by Courtney Snelling -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) Hosts Virtual Conference “Financial Inclusion: What Really Works for Clients”, April 25 and 26, 2012

Event Name: Financial Inclusion: What Really Works for Clients

Event Date: April 25, 2012, 10:00 GMT (in French) and 4:30 GMT (in English); April 26, 2012, 4:00 GMT (in English) and 10:00 GMT (in English)

Event Location: Online

by Amira Berrada -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Draft Law Would Cut Subsidies, Cap Interest Rates in Sri Lanka, Establish Microfinance Regulatory Authority

The Sri Lankan government recently released a new draft law to regulate microfinance, which would establish a Microfinance Regulatory and Supervisory Authority (MRSA) run by a five-person board of directors.

by Amira Berrada -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Chris Dunford of Freedom from Hunger Launches “The Evidence Project” Blog to Examine Impact of Microfinance

Freedom from Hunger, US-based NGO focused on alleviating hunger and poverty, has recently announced the start of a new blog intended to address the impact that microfinance has on poor people around the world.

by Natalie Baer -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: MIX Snapshot of Microfinance in Asia, How Social Entrepreneurs Spread Innovation, Impact of Thai Million Baht Village Fund

“2011 Asia Regional Snapshot;” published by the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX); March 2012; 19 pages; available at:
http://www.themix.org/publications/mix-microfinance-world/2012/03/2011-asia-regional-snapshot

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Freedom from Hunger, Oikocredit to Implement Health Protection Through Microfinance Institutions in Ecuador, Peru

Freedom from Hunger, a US-based non-governmental organization that aims to alleviate poverty, and Oikocredit, a Dutch cooperative investment fund, plan to partner with six microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the Andes mountains of Ecuador and Peru to implement Freedom from Hunger’s microfinance and health protection model.

by Courtney Snelling -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Sixth Annual University of Pennsylvania Microfinance Conference, “Microfinance 2.0: An Agenda for Revival”, March 24, 2012, Philadelphia, USA

Event Name: Sixth Annual Penn Microfinance Conference “Microfinance 2.0: An Agenda for Revival”

Event Date: March 24, 2012

Event Location: Jon M Huntsman Hall, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 3730 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

by Courtney Snelling -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ING Bank: Global Microfinance Market Expected to Grow 4% to Reach $81b in 2012

According to a March 2012 report, “A Billion to Gain: Dutch Contributions to the Microfinance Sector”, by the economic desk of Dutch ING Bank, the global microfinance market is expected to grow by four percent in 2012 reaching a total equivalent to USD 80.5 billion.

by Brendan Millan -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MasterCard to Launch Mobile Phone-based Financial Services Worldwide

US-based financial services corporation MasterCard International reportedly plans to launch the MasterCard Mobile Money Partnership Program worldwide “to give consumers who lack access to traditional financial services the ability to purchase goods and services using mobile phones” and allowing them to “transfer funds and pay bills.”

by Amira Berrada -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Electronic Network Cash Tellers (ENCASH) Raises $2.56m from Funds Managed by Incofin, responsAbility to Deploy ATMs in the Philippines

Rural Impulse Funds II SA and responsAbility Ventures I, funds managed by Belgium’s Incofin Investment Management and Switzerland’s responsAbility Social Investments AG, respectively, recently infused a total of USD 2.56 million in equity capital into Electronic Network Cash Tellers Incorporated (ENCASH), a Philippines-based automatic teller machine (ATM) distributor [1].

by Kristha Abores -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Cracking the Nut 2012: Attracting Private Sector Investment to Rural and Agricultural Markets, Washington, DC, United States, June 25-26, 2012

Event Name: Cracking the Nut 2012: Attracting Private Sector Investment to Rural and Agricultural Markets

Event Date: June 25 – June 26, 2012

Event Location: Enrique V Iglesias Conference Center, Washington, DC, United States

by Courtney Snelling -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Singapore Totalisator Board, POSBank, Social Enterprise Hub Launch $4m MicroCredit Business Scheme (MCBS)

With seed capital of SGD 5 million (USD 3.96 million) from the Singapore Totalisator Board, a quasi-governmental gaming commission also known as the Tote Board, POSBank (POSB), a commercial bank in Singapore, and Social Enterprise Hub, an incubator of social enterprises in Singapore, have launched the MicroCredit Business Scheme (MCBS) to provide loans to citizens of Singapore with annual incomes lower than SGD 30,000 (USD 23,800).

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroEnsure Ghana to Launch Credit Health Insurance for Microfinance Clients

The Ghanaian branch of MicroEnsure, a UK-based subsidiary of nonprofit Opportunity International that serves as a microinsurance intermediary, has announced plans to offer credit health insurance to microfinance clients in Ghana.

by Courtney Snelling -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: SKS Microfinance Founder Vikram Akula Says “Yunus Was Right” About Dangers of Private Investment to Microborrowers

Vikram Akula, the founder of Indian for-profit microfinance institution (MFI) SKS Microfinance Limited, reportedly acknowledged that Dr Muhammad Yunus was “right” about the challenges of “bringing private capital into social enterprise.”

by Natalie Baer -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Foundation Spins Off Mifos Microfinance Institution Software to Open Source Community

Mifos is a software package used to manage the data of microfinance institutions. The software is “open-source” meaning that it is free of charge and can be edited to meet local needs.