The Financial Times today released a special report on sustainable banking that can be downloaded free of charge. The report website highlights the following articles that appear in the report:
A new player to India’s microfinance space, Chennai-based Equitas has announced it will enlist the assistance of private equity firms to secure the organization’s second round of funding. Equitas hopes to raise USD 12.5 million from two private equity firms over a two-month period to establish additional branch offices in India’s southern region.
Source: The Daily Star (Bangladesh).
This document was produced by the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) with contributing editors Catarina Fonseca, Marieke Adank, Deirdre Casella and Martine Jeths, in cooperation with the International Water and Sanitation Center (IRC) and contributing editors Peter van der Linde and Bianca Dijkshoorn. Originally published in October 2007, this 33-page document is available here.
This paper was published as an introduction to the use of microfinance services in developing sustainable infrastructure to provide drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services to poor communities in developing countries. Water supply and sanitation activities are not traditionally targeted by microfinance institutions because they are not seen as income-generating businesses. Recently, more and more microfinance institutions argue that sustainable businesses can be established in water supply and sanitation projects.
Source: Forbes.
EFFECTIVE FINANCIAL SERVICES TO ADDRESS THE YOUTH BULGE
MAY 29, 2008, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
Women Advancing Microfinance New York (WAM-NY) is hosting a discussion on youth microfinance with Annie Bertrand, World Youth Initiative Advisor at Mercy Corps. In collaboration with the World Bank, Mercy Corps is working with its 12 affiliated microfinance institutions to identify best practices and key success factors which can be replicated at scale. Annie will share preliminary findings and open the discussion for questions and ideas.
The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) reports in its list of recent transactions that AfriCap Microfinance Fund (AfriCap) made a USD 1.1 million equity investment in the newly established Société de Financement de la Petite Entreprise (SOFIPE), a microfinance institution (MFI) in Burkina Faso, on March 1st, 2008.
Source: PR Newswire.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Muhammad Yunus, the founder of pioneering microfinance institution (MFI) Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, says that the bank is seeing a sharp increase in problems associated with the repayment of debts by poor borrowers as a result of rising food prices.
Source: BlueOrchard Finance.
Source: ACCION International.
The Dutch Bank ING published its updated 2008 study on commercial bank microfinance activity, called “A Billion to Gain? The Next Phase”. A MicroCapital summary of the paper can be read here. MicroCapital is reviewing the microfinance activities of several of large international banks covered in the study, such as Deutsche Bank (DB).
Source: NextBillion.net.
Source: Microfinance Insights.
Source: International Development Law Organization (IDLO).
Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment firm begun by the founder of eBay, has announced a three-year grant of USD 9 million in Unitus, a Seattle-based non-profit that facilitates access to capital and consulting services to high-potential microfinance institutions (MFIs).
The Dutch Bank ING published its updated 2008 study on commercial bank microfinance activity, called “A Billion to Gain? The Next Phase”. A MicroCapital summary of the paper can be read here. MicroCapital is reviewing the microfinance activities of several of large international banks covered in the study, such as Citigroup (Citi).
Source: Unitus.