responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund Loans $750,000 to Microfinance Institution (MFI) Fundacion Nieborowski in Nicaragua

responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund loaned $750,000 to Fundacion Jose Nieborowski, a non-profit established in 1993 to promote development in the province of Boaca, Nicarauga. Fundacion Nieborowski reported a gross loan portfolio of $15.6 million, total assets of $17.7 million, total equity of $4 million, return on assets of 4.21%, and return on equity of 19.4% to the MIX Market. MicroCapital recently reported on the $1 million syndicated loan it received from the Triodos-Doen fudn.

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Impulse Microfinance Investment Fund Loans 1 Million Euros to Prizma in Bosnia & Herzegovina

Microfinance Institution (MFI) Prizma received a EUR 1 million (USD $1.02 million) loan from Impulse Microfinance Investment Fund. Prizma is a non-bank financial institution established in 1997, with 5 branch offices and 35 satellite offices across Bosnia & Herzegovina. It reports an outstanding loan portfolio of 20.96 million km (USD $13.57 million), with an average loan balance of $731. It recently received loans totaling EUR 1 million from the Triodos-Doen fund.

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Alter Modus of Serbia & Montenegro Accepts an Additional $384,150 in Microfinance Investment from Triodos-Doen

Alter Modus, an NGO based in Serbia & Montenegro, recently received a loan from the Triodos-Doen Foundation for EUR 300,000, or US$384,150. This is in addition to a loan worth $244,800 issued earlier this year. (See Microcapital Blog 3/3/06).

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Triodos Family of Funds Keeps Pace in First Quarter with New Investments in Prizma, Bandari Sacco, AMRET, and Acleda Bank Totaling Over US$5 Million

Dutch Bank, Triodos, has long sponsored socially-responsible investment funds with a particular tilt towards microfinance. The Hivos-Triodos Fund Foundation is a joint initiative between the Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation and Triodos Bank. It uses special savings accounts to fund microfinance investments and fair trade producers. The fund had EUR 24 million in assets at the end of 2005.

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FINCA Microfinance Institutions in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Armenia Growing Rapidly on the Heels of New Investments

MicroCapital recently reported on a US$750,000 debt investment made by the Triodos-Doen Fund in FINCA Mexico, but recent financial reports from Eastern European and Central Asian FINCA organizations show that the growth of these microfinance institutions is by no means limited by geography. FINCA, which stands for the Foundation for International Community Assistance, is a global network of microfinance institutions that leverage the “Village Banking” methodology, a microfinance program that encourages community responsibility for financial services.
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AfriCap Microcredit Fund Makes Equity Microfinance Investment Worth Over $600,000 in Micro-lender Socremo in Mozambique

Micro-lender Socremo, Mozambique, has sold shares worth $620,000 to AfriCap Microfinance Fund (AfriCap). Socremo, established in 1998, is one of the largest microfinance providers in Mozambique with a gross loan portfolio of $4.2 million, total assets of $5.4 million, close to 6,000 borrowers, and 420 active savers, as reported in December, 2004. Socremo also reported total equity at $1.9 million, return on assets (ROA) as 1.8%, return on equity (ROE) as 5.0%, a debt to equity ratio of 185%, and a 10% profit margin at the end of 2004.

AfriCap, which was incorporated in Mauritius in 2001, with an operational base in Dakar, Senegal, is a $15 million equity investment fund dedicated to the microfinance industry in Africa. The fund is designed to provide venture capital and active governance to a select number of emerging African microfinance institutions (MFIs) that are committed to commercial viability. As of July 2004, AfriCap reported total fund assets of $13.3 million and funds allocated to microfinance investments of $3.2 million. Additional Resources1) “AfriCap Microfinance Fund

2) MIX Market: “AfriCap.”

3) Microcapital Blog, Dutch Triodos Family of Funds (Triodos-Doen, Triodos Private Fair Share, Hivos-Triodos) Makes Microfinance Investments Worth Over $6.7 Million in Loans to Seven Microcredit Institutions Worldwide, December 9, 2005

4) MIX Market: “SOCREMO – Banco de Microfinan̤as de Mo̤ambique.”

Mexican Microfinance Investment Bank Compartamos Will Sell Shares at $0.42 Each, for a Total of $15.25 Million.

Compartamos was founded in 1990 to provide microfinance services to the Mexican population as employment generated by microenterprises outpaced job growth in the formal economy. It became “fully functional and self-sufficient in 1997,” and is now a Non Banking Financial Institution (Sociedad Financiera de Objeto Limitado). Compartamos is a member of the ACCION International and Microfinance Networks. Investors include the Accion Gateway Fund, the International Finance Corporation, Oikocredit, ProFund International, S.A., the Triodos Fair Share Fund and the Triodos-Doen Foundation. Annual figures last updated December 31st, 2004 on the MIX Market, an information clearinghouse for microfinance recognized as the standard by MicroCapital, stated Total Assets of $125,140,019, and a Gross Loan Portfolio of $101,023,790 distributed among of 309,637 Active Borrowers. Compartamos does not offer savings accounts. For the same 2003-2004 period the company posted a Debt / Equity Ratio of 154.63%, an ROA of 18.2% and Profit Margins of 40.44%. Further details about the deal are not publicly available.

