The Grameen Credit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, whose head office is in Luxembourg, recently informed MicroCapital that it is disbursing three-year loans of approximately USD 1.5 million each to microfinance institutions Lazika Capital of Georgia and Humo of Tajikistan.
Lazika is a non-banking institution that provides financial services to individuals with low and middle incomes for purposes including trade, agriculture and consumption. Its growth is focused on
The Grameen Credit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, whose head office is in Luxembourg, recently informed MicroCapital that it is extending three-year, local-currency loans equivalent to USD 2.5 million to Agence de Crédit pour l’Entreprise Privée (ACEP) au Cameroun and USD 1.2 million to Musoni Kenya.
ACEP Cameroun was founded in 1999 with support from
Grameen America, a US-based NGO founded by Muhammad Yunus, recently raised an undisclosed sum via a Social Business Fund for on-lending to women with low-incomes in regions of the US that are underserved by traditional financial institutions. Investors in the fund receive
The Whole Planet Foundation, an affiliate of US-based grocer Whole Foods Market, announced it has secured donations of USD 2.2 million (as of March 17) towards its goal of raising USD 3.2 million by the end of March 2017 to grant for microlending through
Event Name: Small Enterprise Education and Promotion (SEEP) Network Annual Conference
Event Dates: September 19-21, 2016
Two US-based nonprofits, the microfinance-oriented Grameen Foundation and the behavioral design firm ideas42 recently launched a partnership to support financial inclusion in the Philippines by implementing a combination of behavioral science principles and digital financial services provided through mobile phones.
Grameen Capital India, a Mumbai-based social business, recently raised fresh investment funds to provide debt finance for social enterprises in India from new investors including Ratan Tata, the former chairman of the India-based conglomerate Tata Group; Shrinivas Dempo, the chairman of Indian mining company Dempo Group; and Indian investment banker Vikram Gandhi. This is in addition to additional funds sourced from existing investors, the US-based nonprofit organization Grameen Foundation and two individual Indian investors, Amit Patni and Arihant Patni [1].
The Grameen Bank, a microfinance institution in Bangladesh, is being run by government-appointed board members as of February 2015.
JD.com Incorporated, a direct sales e-commerce company in China with annual sales totalling RMB 29 billion (USD 11 billion) [1], recently entered into a collaboration with Grameen China, which operates under Grameen Trust, the nonprofit arm of Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank. [2]
Gate Global Impact (GGI), a US-based, regulatory-compliant electronic marketplace that focuses on impact investing, has been acquired by Investview, another US-based financial services company [1].
The Grameen Foundation, a US-based nonprofit organization; MicroEnsure, a UK-based, for-profit microinsurance company founded by US-based NGO Opportunity International; Penda Health, a Kenya-based, for-profit chain of medical centers; and Clifford Chance, a UK-based international law firm, recently announced that they have launched an initiative called the “Uzima Project” in Kenya with the aim of providing “low-cost“ health insurance.
The United Nations (UN) Global Compact, an initiative to encourage businesses to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and Gate Global Impact (GGI), a US-based regulatory-compliant electronic marketplace that focuses on impact investing, have launched Gateway 2.0, a website enabling small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) listed on the UN Global Compact Social Enterprise Hub to access financing for sustainable and “socially responsible” projects [1].
The Ugandan subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, an Indian telecommunications services provider with operations in 150 countries; Grameen Foundation, a US-based nonprofit organization; and the Ugandan arm of Plan International, a UK-based child rights and anti-poverty nonprofit that operates in 48 countries, have entered into a partnership to launch a mobile money platform that is intended to serve savings groups in Uganda.
Gate Global Impact and RocketHub, US-based organizations that “crowdfund” small amounts of money online from large numbers of people, have developed partnerships with the United Nations Global Compact, a policy initiative aligning businesses committed to operating in accordance with UN human rights standards, and the US State Department, which manages the United States’ international relations and policy.
The Grameen Foundation, a US-based nonprofit organization, recently announced that it is anticipating donations to its Last Mile Initiative totaling USD 1 million after receiving a USD 500,000 donation from David and Susan Russell, which must be matched with an equal amount of funds from other sources.
The Student Microfinance Movement, a US-based network of student organizations, through a partnership with US-based financial institution Citi and US-based nonprofit organizations AboutMicrofinance and Kiva U, is accepting entries for its student microfinance essay and video competitions, which are aimed at raising awareness of the impact of microfinance on poverty and gender inequality.
The Global Systems for Mobile Association (GSMA), a London-based association of 1,000 mobile operators and associated companies, recently announced that its mWomen programme has awarded the Grameen Foundation, a US-based nonprofit organization, its Innovation Fund grant of an undisclosed amount.
Futuregrowth Asset Management, a South-Africa based investment company, recently announced that it will curtail its investments in microlenders that advance “unsecure” loans without collateral, which allegedly often results in borrowers receiving loans that they are unable to repay [1].