MicroSave, a technical assistance, training and technical resource center for microfinance established in Uganda in 1998, has released the third publication under its Optimising Performance and Efficiency (OPE) Series, entitled “The Savings Booklet.”
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MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Microfinance Programs and Better Health: Prospects for Sub-Saharan Africa; by Paul M. Pronyk, James R. Hargreaves and Jonathan Morduch; Published by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
By Paul M. Pronyk, James R. Hargreaves and Jonathan Morduch, published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Volume 298, Number 16, October 2007, available at: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/298/16/1925.pdf
In this paper, Paul Pronyk, James Hargreaves and Jonathan Morduch examine available evidence on the potential for microfinance to contribute toward achieving the United Nation’s (UN’s) Millennium Development Goals (MDG), with specific focus on improvements in health and the challenges and opportunities for expanding such outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Yemen Microfinance Network (YMN) Holds Official Launch
The Yemen Microfinance Network (YMN), a new network of microfinance institutions in Yemen, recently held its official launch at the Movenpick Hotel in Yemen.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: All Commercial Banks in Fiji Establish “Microfinance Units”
The Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) has reportedly completed an initiative in which all commercial banks in Fiji have complied with a requirement to establish a “microfinance unit.”
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC) Supports Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Growth in Belarus by Providing $5m Loan To and Purchasing 19.9 Percent Equity of Belarusky Narodny Bank
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is supporting Belarusky Narodny Bank, a commercial bank in Belarus that focus on financing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), by providing it with a USD 5 million loan and purchasing 19.9 percent of the bank’s equity from the Bank of Georgia, a private commercial bank, for an undisclosed sum. The Bank of Georgia will retain 79.99 percent of the shares of Belarusky Narodny.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Jordan’s Microfund for Women Launches Gender-Sensitive Microinsurance Product, Caregiver, in Partnership with Women’s World Banking (WWB)
Jordan’s Microfund for Women (MFW), a Jordanian microfinance program for women, has recently launched a microinsurance product, CareGiver, with its partner Women’s World Bank (WWB). The insurance policies are being provided to MFW borrowers, who pay a monthly premium with their loan repayment.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Uzbek Association for Microfinance Institutions and Credit Unions to Implement New Group Loan Program
Uzbekistan is reportedly implementing a new microfinance development project with help from the United Nations Development Program, German Technical Cooperation Center (GTZ) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD) Allocates $8m to Al-Amal Microfinance Bank in Yemen
The International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), an agency of the United Nations, has allocated a total of USD 8 million – equal parts equity and debt investment – to Al-Amal Microfinance Bank, a microfinance bank established by the Yemeni government in 2002. Yukiko Omura, the vice-president of IFAD, commented on the “importance of partnership between the Fund and the bank to enable the Fund to reach the poor people in rural areas to provide loans to small farmers, fishermen and other groups with low incomes.”
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: UN Attempts to Alleviate Food Crisis, Expands Agriculture Inventory Credit System in Niger and Elsewhere in West Africa
The UN (United Nations) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is implementing nine projects worth almost USD 18 million in Niger to support farmers experiencing prolonged drought in West Africa.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Presents Decision Tools for Rural Microfinance
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), an agency of the United Nations (UN), has released the “IFAD Decision Tools for Rural Finance,” a knowledge management tool designed to help identify and answer questions that arise in rural finance projects.
MICROCAPITAL PAPER WRAP-UP: The Potential for Scale and Sustainability in Weather Index Insurance for Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods by P. Hazell, J. Anderson, N. Balzer, A Hastrup Clemmensen, U. Hess and F. Rispoli for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Program (WFP)
By P. Hazell, J. Anderson, N. Balzer, A Hastrup Clemmensen, U. Hess and F. Rispoli, published by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Program (WFP), May 2010, 153 pages, available at: http://www.ifad.org/ruralfinance/pub/weather.pdf
This paper provides an introduction to agricultural risk and the use of weather index funds to mitigate that risk. Participants in a weather index fund would receive financial compensation if an index highly correlated with local crop yields follows an undisclosed pattern. This pattern is kept secret to reduce the risk of moral hazard.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: MicroSave and Financial Access Initiative (FAI) to Hold Two Day Virtual Conference “Reimagining Microfinance Around the World: Implementing Lessons from ‘Portfolio of the Poor'” June 8-9, 2010
Event Name: Reimagining Microfinance Around the World: Implementing Lessons from ‘Portfolios of the Poor’
Event Date: June 8 to June 9, 2010
Event Location: Online
Event Website: http://www.microsave.org/static/content/VC-on-portfolios-of-the-poor
See Our Comprehensive Event Calendar Here: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: A New Study Published by the Microinsurance Innovation Facility of the International Labour Office Indicates 2.1% of the Potential African Market Is Covered by Insurance
According to a recent study entitled “The Landscape of Microinsurance in Africa” published by the Microinsurance Innovation Facility of the International Labour Office (ILO) 2.1 percent of Africa’s 700 million working poor have insurance coverage. The study found that, assuming a feasible insurance coverage level of five percent of gross domestic product (GDP), the potential size of the microinsurance market would be USD 25 billion, as compared to the current market size of USD 257 million.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Convergences 2015, Conference to Design Road Map for Microfinance In Next Decade, May 25 to May 26, 2010, Paris, France
Event Name: Convergences 2015
Event Date: May 25 to May 26, 2010
Event Location: City Hall, Paris, France
Event Website: http://www.convergences2015.org/
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR) Announces Call for Proposals 2010
The International Fund for Agricultural Development’s (IFAD’s) Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR), a USD 18 million fund that seeks to reduce poverty by leveraging remittances for development in rural areas of developing countries, recently announced its Call for Proposals 2010.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Estimates that Global Remittances Declined 11.5% in 2009
According to a report by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries, global remittances may have declined by up to 11.5 percent in 2009 due to the financial crisis.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroSave Releases Podcast on the 2007 Initial Public Offering of Mexican Microfinance Lender Compartamos
MicroSave, a technical assistance, training and technical resource center for microfinance organizations, has released a podcast discussing issues surrounding the controversially lucrative 2007, USD 458 million initial public offering of the Mexican microfinance bank, Compartamos.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Global Partnerships in Microfinance, September 6 – September 7, 2010, Hosted in London by the University of Greenwich in Collaboration with the University of Birmingham and the Burgundy School of Business
Event Name: Global Partnerships in Microfinance
Event Date: September 6 – September 7, 2010
Event Location: University of Greenwich Business School, London, UK
Event Website: Preliminary information is available at http://microfinance.gre.ac.uk/Conference/Flyer-MicrofinanceConference-Sept2010.pdf. More details are anticipated via http://www.gre.ac.uk/enterprise/business-events.
See Our Comprehensive Event Calendar Here: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events
Cost: Registration is GBP 200 (USD 305). Early registration is GBP 100 (USD 152). Deadline for early registration has not yet been disclosed.
Summary of Event: The conference aims to explore how microfinance can help alleviate poverty in a sustainable way. To achieve this goal the event organizers postulate that microfinance institutions will need to collaborate with other stakeholders in the industry. The conference intends to explore all possible partnerships in microfinance and to discuss the achievements and challenges in meeting the microfinance goals.