by Sarah Benali -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ResponsAbility Social Investments Loans $1.5m to AccessBank Tanzania, $1.3m to EKI of Bosnia and Herzegovina

ResponsAbility Social Investments, a Swiss investment company, recently informed MicroCapital that it has loaned USD 1 million through the responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund (rAGMF), one of the microfinance investment  vehicles (MIVs) it manages, to AccessBank Tanzania, a commercial bank established as part of Germany’s AccessHolding in 2007.

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Loans $10m to Microfinance Institution AccessBank of Azerbaijan

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a London-based international finance institution, recently signed a five-year, USD 10 million loan agreement with AccessBank, an Azerbaijani microfinance institution (MFI).

by Amira Berrada -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: AccessBank of Azerbaijan Implements Loan Repayment by Telephone, Debit Card

Microfinance institution (MFI) AccessBank of Azerbaijan, an affiliate of Germany’s Access Microfinance Holding AG (AccessHolding), recently announced the implementation of a new service allowing customers to make loan payments by telephone.

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to Loan $15m to Microfinance Institution AccessBank of Azerbaijan for Micro-, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs)

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, a financial institution headquartered in London, recently signed an agreement to loan USD 15 million to AccessBank, a microfinance institution in Azerbaijan.

by Kristha Abores -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: European Fund for Southeast Europe Lends $24m to AccessBank of Azerbaijan, Kreditimi Rural I Kosoves of Kosovo, Byblos Bank Armenia, Alter Modus of Montenegro

The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a microfinance investment fund incorporated in Luxembourg, has reported to MicroCapital that it has made loans to the following institutions: USD 15 million to AccessBank of Azerbaijan, the equivalent of USD 649,000 to Kreditimi Rural I Kosoves (KRK) of Kosovo, the equivalent of USD 5.27 million to Byblos Bank Armenia and approximately USD 3.89 million to Alter Modus of Montenegro. The loan to Byblos Bank was disbursed in two tranches: a local currency loan of AMD 875 million (USD 2.27 million) and an additional transaction of USD 3 million. The loan to Alter Modus was disbursed in tranches of USD 1.3 million and USD 2.6 million.

by Rohan Trivedi -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Loans $6m in Local Currency to Microfinance Institution AccessBank Tajikistan

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based development finance institution, has agreed to make a four-year, local-currency loan of TJS 29 million (USD 6 million) to AccessBank Tajikistan, a bank that specializes in financial services for micro- and small enterprises (MSEs).

by Rohan Trivedi -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC) to Loan $4m to AccessBank of Tajikistan for Expansion of Loan Portfolio, Movement Toward Deposit-Taking

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, has agreed to loan USD 4 million to microfinance institution (MFI) AccessBank Tajikistan to expand the MFI’s loan portfolio, develop a greater variety of credit products and “support competition in the microfinance sector,” according to an IFC press release [1].

by Medha Ravi -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BlueOrchard Loans $3m to Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) AccessBank of Tajikistan, LOLC Micro Credit Limited (LOMC) of Sri Lanka

BlueOrchard Finance SA, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based commercial microfinance intermediary BlueOrchard, recently made loans totaling USD 3 million to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Tajikistan and Sri Lanka.

by Alex Pattee -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Institution AccessBank of Azerbaijan Receives First $10m Tranche of $20m Loan From Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO) and Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank AG (OeEB)

AccessBank, a microfinance institution (MFI) based in Azerbaijan, has received the first tranche of USD 10 million as part of a USD 20 million syndicated loan from Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO), a Dutch public-private partnership that aims to promote developing economies, and Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank AG (OeEB), the development bank of Austria. The three-year syndicated loan was organized by FMO with participation from OeEB, with each institution contributing USD 10 million. The loan will be directed to financing micro- and small businesses in Azerbaijan.

by Jacqueline Foelster -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Institution AccessBank of Azerbaijan Receives ‘BB+’ Rating from Fitch

Fitch Ratings, a global rating agency headquartered in New York and London, recently confirmed its ratings for AccessBank, a financial institution in Azerbaijan. AccessBank’s long-term foreign-currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) was confirmed at ‘BB+’ with ‘Outlook Stable’, its short-term IDR was confirmed at ‘B’ and its Individual Rating was confirmed at ‘D’, all of which are at the ‘sovereign ceiling’ which is generally the highest available in a given country.

by Julie Moksim -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: AccessBank of Azerbaijan Reports Deposit Portfolio Increase of 86 Percent During 2010

AccessBank, a commercial bank that offers financial services to micro- and small enterprises (MSEs) in Azerbaijan, recently reported that its deposit portfolio increased by 86 percent during 2010 to the equivalent of USD 150 million.

by Jennifer Shevock -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: AccessBank of Azerbaijan Launches Education Loan Product

AccessBank, a financial institution based in Azerbaijan, recently announced the launch of a new education loan product. The product is intended to finance students’ post-secondary education and offers lower interest rates for students earning high grades.

by Eric McKay -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC) Invests $2m in AccessBank Tajikistan to Help Expand Microfinance Programs

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the lending arm of the World Bank, recently made a USD 2 million equity investment in AccessBank Tajikistan to help the new bank expand the availability of credit for micro- and small enterprises.