by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Determinants of Choice of Credit Source Among Clients of Microfinance Systems in the Upper West Region of Ghana,” by Paul Bata Domanban et al

The authors of this article examined which groups of people in northwestern Ghana were more and less likely to borrow money from microfinance institutions (MFIs). The authors conducted

by Rohit Dayanand -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: First City Monument Bank of Nigeria Offers Asset Financing Starting at $600 

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) of Nigeria has begun offering loans of NGN 500,000 (USD 600) to NGN 3 million (USD 3,600) with terms of one year to four years for businesses to finance purchases of equipment and machinery. FCMB reports that it also may grant customers – in certain circumstances –

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Predictors of Microfinance Sustainability: Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh,” by Maeenuddin et al

This article examines the financial sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Bangladesh. Using data from the MIX Market database, the authors develop a

by Elva Montelongo -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mi-Bospo of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borrowing $2.2m from Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation for Microfinance Lending

Microcredit Foundation Mi-Bospo of Bosnia and Herzegovina recently agreed to borrow EUR 2 million (USD 2.2 million) from the Grameen Credit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, which has offices in France and Luxembourg. Mi-Bospo serves 26,000 clients, mostly women who live in rural areas. Its offerings include

by Rohit Dayanand -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 2nd Annual Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Africa Conference; October 4-5, 2023; Sandton, South Africa

This conference offers opportunities to collaborate on incorporating environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) goals into organizations’ operations. The themes are: (1) Investment and Financing; (2) Measurement and Reporting; (3) Governance, Leadership and Culture; and (4) Legal. The itinerary for Day One of the event includes

by Ben Barba -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Khan Bank Raises $10m in Bond Sale to Vision Microfinance Dual Return Fund to Support Women’s SMEs in Mongolia

Symbiotics Investments, a Switzerland-based investor focused on smaller businesses in low- and middle- income countries, recently facilitated a bond issue channeling USD 10 million to Khan Bank, which serves individuals and companies of all sizes in Mongolia, to support UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Gender Equality. Impact Asset Management (I-AM), a unit of Austria’s C-Quadrat Investment Group, bought the bond through its Vision

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Mind the Gap in Financial Inclusion! Microcredit Institutions Fieldwork in Peru;” by Pilar Lopez-Sancheza, Elena Urquia-Grande

Microfinance providers in Peru carry a combined outstanding loan portfolio equivalent to USD 12.7 billion, serving 5 million borrowers. Dr Lopez-Sancheza and Dr Urquia-Grande conducted a qualitative analysis of these loans based on

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Access Bank Botswana Borrows $20m from OPEC Fund for MSMEs, 30% Earmarked for Women

Access Bank Botswana, a subsidiary of the Nigeria-based Access Bank Group, recently agreed to borrow USD 20 million from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund for International Development to on-lend to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), with USD 6 million of the total

by Elva Montelongo -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: TASC Borrows $3.5m from Spark+ Africa to Fund 90k Cookstoves, Reduce Carbon Emissions in Rural Zambia

Spark+ Africa Fund, a partnership of Switzerland-based Enabling Qapital and the Dutch NGO Stichting Modern Cooking (SMC), recently lent USD 3.5 million to The African Stove Company (TASC), which is based in Jersey, to sell 90,000 cookstoves in rural Zambia. Spark+ Africa raised the funds from the sale of “several million tons

by Renata Samadova -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Grow to Zero Conference; June 26-27, 2023; London, UK

Themed “Catalysing Finance for Impact,” this event will cover ways of leveraging blended finance, carbon markets and digitisation to enable transition to net-zero emissions and other forms of sustainable development. The agenda features sessions such as: (1) Challenges to 2030: How to Finance

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Satya of India Borrowing $35m from FMO, Finnfund for Microfinance for Rural Women, Youth – Including to Enable Green Transition

Satya MicroCapital, an India-based microfinance institution (MFI), recently borrowed the local-currency equivalent of USD 25 million from the Dutch development bank Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) and USD 10 million from Finnfund, a development finance institution controlled by the government of Finland. The funding is intended to

by Elva Montelongo -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sun King Raises $130m for Pay-as-you-go Solar in Kenya, Citi is Sole Arranger

With the goal of expanding access to off-grid solar energy in Kenya, the US-based solar products firm Sun King recently won a loan securitization denominated in Kenyan shillings equivalent to USD 130 million. Among the private participants are

by Renata Samadova -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Africa Impact Summit; July 13-14, 2023; Cape Town, South Africa

With a focus on impact investing, this event will explore how to build markets in Africa as well as pipeline opportunities and challenges. The agenda includes sessions such as: (1) Investing in SMEs [Small and Medium-sized Enterprises] and Start-ups; (2) Systems and Design Thinking for