by Ariana Malushi -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Ethiopia’s Wasasa Microfinance, Poverty Eradication and Community Empowerment (PEACE), Metemamen, Harbu, Digaf Microfinance Submit Pricing Data to MFTransparency

MicroFinance Transparency (MFTransparency), an NGO based in the United States that publishes information on microcredit products and pricing, has reported to MicroCapital that Wasasa Microfinance, Poverty Eradication and Community Empowerment (PEACE), Metemamen, Harbu and Digaf Microfinance submitted microloan pricing data to MFTransparency as part of its “Transparent Pricing Initiative in Ethiopia”.

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Center for Financial and Credit Counseling of Bosnia Offers Debt Mediation, Financial Education to Microfinance Clients

The Center for Financial and Credit Counseling (CFKS), a nonprofit established in 2010 in the Bosnian city of Tuzla, has been set up to counter the negative impact of over-indebtedness through financial education, counseling, mediation and debt resolution.

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) Launches Fee-Based “MIX Silver”

The Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), a US-based nonprofit organization that publishes financial and social performance information from microfinance stakeholders, recently announced the launch of a fee-based service that offers the ability to: create a personalized dashboard to track real-time changes in microfinance markets; build virtual microfinance institution portfolios for analysis; access benchmarking and aggregation tools; and access all interim and annual data for approximately 2,000 MFIs in the MIX database [1].

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroFinanza Rating, MicroRate, Planet Rating Sign Microfinance Rating Agency Code of Conduct, Sanjay Sinha of Micro-Credit Ratings International (M-CRIL) Criticizes Commercial Rating Agencies as “Too Liberal” with Microfinance Institutions

Three providers of institutional, performance and social ratings of microfinance institutions (MFIs), MicroFinanza Rating of Italy, US-based MicroRate and French Planet Rating, recently signed the Microfinance Rating Agency Code of Conduct.

by Ashim Kar -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: What Are the Key Barriers to Effective Group Lending? Online Discussion Hosted by Social Performance Management (SPM) Network through October 14, 2011

Event Name: What Are the Key Barriers to Effective Group Lending?

Event Date: October 10 – October 14, 2011

Event Location: Online

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Focus Note Distributed at Fifth African Microcredit Conference Lauds Morocco as a “Microcredit Champion,” Contrary to Past Reports Expressing Concern

At the recently concluded Fifth African Microcredit Conference, which was held in Ethiopia, a focus note reportedly commended the Moroccan microcredit sector, remarking that from 2003 to 2007 microfinance institutions’ (MFIs) loan portfolio “multiplied 11 times and client outreach by four” in the country [1].

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: 25% of Microfinance Borrowers Use Part of Enterprise Loan Proceeds for Consumption, According to Study by Dean Karlan, Jonathan Zinman

In a recent paper, “List Randomization for Sensitive Behavior: An Application for Measuring Use of Loan Proceeds,” researchers Dean Karlan and Jonathan Zinman put forth data indicating that enterprise microloan borrowers tend to underreport the percentage of the loan, if any,  that they use for non-business purposes such as household expenses [1] [2].

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Dr Muhammad Yunus Suggests Microfinance “Misinterpreted” as Charity in the Arab World due to Outdated Regulation

Dr Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Bangladeshi microfinance institution (MFI) Grameen Bank, recently argued that the Arab world has “misinterpreted the system’s true principles” by operating it as a “charity affair” [1].

by Ashim Kar -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Microfinance and Policy Implications, by Gabriel Di Bella, published by the International Monetary Fund

Published by the Western Hemisphere Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as IMF Working Paper No. WP/11/175, 2011, 41 pages, available at: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2011/wp11175.pdf

by Kristha Abores -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Two Papers Released by Microfinance Information Exchange Discuss Impacts of Financial Crises, Reporting Requirements

The US-based nonprofit Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) has released two papers that offer insight into different issues faced by microfinance institutions (MFIs).

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Haitian Microfinance Institution Fonkoze Using “Progress out of Poverty Index” to Monitor Economic Progress of Clients in Disaster-Affected Areas

A recent study by the US-based nonprofit Grameen Foundation titled “Rapid Response in the Wake of Disaster: Using the PPI to Design and Support Fonkoze’s Earthquake Recovery Program,” describes how Fonkoze, a Haitian microfinance institution (MFI), is using the Progress out of Poverty Index (PPI), a country-specific poverty assessment tool, in disaster affected areas to monitor and evaluate the progress of its clients [1].

by Kristha Abores -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: “An Examination of Challenges and Prospects of Microfinance Sector of Pakistan”, A Study by Seyed Ibn e Ali Jaffari et al Highlights Internal Weaknesses, Religious Concerns

A study recently published in the European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences draws attention to challenges faced by the microfinance sector in Pakistan.

by Rohan Trivedi -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) Launches Interactive “Africa Map of Financial Inclusion for the Poor” With Funding From Canada’s MasterCard Foundation

The Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) a US-based nonprofit organization that publishes financial and social performance information from microfinance stakeholders, recently launched the “Africa Map of Financial Inclusion for the Poor,” an interactive tool that shows country-specific microfinance information in the context of socioeconomic indicators.