MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Microinsurance: What Do We Know? Microfinance and Microinsurance: Learnings from Market Studies in Latin America and Africa; by Sabrina Régent, Sophie Chauliac, Benoit Rigollet; Published by PlaNet Finance, PlaNet Guarantee

By Sabrina Régent, Sophie Chauliac and Benoit Rigollet; published by PlaNet Finance and PlaNet Guarantee; 2011; 119 pages; available at:
http://admin.planetfinancegroup.org/upload/medias/fr/pfgroup-market_study_microinsurance_2011.pdf

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Global Partnerships Lends $1.2m to Microfinance Institutions Pro Mujer, Café y Desarrollo of Mexico, Fundación Campo of El Salvador

Global Partnerships (GP), a US-based nonprofit organization that supports microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Latin America, recently announced that it will make loans totaling the equivalent of USD 1.2 million in three microfinance institutions (MFIs): Pro Mujer, for its Mexican operations; Café y Desarrollo of Mexico; and Fundación Campo of El Salvador [1].

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Global Partnerships Lends $3.7m to Microfinance Institutions FINCA Ecuador, Credito con Educacion Rural (CRECER) of Bolivia, Crediflorida of Peru

Global Partnerships (GP), a US-based nonprofit organization that supports microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Latin America, recently announced that it will lend a total of USD 3.7 million to three microfinance institutions: USD 2 million to FINCA Ecuador, USD 1 million to Credito con Educacion Rural (CRECER) of Bolivia and USD 750,000 of Crediflorida of Peru [1].

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Innovation Center for Resources and Alternatives (MICRA) of Philippines to Join Grameen Foundation’s Bankers without Borders Alliance, Organize Volunteer Consultants Working with Microfinance Institutions

Bankers without Borders (BwB) Alliance, a volunteer initiative of the US-based nonprofit Grameen Foundation, recently announced that Microfinance Innovation Center for Resources and Alternatives (MICRA), a microfinance consulting and advisory firm in the Philippines, will become the fifth member of the alliance [1].

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Syndicates $19m Loan for Municipal Marketplaces in El Salvador with Participation from Oikocredit, VDK Spaarbank, Bank Im Bistum

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a US-based development finance institution, announced that it recently closed a USD 19 million syndicated loan with participation from Dutch cooperative Oikocredit, VDK Spaarbank of Belgium and Bank Im Bistum Essen of Germany to upgrade municipal marketplaces in El Salvador.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group’s Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) Approves $4.9m Package for Root Capital to Support Sustainable Agriculture in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua

The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a member of the US-based Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, recently announced a USD 4.9 million loan and technical assistance package for Root Capital, a US-based nonprofit social investment fund that serves agricultural businesses that are considered too small and risky for mainstream banks and too large for microfinance funding.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Fundación BBVA Microfinanzas to Rebrand Chilean Microfinance Institution Servicios Microfinancieros Credicoop as Emprende Microfinanzas

Fundación BBVA Microfinanzas (BBVA Microfinance Foundation), a Spanish nonprofit organization that supports a network of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Latin America, is expanding its operations in the Chilean market by rebranding MFI Servicios Microfinancieros Credicoop SA as Emprende Microfinanzas.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC), FMO of The Netherlands to Loan $30m to Costa Rica’s National Cooperative of Educators (Coopenae) for Housing Finance, Support to Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SMEs)

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, and the Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO in Dutch), a public-private partnership, will each provide local currency loans of CRC 7.8 billion (USD 15 million) to Costa Rica’s National Cooperative of Educators (Coopenae), a finance company that provides credit, savings and insurance products in the country.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: DKV Insurance, Intermón Oxfam, Fundacion Alli Causai to Provide Health Microinsurance in Ecuador

Intermón Oxfam, the Spanish partner of UK-based nonprofit Oxfam International, has partnered with DKV Insurance (DKV), a subsidiary of the Germany-based reinsurance company Munich Re, to provide microinsurance in the Tungurahua region of South Quito, Ecuador.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Natura Cosmeticos’ “Cosmetics Microfinance” Project Replacing Criminal Gangs in Brazil?

