MICROFINANCE PUBLICATON ROUND-UP: The Business Case for Life Microinsurance in the Philippines, MIX Map of Financial Inclusion in India, 2012 Sub-Saharan Africa Snapshot

“The Business Case for Life Microinsurance in the Philippines: Initial Findings;” by Richard Koven, Michael J. McCord, John Wipf and Emily Zimmerman; published by the MicroInsurance Centre; October 2012; 9 pages; available at:
http://www.microinsurancecentre.org/milk-project/milk-docs/doc_details/890-milk-brief-14-the-business-case-for-life-microinsurance-in-the-philippines-initial-findings.html

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “2012 Asia Regional Snapshot”; by Amar Samarapally; published by Microfinance Information Exchange

By Amar Samarapally, published by Microfinance Information Exchange, February 2013, 19 pages, available at: http://www.themix.org/publications/mix-microfinance-world/2013/01/2012-eastern-europe-and-central-asia-regional-snapshot

This Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) report reviews the performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) during 2011 in two of the six world regions designated by MIX: East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) and South Asia.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: SKS Microfinance May Challenge Andhra Pradesh Ruling in Supreme Court

In response to the February 2013 ruling from the High Court of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh that upheld the Andhra Pradesh Microfinance Institution Act, 2010, SKS Microfinance, an Indian for-profit microfinance institution, and other unspecified microlenders reportedly may challenge the decision in the Country’s Supreme Court.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) May Consider Raising Margin Cap on Microloans if MFIs Relinquish Priority-Sector Status

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country’s central bank, reportedly has refused to remove the 26-percent interest rate cap on loans disbursed by microfinance institutions (MFIs) or to alter margin caps for individual loans to borrowers, despite opposition from within the sector.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microlenders Affiliated with India’s Microfinance Institutions Network Boost Loan Disbursals by 22%, Gross Loan Portfolio by 9.2% from Previous Quarter

According to the Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), an association of Indian microfinance institutions (MFIs), 41 of its 47 member MFIs disbursed loans totaling INR 61.9 billion (USD 1.1 billion) in the October-December quarter of 2012, an increase of approximately 22 percent from the INR 50.9 billion (USD 926 million) during the previous quarter.

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Microinsurance Product Development for Microinsurance Providers;” by Michael J. McCord; published by Microfinance Centre, Microinsurance Centre, International Fund for Agricultural Development

By Michael J. McCord; published by the Microfinance Centre for Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States, the Microinsurance Centre and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); 2012; 124 pages; available at: http://www.ifad.org/ruralfinance/wrmf/manual.pdf

In this manual, Mr. McCord proposes a “systematic new-product development process” for the microinsurance market.

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “2012 Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Snapshot”; by Ralitsa Sapundzhieva and Agharazi Babayev; published by Microfinance Information Exchange

By Ralitsa Sapundzhieva and Agharazi Babayev, published by Microfinance Information Exchange, January 2013, 27 pages, available at: http://www.themix.org/publications/mix-microfinance-world/2013/01/2012-eastern-europe-and-central-asia-regional-snapshot

This Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) report reviews the performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA).

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Banking on Change Partnership for Financial Inclusion in Africa; Findings on Financial Inclusion in Nigeria; Snapshot of Microfinance in Latin America and the Caribbean

Banking on Change: Breaking the Barriers to Financial Inclusion;” published by Plan UK, Barclays and Care International UK; January 2013; 28 pages; available at: http://www.careinternational.org.uk/research-centre/microfinance/251-banking-on-change-breaking-barriers-to-financial-inclusion

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: High Court of Indian State of Andhra Pradesh Upholds Microfinance State Law, Rejecting Microlenders’ Petitions

The High Court of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh reportedly ruled to uphold the Andhra Pradesh Microfinance Institutions (Regulation of Money Lending) Act, 2010, despite petitions brought by Indian microlender SKS Microfinance and other microfinance institutions (MFIs) seeking to have the law repealed.

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Microfinance in Myanmar Sector Assessment”; by Eric Duflos, Paul Luchtenburg, Li Ren and Li Yan Chen; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), International Finance Corporation

By Eric Duflos, Paul Luchtenburg, Li Ren and Li Yan Chen, published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) and International Finance Corporation, January 2013, 43 pages, available at:  http://www1.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/d87bf8804e5aba9bad7dadfce4951bf6/Microfinance+in+Myanmar+Sector+Assessment-Final.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

This joint CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) report reviews the current state of Myanmar’s microfinance sector and the challenges involved with its future development.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance institutions (MFIs) in India’s Andhra Pradesh Face Difficulties Even After Loan Restructuring, “Survival of MFIs” Said to Hang on Court Decision Regarding State Law

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh reportedly are continuing to have difficulty repaying wholesale bank loans even after the restructuring of some of those loans after the downturn in microfinance that began in the region in 2010.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC), Yes Bank to Create Fund for Small Businesses in India

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, has partnered with Yes Bank, a commercial bank headquartered in Mumbai, to establish a fund to support small businesses in northeast India.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Suryoday Micro Finance of India Raises $3.8m from Lok Capital, Aavishkaar, HDFC

Suryoday Micro Finance Private Limited, an Indian microfinance institution (MFI), is reportedly seeking to increase its customer base by 1 million by 2014 and has raised INR 20 crores (USD 3.8 million) in capital from three of its investors: Aavishkaar Goodwell, a for-profit, Indian-Dutch joint venture; Lok Capital, a Mauritius-based microfinance investment vehicle; and the Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), an India-based housing finance company.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Indian Microlender SKS Microfinance Reports Profits After Seven Quarters of Losses

SKS Microfinance, an Indian microlender listed on the country’s National and Bombay Stock Exchanges, recently reported a net profit of INR 11.5 million (USD 209,000) for the quarter ending December 2012, the first quarterly profits for SKS Microfinance in two years. Loans disbursed rose 14 percent to INR 7.8 billion (USD 142 million).

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Women’s World Banking (WWB) Presents “Pacific Forum 2013: Building Microfinance,” February 28 – March 1, 2013, Auckland, New Zealand

Event Name: Women’s World Banking (WWB) Pacific Forum 2013 “Building Sustainable Microfinance: The Global-Local Experience”

Event Date: February 28 – March 1, 2013

Even Location: Pullman Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Smart Campaign Launches Certification of Microfinance Institutions Regarding Client Protection

The Smart Campaign, a consumer-protection initiative launched in 2010 by US-based nonprofit Accion, recently released a Client Protection Certification Program that aims to verify that financial institutions serving the world’s poor people are focused on the fair treatment of clients.

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Map of Microfinance Distribution in India” by Amulya Krishna Champatiray, Parul Agarwal and Santadarshan Sadhu; published by the Centre for Micro Finance (CMF)

By Amulya Krishna Champatiray, Parul Agarwal and Santadarshan Sadhu; published by the Centre for Micro Finance (CMF); 2012; 41 pages; available at: http://www.centre-for-microfinance.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Updated_Final_Report_Map_of_Microfinance_Report_CMF_June27.pdf

This report summarizes the findings of an initiative that gathered information on the portfolios, products and business correspondents of 103 microfinance institutions (MFIs) across India.