by Melissa Duscha -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Vietnamese Microfinance Sector Crippled by Government Lending Programs

In a speech given at the 2008 Global Summit of Women in Ha Noi, Vietnam, US Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral emphasized the need for more opportunities for women in Vietnam to access microfinance, citing the importance of microcredit in poverty reduction in Asian countries. The US Treasurer stated that since Vietnamese women played an important role in the household economy, credit would help women to be more active players.

by Anthony Busch -

MICROCAPITAL EVENT: The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum (JFK Library) Will Host a Conversation with Microfinance Pioneer, Dr. Muhammad Yunus

A Conversation with 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus

2:30 PM – 4:30 PM, June 7, 2008, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, Massachusetts

As a part of its series of public affairs forums, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum (JFK Library) will host Dr. Muhammad Yunus for a discussion about his book, Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism to be moderated by Dr. Lincoln C. Chen, the founder of the Global Equity Initiative (GEI) at Harvard University and a Commissioner at the Commission on Human Security (CHS). The event will include a question and answer session with the audience followed by a book signing. The forum is free and open to the public and registration is required to guarantee a seat. Those interested may register online or by calling +1 (617) 514-1643.

by Jennifer Lee -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Review of the 2008 Global Microfinance Investment Congress in New York Sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank and Presented by PlaNet Finance

Taking place in New York from May 14 to 16, the Global Microfinance Investment Congress brought together delegates from microfinance institutions (MFIs), microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs), commercial banks, financial institutions, and government agencies. While the congress tackled microfinance investments and the industry’s future, this article will summarize a few themes addressed during the presentations and panels.

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Anne Hastings of Fonkoze, Haiti’s Largest Microfinance Insitution, to Appear at Joint Microfinance Club of New York and Women Advancing Microfinance Event

ACCOMPANYING THE POOREST OUT OF POVERTY: THE EFFECT OF THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

MAY 21, 2008, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES

The Microfinance Club of New York (MFCNY) and Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM) present an evening with Anne Hastings, Executive Director of Fonkoze, Haiti’s largest microfinance institution. Under her leadership, Fonkoze has grown from 2 volunteer employees to over 560 full-time employees. The institution now has 30 branches throughout rural Haiti, with over 120,000 clients, more than 45,000 of whom have microcredit loans.

by Stephen Son -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Microfinance Pioneer Muhammad Yunus Says Food Crisis Threatens Borrower Repayments

In an interview with the Financial Times, Muhammad Yunus, the founder of pioneering microfinance institution (MFI) Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, says that the bank is seeing a sharp increase in problems associated with the repayment of debts by poor borrowers as a result of rising food prices.

by Melissa Duscha -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Microfinance Institution, IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance (ITGI) of India Launches Microinsurance Product

IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance Co. Ltd. (ITGI) recently launched a microinsurance policy targeting India’s low-income rural population. The policy will cover people from 18-60 years of age and will be available at an affordable premium of USD 2.46 (including taxes) for a couple, covering the areas of property insurance (household contents) and critical illness (stroke, cancer, heart disease, loss of limbs, and coma), with USD 245 to be available in coverage per area. Children can be included in the policy for an additional premium of USD 0.61 per child. 

by Stephen Son -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Microfinance Risk Manager Predicts Effects of Food Crisis and Sub-prime Meltdown on Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)

Writing in the Globalist, an online magazine that covers globalization issues, David Apgar, a risk manager with microfinance investment management firm BlueOrchard Finance, discusses the link between the U.S. sub-prime meltdown and the global food crisis and their potential impact on microfinance institutions (MFIs). In short, he relates the rising prices of food to the currently stumbling U.S. economy’s influence on world financial markets; as a result, he posits that the poor may turn against the very system that has made it possible for many of them to benefit from microfinance.

by Jennifer Lee -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Does Microfinance Performance Correlate with Other Emerging Markets Investment, Part 3 of a 4-Part Series on the Cracking the Capital Markets III Conference Hosted By ACCION and Credit Suisse

On March 10-11, 2008, ACCION International and Credit Suisse held the third Cracking the Capital Markets conference on microfinance investment. The conference brought together hedge fund managers, institutional and private investors, leading rating agencies, and microfinance institutions (MFIs) to discuss the challenges, successes, and future of microfinance investments. The first and second articles of this series can also be found on the MicroCapital website.

As a follow up to a presentation at last year’s conference, Nicolas Krauss presented an update to an initial study on the correlation of microfinance to other emerging markets investments. In addition, he discussed whether the correlation (or lack there of) position microfinance as an attractive investment for portfolio diversification. Presentations from this panel can be found here.

by Melissa Duscha -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: A Brief Survey on the Impact of Microfinance on Women Part 2 of a 3-Part Series: Evidence of Women’s Empowerment

Though there is less quantifiable evidence to justify the effect of microfinance on woman’s human rights, it is widely accepted that giving women access to savings and credit will increase women’s social and political empowerment, and even change traditional gender relationships. These assumptions continue to be evaluated as recent microfinance studies are focusing more and more on women’s empowerment.

by Jennifer Lee -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Evaluating Microfinance’s Performance in Turbulent Markets, Part 1 of a 4-Part Series on the Cracking the Capital Markets III Conference Hosted by ACCION and Credit Suisse

From March 10-11, 2008, ACCION International held the third Cracking the Capital Markets conference on microfinance investment. ACCION is a private, non-profit microfinance organization, specializing in global micro-enterprise loans, business training, and other financial services. The conference was co-hosted by Credit Suisse and brought together hedge fund managers, institutional and private investors, leading rating agencies, and microfinance institutions (MFIs) to discuss the challenges, successes, and future of microfinance investments. The second and third articles of this series can be found on MicroCapital’s website.

by Amy Rennison -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Bank of Southern Sudan Launches Facility to Encourage Microfinance with Support from International Donors led by the World Bank

The Bank of Southern Sudan (BoSS) has launched an initiative to encourage more microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Southern Sudan. Called the ‘Microfinance Development Facility’, it will award a total of USD 1 million to successful MFI applicants in the first quarter of 2008.

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Want the Latest Word on Microinsurance? Need Health and Weather Insurance? Microfinance Gateway (MFG) Hosts New Papers

A large number of papers are posted on The Microfinance Gateway Library each month. Here we suggest a few of the best: