by Samuel Allmendinger -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Savings Groups in Rural Mali, Three Market Archetypes Advancing Financial Inclusion, Long-term Trends in India’s Rural Credit Market

“Final Impact Evaluation of the Savings for Change Program in Mali;” by Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology at The University of Arizona and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA); published by Oxfam America and Freedom from Hunger; April 2013; 215 pages; available at http://www.oxfamamerica.org/issues/community-finance/files/final-impact-evaluation-saving-for-change

This report presents the results from a study conducted by The University of Arizona and Innovations for Poverty (IPA) between 2009 and 2012 intended to explore the impact of savings groups in 500 villages in rural Mali, where 82 percent of surveyed households live on approximately USD 1.25 per day and the “typical village is more than 14 miles from a paved road.”

by Makai McClintock -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) to Offer Validated Social Data from Microfinance Institutions

The Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), a US-based nonprofit, recently announced plans to release a feature on its MIX Market website in 2013 that will allow users to search for “validated social data” from microfinance institutions (MFIs) and filter out those not reporting such data.

by Lena Phillips -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: G20’s Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion Publishes Data on 192 Countries

The Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), which is mandated to carry out the financial inclusion action plan endorsed at the 2010 summit of the Group of 20 (G20) large economies, has released a set of “basic” financial inclusion indicators populated with data from 192 countries.

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: $10.4m Uganda Rural Challenge Fund to Issue Matching Grants to Financial Institutions Developing New Financial Products

The Uganda Rural Challenge Fund, the first part of the 3-year Rural Finance Enhancement Programme (RFEP) of German development bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) Bankengruppe, recently was launched by German ambassador to Uganda Klaus-Dieter Duxmann.

by Brian LeBlanc -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC), G20’s Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) Partner to Launch Online “Women’s Finance Hub”

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the US-based World Bank Group, and the Group of 20’s (G20’s) Global Partnership on Financial Inclusion have partnered to launch the “Women’s Finance Hub,” an online platform to help advance access to finance for women entrepreneurs.

by Jennifer Young -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) Maroc Launches “Financial Solutions Youth” Project in Morocco

Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), a Canada-based nonprofit that aims to alleviate poverty through financial investment via 227 partner institutions in 56 countries, and its Morocco division, MEDA Maroc, are launching the “Financial Solutions Youth” project in an effort to support Moroccan microfinance institutions (MFIs) in improving access to financial services for youth.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATON ROUND-UP: Drivers of Over-Indebtedness in Cambodia, Accelerating Impact Investing, Mobile Banking in Tanzania

“Study on the Drivers of Over-Indebtedness of Microfinance Borrowers in Cambodia: An In-depth Investigation of Saturated Areas;” by Dannet Liv; published by BlueOrchard Microfinance Investment Management, Incofin Investment Management, Oikocredit; March 2013; 83 pages; available at: http://www.blueorchard.com/jahia/webdav/site/blueorchard/shared/Publications%20and%20Resources/News%20%26%20Press%20releases/OID-Final%20Report.pdf

This report presents an analysis of the factors that drive microfinance borrowers in Cambodia to take on excessive levels of debt.

by Samuel Allmendinger -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Social Performance in Nepal, Sharia-Compliant Financial Inclusion, Private Sector Employment

“State of Social Performance in Nepal;” by Mike Krell; published by Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX); March 2013; 10 pages; available at http://www.themix.org/publications/mix-microfinance-world/2013/03/Nepal-development-2013

This report from the US-based nonprofit Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) examines the social performance (SP) of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Nepal.

by Nicole Boyd -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: NGOs, Government Unite In Effort to Increase Savings Group Membership to 50m Worldwide by 2020

A group of government and nonprofit organizations recently launched “50 by 2020,” an initiative with the goal of increasing the number of savings group members worldwide from 7.5 million to 50 million by 2020.

by Samuel Allmendinger -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Poverty Scorecard for Nicaragua, Financial Inclusion in Russia, Health Microinsurance in India

“A Simple Poverty Scorecard for Nicaragua;” by Mark Schreiner; January 2013; 189 pages; available at http://www.microfinance.com/English/Papers/Scoring_Poverty_Nicaragua_2009_EN.pdf

This document introduces an “easy-to-use” poverty scorecard based on household expenditure data from Nicaragua’s 2009 Living Standards Measurement Survey.

by Brian LeBlanc -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Social Performance Task Force (SPTF) Calls for Survey Submissions by April 5, 2013

The Social Performance Task Force (SPTF), a working group initiated in 2005 by a  group of NGOs based in the US and Switzerland, is calling for microfinance industry professionals to fill out an online survey intended to identify what social performance management practices are being implemented throughout the microfinance industry, what challenges exist in implementing these policies and what additional resources institutions need to achieve their social performance goals more effectively. 

by Samuel Allmendinger -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Curbing Debt Stress, Social Performance in Mexico, UN Human Development Report: The Rise of the South

“Regulatory Options to Curb Debt Stress;” by Gabriel Davel; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); March 2013; 29 pages; available at: http://www.cgap.org/publications/regulatory-options-curb-debt-stress

This report highlights how the dynamics of credit markets can lead to cycles of credit growth and accumulation of consumer debt followed by widespread default and contraction.

by Nicole Boyd -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Karnataka State Government Launches Mysore City Street Vendors Multipurpose Cooperative Society to Provide Loans to Indian Street Vendors

The government of the Indian state Karnataka recently launched the Mysore City Street Vendors Multipurpose Cooperative Society to provide microloans to street vendors unable to qualify for traditional bank loans.

by Brian LeBlanc -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Master’s Degree Funding Available from Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP)

Applications are open through March 31 for the 2013 Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP), a program that grants scholarships for individuals to obtain master’s degrees in subjects related to economic development. 

by Lena Phillips -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Social Performance Task Force (SPTF) Calls for Submissions for “Balancing Social and Financial Responsibility” Section of the Universal Standards Resource Library

The Social Performance Task Force (SPTF), a working group initiated in 2005 by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), the Argidius Foundation and the Ford Foundation, is seeking submissions for its online Universal Standards Resource Library.

by Nicole Boyd -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Perspectives on Progress: The Impact Investor Survey;” by Yasemin Saltuk; published by JP Morgan and the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)

By Yasemin Saltuk; published by JP Morgan and the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN); January 2013; 28 pages; available at: http://www.thegiin.org/cgi-bin/iowa/download?row=489&field=gated_download_1

This report is the third annual survey by US-based investing firm J.P. Morgan and US-based nonprofit Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) that attempts to shed light on the condition and future prospects of the impact investment market by surveying a sample of investors in the field.

by Nicole Boyd -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATON ROUND-UP: Mapping Microfinance in Uganda, the G2P Payments Sector in Pakistan, Nepal Country Snapshot

“Microfinance Mapping Project – Uganda;” published by Haverford College; 2012; 10 pages; available at: http://ds.haverford.edu/wp/mappingmicrofinance/files/2012/07/Microfinance-Mapping-Project-Uganda.pdf