Search Results for: india
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Habitat for Humanity Accelerates Post-Tsunami Reconstruction with Creative Microfinance Initiative, “Save and Build”
In the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), a non-profit organization founded in 1976, is accelerating its efforts to return decent housing to the over 500,000 Sri Lankan citizens displaced by a devastating tsunami. Combined with HFHI’s traditional donation-funded building program, the organization has implemented a program entitled “Save and Build” to help low-income families pool funds to meet construction costs.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Oikocredit Issues Shares in Local Currencies to Facilitate Microfinance in those Countries
Oikocredit, a Cooperative Investment Society based in the Netherlands, has decided at its Annual General Meeting to issue shares not only in the USD and the Euro, as they currently do, but also to expand to include other currencies as well. To start, shares will be issued in
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Bear, Stearns & Co. and SKS Microfinances Vikram Akula, Bring Microfinance Event to New York City on July 9, 2007
SCALING MICROFINANCE: THE SKS ACCELERATION MODEL
JULY 9, 2007, 6:30-8:30 PM, NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES
Bear, Stearns & Co., a US investment, trading, and brokerage company, will host this presentation led by Vikram Akula, founder and CEO of SKS Microfinance, an Indian microfinance institution (MFI). The event will focus on the SKS Acceleration Model, a business strategy that Mr. Akula argues has led to his companys growth over the past several years.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Further Extracts From the Microfinance Practice Group Debate on Compartamos IPO åö Vineet Rai
Over the past 6 weeks we have been keeping you up to date on the ongoing debate over the IPO of Mexican microfinance institution (MFI), Compartamos. This has included extracts from the Yahoo online ‘microfinance practice group’ discussion (click here to sign up), moderated by Mr. Chuck Waterfield. Below we quote extracts from a comment posted by Mr. Vineet Rai. Mr. Rai is currently chief executive officer of Aavishkaar India Micro Venture Capital Fund and co-founder and executive director of Intellecap, an Indian consultancy firm (see recent who’s who article on microcapital).
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Further Extracts from the Microfinance Practice Group Debate on Compartamos IPO åö Malcolm Harper
Over the past 6 weeks we have been keeping you up to date on the ongoing debate over the IPO of Mexican microfinance institution (MFI), Compartamos. This has included extracts from the Yahoo online microfinance practice group discussion (click here to sign up), moderated by Mr. Chuck Waterfield. Below we quote from a comment posted by Mr. Malcolm Harper. Mr. Harper is former chairman of BASIX, an Indian MFI (1996-2006), and is founder and editor-in-chief of the Small Business Development Journal. He is also currently chairman of Micro-Credit Ratings International Ltd (M-CRIL).
PAPER-WRAP UP: "Microfinance and Rural Housing," by T.S. Anand Kumar and Jeyanth K. Newport
By T.S. Anand Kumar and Jeyanth K. Newport, published by Indian Association for Savings and Credit (IASC), 2007, 18 pages, download here.
This paper explores the possibilities for Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) interested in expanding into the housing sector, focusing on the Indian case for three reasons: demand for rural housing loans is high; many government programs in this area have fallen flat; and MFIs in the region are as yet ineffective in meeting this high demand. The paper begins with an overview of housing microfinance, writing that most success by financial institutions in this field is generated by home improvement loans, while financial services have failed to adequately address land purchase and new housing construction, both of which are still dominated by subsidies.
WHOS WHO IN MICROFINANCE: Intellectual Capital Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd (Intellecap)
Intellectual Capital Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd (Intellecap) is an Indian consultancy firm, based in Mumbai, which works in business innovation, capacity development, and investment initiatives in the development sector. The organisation works in strategic advisory roles as well as in the direct design of initiatives aimed at leveraging profit orientated solutions to resolving poverty.
NEWS WIRE: Microlending Gives Hope to the HIV Positive
A microcredit program created by Thailand‘s ‘Mr. Condom’ allows the HIV positive to start businesses and earn a living.
(Fortune Magazine) — When Narisara Panya’s husband died of AIDS seven years ago after returning to Thailand from a construction job abroad, it was devastating. With only a small plot of land that didn’t always yield enough food for their two children, 44-year-old Narisara – who became HIV positive herself – needed an income.
NEWS WIRE: Microfinance Firms Turn into Delivery Boys
HYDERABAD: India’s microfinance, which is perhaps the ruling flavour of private equity players, is actually turning out to be a distribution highway for a variety of goods and services given the huge outreach of over one million customers each that large entities like Share, SKS, Basix and Spandana have managed to create.
Fuelled by private equity investment and expansion, many of these entities are looking at reaching as many as five million people each in the near term. While the creation of reach has been purely for their own businesses of vending micro-loans, it now transpires that their channel could be widely used, and profitably too, for peddling insurance, money transfer, procurement and supply chain financing for agri and allied activities.
PRESS RELEASE: Global Microfinance Leader PlaNet Finance Opens First U.S. Office in New York City
NEW YORK, May 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — PlaNet Finance, an international non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating poverty throughout the world through the development of microfinance, announced today the opening of its first U.S. office, in New York City.
