Goodwell West Africa, a branch of Goodwell Investments of the Netherlands, has invested an undisclosed amount in Paga’s mobile money service with approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Search Results for: india
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Could Guarantees from Wealthy Individuals Get Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) Through Rough Patch?
Good Magazine, a US-based media platform that reports on social causes, recently argued that guarantees offered by wealthy individuals to microlenders could assist microfinance institutions (MFIs) in accessing funding during a difficult time for the industry, following claims of “loansharking” by some Indian microlenders.
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Reaching the Poorest: Lessons from the Graduation Model, by Syed M Hashemi, Aude de Montesquiou; Published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor)
By Syed M Hashemi and Aude de Montesquiou; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), March 2011, 16 pages; available at: http://www.microfinancegateway.org/gm/document-1.9.50806/Reaching_the_Poorest.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) Microfinance Blog Examines Role of Transparency in Strengthening the Microfinance Sector
A recent article on the CGAP Microfinance Blog, which is operated by US-based think tank CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), examines the outcome of a discussion on information initiatives in strengthening the microfinance industry that was recently held by CGAP and the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), a US-based nonprofit. At the event, which was held in Nepal, representatives of microfinance organizations from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal discussed the following efforts: 1)Annual state of the sector reports such as the Pakistan Microfinance Network’s (PMN’s) Pakistan Microfinance Review, ACCESS Development’s India: A State of the Sector Report, and rating agency M-CRIL’s Microfinance Analytics Report ; 2)Access mapping such as Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan’s (MISFA’s) monthly performance reports, PMN’s Micro WATCH in Pakistan and Sa-Dhan’s Microfinance Map of India; and 3)Interest rate transparency such as the report on India from US-based nonprofit MFTransparency.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mr Ganesh Sankaran of HDFC Bank Asks, “Can Microfinance Attain Industry Status?”
Mr Ganesh Sankaran, executive vice president of India’s HDFC Bank, argues in a recent article on the Hindu Business Line website that the microfinance industry has reached a bifurcation point wherein its stakeholders must navigate it towards achieving either commercial sustainability or poverty alleviation.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bangladesh Probe Clears Dr Yunus of Misappropriation of Norwegian Aid Money
A recent probe by the government of Bangladesh has cleared Dr Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, of misusing Norwegian aid money. The Norwegian government previously cleared Dr Yunus of any allegations of mishandling funds following the release of a Norwegian documentary in 2010 that accused Dr Yunus of diverting approximately USD 96 million of aid money from Grameen Bank to Grameen Kalyan, a sister company of Grameen Bank that offers affordable health insurance to Grameen members.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFTransparency Updates Pricing Data for Cambodia’s Microfinance Industry
MFTransparency, a US-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) that provides information on credit products and pricing, has published updated pricing data for Cambodia. The updated data builds on the original data published in 2009 as part of its collection of international microloan product pricing data.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroInsurance Centre Launches Microinsurance Learning and Knowledge (MILK) Project with $2m Grant from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The MicroInsurance Centre, a for-profit initiative of the MicroSave technical assistance company, recently announced the launch of the Microinsurance Learning and Knowledge (MILK) Project, supported by a USD 2 million grant from the US-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroSave Launches Social Performance Management (SPM) Toolkit for Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)
MicroSave, a private consulting company that provides technical assistance to microfinance institutions (MFIs), recently launched its social performance management (SPM) toolkit to assist MFIs and their stakeholders in determining how closely an MFI’s operations are aligned with its social objectives.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) Explores Savings On Microfinance Blog
CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), an independent policy and research center housed at the World Bank Group, recently launched a series on its microfinance blog to promote discussions of savings services for poor people.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: NEW DATES Triple Bottom Line Investments (TBLI) Hosts TBLI Conference Asia 2011 in Tokyo, Japan, September 15 to 16
Event Name: Triple Bottom Line Investments (TBLI) Conference Asia 2011
Event Date: September 15 – September 16, 2011
Event Location: Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo, Chinzan-so, Tokyo, Japan
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN) Ghana, Hollard Insurance, Mobile Financial Services (MFS) Africa, MicroEnsure Pilot “mi-Life” Mobile Money Insurance Product in Ghana
Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN) Ghana, a division of the multinational MTN telecommunications group of South Africa, recently partnered with Hollard Insurance, a private insurance provider based in South Africa; Mobile Financial Services (MFS) Africa, a mobile payments organization based in South Africa; and MicroEnsure, a UK-based insurance intermediary owned by US-based nonprofit Opportunity International, to pilot a life insurance product called mi-Life [1] [2].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Public-Sector Bank, Andhra Pradesh State Government May Launch Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) to Extend Microcredit to the Poor
An unnamed public-sector bank in India is reportedly looking to start a non-banking financial company (NBFC) that will disburse microloans to the poor, with the Indian central government, the government of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) as equity investors.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: PlaNet Guarantee, Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF) to Launch Index Insurance Platform in West Africa
PlaNet Guarantee, a member of the France-based PlaNet Finance Group, and the Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF), a program of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), have joined to launch a regional platform for index insurance in West Africa. The objective of the project is “to develop agricultural insurance systems in West African countries including Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso” [1]. PlaNet Finance Group reports that this will be done by developing indexes, designing insurance products, providing underwriting, making links between distribution channels and insurers, training farmers and disseminating information to partners [1]. The platform will be based in Senegal with satellite branches in the other two countries.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: LeapFrog Makes $13.5m Equity Investment in Apollo Investments for Microinsurance in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania
Leapfrog Investments, a private equity fund that supports microinsurance initiatives, recently made a USD 13.5 million equity investment in Apollo Investments Limited, an insurance company that operates in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, to improve access to microinsurance for low-income individuals.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Goodwell Investments Expands Beyond Microfinance to Include SME Finance, Health, Renewable Energy
Goodwell Investments, a business development company based in the Netherlands, has announced that it will expand the scope of its impact investing services from a focus on microfinance to include small and medium-sized enterprise finance, water & sanitation, health care and renewable energy [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: TransferTo Partners with Vodafone Fiji, LG U+, Bharti Airtel Lanka to Launch Service Facilitating Cross-Border Mobile Money Transfers
TransferTo, a Singapore-based company that operates a global airtime transfer network, has signed agreements with three telecommunication service providers in the Asia-Pacific region targeted at customers living abroad who wish to send wireless recharge in real-time to relatives located in their home countries.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Representatives of Cambridge, Care, Center for Global Development, SKS Microfinance Discuss “Does Microfinance Help People Escape Poverty?”
Associate director Ms Madeleine Bunting of British newspaper The Guardian recently facilitated a discussion to address the question of whether microfinance helps reduce poverty with Mr Ha-Joon Chang, Cambridge University economist; Mr Ajaz Khan, microfinance advisor for Swiss nonprofit organization Care International; Mr David Roodman, senior fellow at US-based, nonprofit think tank Center for Global Development; and Mr Vikram Akula, chairperson and founder of Indian microfinance institution (MFI) SKS Microfinance [1].