papua New Guinea often travel “unusually long” distances to urban centers to carry out financial transactions [1,2].

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Societe de Promotion et de Participation pour la Cooperation Economique SA (PROPARCO) to Loan $10m to Societe Generale Ghana, Part for Small, Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

Societe de Promotion et de Participation pour la Cooperation Economique SA (PROPARCO), a French public-private development finance institution, reportedly has signed a seven-year USD 10 million loan agreement with Societe Generale (SG) Ghana, a Ghanaian bank that is a subsidiary of the French-owned Groupe Societe Generale, for on-lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as larger corporations.

by Jennifer Young -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: AccessBank of Azerbaijan Receives $60m Syndicated Loan from FMO, OeEb, PROPARCO

Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappijvoor Ontwikkelingslanden NV (FMO), a Dutch development finance institution, recently notified MicroCapital that it has arranged a USD 60 million syndicated loan facility for AccessBank, a for-profit microfinance institution located in Azerbaijan.