Projeto Comunidade (Community Project), which was launched by Brazilian cosmetics firm Natura Cosmeticos SA (Natura) in February 2011, is reportedly helping to revive the local economy after illegal drug operations were significantly curtailed by joint police-military operations in Complexo do Alemão, a neighborhood in Rio de Janerio, Brazil.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Inter-American Development Bank, Deutsche Bank, Calvert Foundation, Monarch Community Fund Loan $3.6m to “Fund for Small Rural Producers in Latin America” or “Fondo para los Pequeños Productores Rurales en América Latina” (FOPEPRO)

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a US-based development finance institution, has arranged a USD 3.6 million syndicated loan to the “Fund for Small Rural Producers in Latin America” or “Fondo para los Pequeños Productores Rurales en América Latina” (FOPEPRO), to provide access to finance for associations of small-scale farmers and other producers in nine Latin American countries.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FINCA International Announces Launch of FINCA Microfinance Holding With Investments of $74m from IFC, KfW, FMO, responsAbility, Triple Jump

FINCA International, a US-based network of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in 21 countries, has established FINCA Microfinance Holding (FMH) LLC, with USD 74 million from social investors including: USD 35 million from International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group; USD 15 million from KfW Bankengruppe, a German development bank; EUR 10.5 million (USD 14 million) from Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO in Dutch), a Dutch public-private partnership (PPP); USD 5 million from the responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund (rAGMF), a microfinance investment vehicle (MIV) managed by responsAbility Social Investments AG of Switzerland; and USD 5 million from Triple Jump, a Dutch investment manager and advisory firm for the microfinance sector.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Panel Discusses Balancing Profit, Mission, Impact at Microfinance USA Conference 2011, Presented by Opportunity Fund, ACCION, Kiva, in New York City, May 23 – 24

Opportunity Fund, a nonprofit organization based in the US state of California that offers microloans and microsavings primarily to people in the San Francisco Bay area; ACCION International, a microfinance organization that provides lending and financial education to small businesses in twenty-three countries; and Kiva, a US-based online portal that allows individuals to make loans to microfinance institutions (MFIs) for on-lending to poor people in sixty countries, hosted the Microfinance USA Conference 2011 on May 23 and May 24 in New York City.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microinsurance Network Releases Coverage Of “Microinsurance Debate on Public-Private Partnership (PPP)”

The Microinsurance Network, a member-based organization that works to advance insurance in poor countries, recently published a summary of an online discussion on public-private partnerships (PPPs) addressing themes including the role of governments in enabling PPPs, the merits and drawbacks of subsidizing the private sector, how to define success in microinsurance PPPs and current gaps in consumer protection and institutional capacity.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: responsAbility Loans $3.9m to Microfinance Institutions Financiera Confianza, Cooperativa Agropecuaria Limitada Naranjillo of Peru

responsAbility Social Investments AG, an investment company based in Switzerland, recently reported to MicroCapital that it loaned the equivalent of USD 3.9 million to microfinance organizations Financiera Confianza and Cooperativa Agropecuaria Limitada Naranjillo of Peru.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Fundacion Microfinanzas BBVA Launches Spanish-Language “Universal Code for Corporate Governance”, “Guide to Adopting Good Governance Principles” Targeted at Latin American Microfinance Sector

Fundacion Microfinanzas BBVA (BBVAMF), a nonprofit created in 2007 as a subsidiary of multinational bank BBVA of Spain, recently launched its “Universal Code for Corporate Governance” and “Guide to Adopting Good Governance Principles” for microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Latin America [1,2].

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Making Insurance Markets Work for the Poor: Microinsurance Policy, Regulation and Supervision – India Case Study; by Sanjay Sinha and Swetan Sagar; Published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) Working Group on Microinsurance

By Sanjay Sinha and Swetan Sagar; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) Working Group on Microinsurance; January 2009; 127 pages; available at http://www.microinsurancenetwork.org/file/8_India_Impact_RSP_2009.pdf

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Islamic Insurance Provider Tokio Marine Middle East Eyes Expansion in Egypt, Sees Political Shake-Up as Opportunity for Microinsurance

Ajmal Bhatty, chief executive of Tokio Marine Middle East, a “takaful” (Islamic insurance) provider based in Dubai, reportedly has stated that the recent political turmoil in Egypt will create a greater need for financial protection in the country and will hence provide Tokio Marine an opportunity to further extend its takaful services to the Egyptian market.