Microfinance Investment Funds Ranked by Size and Microcredit Allocation

FUND NAME Ranked by $ Size of Fund

SIZE OF FUND $USD

FUNDS ALLOCATED TO MICROFINANCE $USD

ROI

1. Oikocredit World Partnership Investments

304,662,000

80,764,000

2%

2. ProCredit Holding Aktiengesellschaft

110,918,700

89,181,767

5-6.5%

3. Calvert Community Investment Notes

80,000,000

20,000,000

3%

4. Dexia Microcredit Fund

51,669,512

46,334,570

5.5-7.5%

5. Blue Orchard Microfinance Securities

40,069,833

38,000,000

4.55-8.8%

6. ASN-Novib Fonds

28,421,190

9,473,730

1.20%

7. AXA World Funds

23,073,410

1,481,556

5.10%

8. MicroVest I, LP: Equity

not available

not available

7-9%

9. MicrovestI, LP: Subordinated Debt

not available

not available

4.5-6%

10. mPower Investment Program

not available

not available

0-3%

11. Impulse Microfinance Investment Fund

15,413,875

15,413,875

4%

12 Triodos Fair Share Fund

14,583,596

6,983,086

2-4%

13. Accion Investments in Microfinance

12,969,985

12,512,329

8-10%

14. responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund

11,449,977

11,449,977

3.56%

15. ALTERFIN

11,084,244

3,628,790

6%

16. Partners for the Common Good

7,095,500

300,000

3%

17. Latin American Bridge Fund

5,340,505

1,450,000

0-2.875%

18. CRESUD

2,483,480

1,490,088

2.75%

19. Global Bridge Fund

1,691,000

not available

0-2.875%

Microfinance Investment Funds Ranked by Microcredit Allocation

FUND NAME

SIZE OF FUND $USD

FUNDS ALLOCATED TO MICROFINANCE $USD

ROI

1. ProCredit Holding Aktiengesellschaft

110,918,700

89,181,767

5-6.5%

2. Oikocredit World Partnership Investments

304,662,000

80,764,000

2%

3. Dexia Microcredit Fund

51,669,512

46,334,570

5.5-7.5%

4. Blue Orchard Microfinance Securities

40,069,833

38,000,000

4.55-8.8%

5. Calvert Community Investment Notes

80,000,000

20,000,000

3%

6. Impulse Microfinance Investment Fund

15,413,875

15,413,875

4%

7. Accion Investments in Microfinance

12,969,985

12,512,329

8-10%

8. responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund

11,449,977

11,449,977

3.56%

9. ASN-Novib Fonds

28,421,190

9,473,730

1.20%

10. Triodos Fair Share Fund

14,583,596

6,983,086

2-4%

11. ALTERFIN

11,084,244

3,628,790

6%

12. CRESUD

2,483,480

1,490,088

2.75%

13. AXA World Funds

23,073,410

1,481,556

5.10%

14. Latin American Bridge Fund

5,340,505

1,450,000

0-2.875%

15. Partners for the Common Good

7,095,500

300,000

3%

16. Global Bridge Fund

1,691,000

not available

0-2.875%

17. MicroVest I, LP: Equity

not available

not available

7-9%

18. Microvest I, LP: Subordinated Debt

not available

not available

4.5-6%

19. mPower Investment Program

not available

not available

0-3%

$4.5 Million Microfinance Investment into Azerbaijan Micro Finance Bank Helps Establish Credit Line

The Azerbaijan Micro Finance Bank (AMFB) recently received a $3 million loan from the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank and a $1.5 million loan from the Triodos-Doen Foundation to be used as credit lines for small businesses. Established in 2002 by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, and German LFS Financial Systems GmbH, AMFB provides financial services to micro and small business within the country. The bank’s typical microloans are between $400 and $10,000 for a maximum of 9 months. In June 2005, the Azerbaijan Microfinance Association reported that AMFB had a total loan portfolio of more than $11.4 million. It is the only one of the 45 commercial banks in Azerbaijan that focuses on microfinance services.

AMFB’s investor, the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, is an “international financial institution” created in 1998 by the governments of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Russia, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine. In 2003, the bank had $1.325 billion in capital, and since its inception, has invested over $430 million in public and private enterprises in its member countries.