Since its founding nine years ago in Paris, PlaNet Finance has grown to work in 60 countries including Madagascar, Mexico, Argentina, Israel, Mexico, Brazil, Senegal and China.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Microbank in a Box? Partnership Formed by Intellecap, CASHPOR, Aavishkaar Goodwell, and ICICI Bank Develops IntelleCash Microfinance Franchise Package
Dr. Nachiket Mor, Deputy Manager Director of the India-based ICICI Bank, has started IntelleCash, a microfinance training, investment, and banking program. IntelleCash seeks to help entrepreneurs construct microfinance institutions (MFIs). Dr. Mor of ICICI Bank was joined in a partnership by Indian businesses Aavishkaar Goodwell, a for-profit business development firm, Intellectual Capital Advisory Services (Intellecap), a social investment banking company, and the largest MFI of North India, CASHPOR. The IntelleCash program includes specific services for entrepreneurs for which each member of the IntelleCash partnership applies their expertise.Continue reading “MICROCAPITAL STORY: Microbank in a Box? Partnership Formed by Intellecap, CASHPOR, Aavishkaar Goodwell, and ICICI Bank Develops IntelleCash Microfinance Franchise Package”
PRESS RELEASE: ICICI plans support structure for microfinance
CEOs from Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) and SKS Microfinance to be Keynote Speakers at Chicago Microfinance Conference, May 25th 2007
This year’s third annual Chicago Microfinance Conference (CMFC), ‘The Road Ahead, Innovation, Integration, Impact,’ will feature keynote addresses by Elizabeth Littlefield, CEO Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), a consortium of 33 public and private development agencies based in Washington DC, and Vikram Akula, CEO, SKS Microfinance, and Indian microfinance institution (MFI). Established by the University of Chicago, Kellogg School of Management, and Harris School of Public Policy Studies, the conference, to be held on May 25th 2007, aims to “advance strategic debate of the future of microfinance” and brings together practitioners, academics and industry leaders.
Grameen Bank and Kiva.org Subject of Event Focused on Capacity Building for Non-Profits
May 15th 2007 Seattle, WA, USA
“Creating High Impact Non-Profits: Capacity Building for Non-Profit Organisations”
The “session will look at case examples of high performing non-profits like Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, Byrraju Foundation in India, Kiva out of San Francisco, Donors Choose from New York and a few others.” The day will be spent looking at the ‘fundamental rules’ of capacity building, comparing the organisations above to multinationals like Starbucks and General Electric (GE) to see the commonalities of capacity building between the for-profit and non-profit sector. The session will also take in market research, outsourcing, and guests will also be introduced to an overview of books, resources and reports to follow up on.
Upcoming Events åö Chicago Microfinance Conference (CMFC)
May 25th 2007, Chicago, USA
Established by the University of Chicago, Kellogg School of Management, and Harris School of Public Policy Studies, the conference aims to “advance strategic debate of the future of microfinance” and bring together practitioners, academics and industry leaders. Guests will include Lara Strom of Pro Mujer, and Paul Christensen who manages ShoreCap International Ltd, a private equity fund which invests in small businesses in developing economies. A keynote address will be given by Vikram Akula, founder and CEO of SKS Microfinance, a microfinance institution based in India.
Continue reading “Upcoming Events åö Chicago Microfinance Conference (CMFC)”
The Citigroup Foundation Makes a USD 570,000 grant to the Foundation for Development Cooperation and the Banking with the Poor Network Spread over 2 Years
In a joint press release, The Citigroup Foundation announces a two-year USD 570,000 grant to the Foundation for Development Cooperation (FDC) and the Banking with the Poor Network (BWTP). The grant will be used to expand the reach of microfinance services across ten Asian countries including India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The money will be used to promote public-private partnerships and industry best practices to stimulate the development of more internationally recognized and financially sustainable microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Asia.
Continue reading “The Citigroup Foundation Makes a USD 570,000 grant to the Foundation for Development Cooperation and the Banking with the Poor Network Spread over 2 Years”
2007 List of Microbank Ratings Published by the Rating Fund
The following institutions rating reports have been added to the Rating Fund Website since beginning of January 2007:
– Fondo 5 de Mayo, Mexico by Micorate åö June 2006
– UCEC Pala, Tchad by PlanetRating - October 2006
– SKDRDP, India by CRISIL - January 2007
– Mahasemam Trust , India by M-CRIL - December 2006
– ProMujer Mexico by Microrate - June 2006
– Insotec, Ecuador by Microfinanza - September 2006
– Fundamic Ecuador by PlanetRating - November 2006
– FDD, Dominican Republic by Fitch Ratings åö October 2006
– FDD, Dominican Republic by Microrateåö October 2006
– FADES Bolivia by PlanetRating - July 2006
– FADES Bolivia by Fitch Ratings- December 2006
– Fundacion Alternativa, Ecuador by Microfinanza - September 2006
– CACSMM, Peru by PlanetRating - December 2006
– Banco PyME BHD, Dominican Republic by Fitch Ratings åö December 2006
You can sign up to receive the above email alert about newly published ratings by sending an email to info@ratingfund.org. The Rating Fund is a fund that subsidies performance ratings of microbanks. The fund is managed by ADA in Luxembourg, a non-profit supporting microfinance worldwide.