Another AMFB investor, The Triodos-Doen Foundation, founded by Dutch Triodos Bank and the Doen Foundation in 1994, provides loans ranging from $200,000 to $1 million for a maximum of five years to microfinance institutions (MFIs). The terms offered to MFIs are “Libor plus full cost plus full risk” and the “interest rate must be sufficient to cover potential devaluation against the Euro plus to cover costs of 8%.” The fund’s total assets stand at $34.822 million; $30.643 million of which has been allocated to microfinance investment.

Additional Resources

1) Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP): “Microfinance Capital Markets Update” is the best source for monthly updates on debt and equity deals in microfinance.
2)
“Social and Economic Background of Azerbaijan.”
3) “Micro Finance Bank of Azerbaijan: Overview.”
4) “Micro Finance Bank of Azerbaijan: Mission.”
5) “Qualisteam: Black Sea Trade and Development Bank.”
6) Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) Press Release: “Black Sea Trade and Development Bank.”
7) MIX Market: “Triodos-Doen Foundation: Fund Instruments.”
8) MIX Market: “Triodos-Doen Foundation: Fund Description.”
9) “Black Sea Trade and Development Bank: A New Financial Player in the Balkans.”
10) “Microfinance in Azerbaijan.”

Indian Microfinance at Long Last Attracting the Attention of Venture Capitalists

India, one of the most developed microfinance markets in the world, may have finally received long-awaited recognition. Venture capital has come to Indian microfinance, supporting the commercialization of the industry by providing much-needed capital. The joint venture is led by the American investment company Gray Ghost and the Dutch Hivos-Triodos Fund. To skirt India’s notorious red tape, the partners transformed an existing Indian microfinance institution into Bellwether, intended to be a source of financing for India’s most innovative microfinance institutions. The fund is capitalized at $10 million, and will address small and medium-sized institutions, which are considered less able to attract finance from the regular financial sector, relative to larger microfinance institutions.The mission of the fund is to promote the commercialization of microfinance through targeted investments and will seek out microfinance institutions that are or want to be commercially sustainable. A board and committee to advise on investments will together institutionalize Bellwether’s involvement with the chosen microfinance institutions. As the CEO of an upcoming microfinance institution spends more than 60% of his or her time fundraising, such an influx of funds will no doubt improve the availability and quality of microfinance services.

Additional Resources

1) Main article discussed in entry, Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX): "Hivos-Triodos Fund Starts the First Venture Capital Fund in India."
2)
Bellwether Microfinance Fund

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: “Principles for Investors in Inclusive Finance” (PIIF) Created as Separate Work Stream Within United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI); CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) Standards Observed

The Principles for Investors in Inclusive Finance (PIIF) initiative has been created as a separate work stream housed within the United Nations’ (UN) Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), a set of principles devised in 2005 by 20 institutional investors to encourage investors to incorporate environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues into their internal policies and investment strategies. (As of February 2011, UNPRI has 876 signatory investors). PIIF provides a framework for responsible investment focusing on providing access to finance to poor and vulnerable populations. The seven principles of PIIF and its charter signatories are listed in the February 2011 MicroCapital.org story announcing the launch of the initiative: https://www.microcapital.org/microcapital-special-report-%E2%80%9Cprinciples-for-investors-in-inclusive-finance%E2%80%9D-launched-at-responsible-finance-forum-in-the-hague-netherlands/ [2].

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Netherlands’ FMO Arranges $68m Syndicated Loan for Lebanon’s LGB Bank, with Participation from OFID, OeEB

The Netherlands Development Finance Company, a government-backed institution also known by its Dutch acronym FMO, recently arranged a syndicated loan in the amount of USD 67.5 million for the Beirut-based Lebanon and Gulf Bank (LGB Bank) to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Lebanon. The

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Netherlands’ FMO Buys $50m Bond from Turkey’s Sekerbank to Support 4k Rural SMEs

The Netherlands Development Finance Company, a government-backed institution also known by its Dutch acronym FMO, recently agreed to fund a private bond placement by Turkey’s Sekerbank in the amount of TRY 192 million

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Netherlands’ FMO Lending $5m to Kashf Foundation of Pakistan to Support Women Microentrepreneurs

The Netherlands Development Finance Company, a government-backed institution also known by its Dutch acronym FMO, recently announced it will lend USD 5 million to the Pakistan-based Kashf Foundation in order to support

SPECIAL REPORT: Accelerating Financial Inclusion in the Mekong through Collaboration

AtBanking With the Poor Network the 2016 Mekong Financial Inclusion Forum, MFIs and funders led this session’s discussion of collaboration. Kelly Hattel, Financial Sector Specialist for the Asian Development Bank, underscored “the importance of having national strategies for financial inclusion and having them be evidence-based. These are important…both as a donor individually and for

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO, Bladex Co-Arrange $100m Loan for Banco Continental Paraguay, including $47m for On-Lending to Small, Medium-Sized Enterprises

Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Dutch development bank, recently announced that it has closed a USD 100 million syndicated A/B loan for Banco Continental SAECA, a commercial bank operating in Paraguay.