The Magharebia, a website which covers news about northwest Africa, reports that youth in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are increasingly utilizing microcredit to counter unemployment [1].
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MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Chuck Waterfield of MFTransparency Explores Ideas to Make Microfinance Prices More Transparent
Mr Chuck Waterfield, founder and CEO of MFTransparency (MFT), a US-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) that collects and publishes information on microcredit products and pricing, recently contributed to the CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) blog to suggest ideas for regulations that could encourage more transparent pricing in microfinance [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microinsurance Network Report, “Commercial Insurers in Microinsurance,” Examines Trends, Challenges, Long-term Perspectives of Commercial Companies
Microinsurance Network, a member-based organization that works to advance insurance in poor countries, recently released its report, “Commercial Insurers in Microinsurance,” that examines the incentives and long-term prospects for the involvement of commercial companies in microinsurance [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Council of Credit Unions’ (WOCCU’) “2010 Statistical Report” Announces 12% Increase in Credit Union Deposit Holdings, 10% Increase in Reserves
The World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), a US-based membership organization representing 41 national-level credit union member trade groups, recently released its “2010 Statistical Report,” which is based on data from credit unions from 100 countries and reports a 12-percent increase in aggregate credit union savings from USD 1.1 trillion in 2009 to USD 1.23 trillion in 2010.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroRate’s “The State of Microfinance Investments 2011” Indicates Resilience During Economic Downturn
MicroRate, a US-based microfinance rating agency, recently announced the release of its sixth annual survey of microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs), “The State of Microfinance Investments 2011.”
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Selective Knowledge: Reporting Biases in Microfinance Data, by Jonathan Bauchet and Jonathan Morduch, Published by Financial Access Initiative (FAI) at New York University’s Robert F Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and Hunter College
By Jonathan Bauchet and Jonathan Morduch, published by the Financial Access Initiative (FAI) at New York University’s Robert F Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and Hunter College, June 2009, 39 pages, available at:
http://www.nyu.edu/projects/morduch/documents/articles/2008-06-Selective-knowledge.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Indian Government Publishes Draft of Microfinance Institutions Bill, Would Make Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Sole Regulator, Establish Microfinance Development Council, Microfinance Development Fund
After months of deliberations and input from academics, policymakers and practitioners, the Indian government has published a draft of its “Microfinance Institutions (Development and Regulation) Bill,” as the first version of a future authoritative policy to govern the domestic microfinance sector.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: South Africa’s National Treasury Releases Policy Document, “The South African Microinsurance Regulatory Framework,” to Address Access to Insurance, Consumer Protection for Low-Income Households
In a recent press release, the National Treasury of the Republic of South Africa, the body responsible for managing government finances, released a policy document titled, “The South African Microinsurance Regulatory Framework,” to address the “challenges to improve access to insurance and consumer protection for the lower income families in the country” [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Articles From UK’s The Guardian, Nigeria’s Business Daily Online Praise Potential of Mobile Banking, Microfinance Across Africa
According to a recent story published by The Guardian, a British newspaper, the African continent is now home to more than 500 million mobile phones and is experiencing a wave of innovation in the field of mobile banking.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Experts Weigh Risks and Benefits of Microsavings as Microfinance Menu Expands
A recent article posted on the website of The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, describes microsavings as a critical facet of microfinance and a way of offsetting “microcredit’s discredit.”
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroRate Latin America Approved as Microfinance Rating Agency in Peru, Celebrates 14th Anniversary
MicroRate Latin America, the Lima-based arm of the evaluator of microfinance institutions (MFIs), recently announced that it has been approved as a rating agency by Peru’s Superintendency of Banking, Insurance and Pension Fund Managers (SBS), which reportedly makes it the only regulated rating agency in Peru that specializes in microfinance.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) Announces 2,000 Microfinance Institutions Now Reporting to MIX Market
The Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), a US-based nonprofit organization that runs the MIX Market online database of microfinance institutions (MFIs), recently announced that it currently collects self-reported information from 2,000 MFIs based in 110 countries, representing 92 million borrowers.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Wall Street Journal Article Highlights Foreign-Exchange Risks for Microfinance Institutions, Hedging Solutions Offered By The Currency Exchange Fund (TCX)
The Wall Street Journal, a US-based newspaper, recently commented on the potential of illiquid currencies and volatile monetary policy to have a negative impact on the loan portfolios of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in developing countries.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Social Performance Task Force (SPTF) Releases Proposed “Universal Standards for Social Performance” in Microfinance
The Social Performance Task Force (SPTF), an initiative set up in 2005 to improve the social performance management of microfinance institutions, released its proposed Universal Standards for Social Performance at its recent annual meeting in the Netherlands.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Imp-Act, MicroSave Launch Guidance Notes on Social Performance Management for Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)
Imp-Act, a UK-based consortium of nine organizations focused on the social performance management (SPM) of microfinance institutions (MFIs), and MicroSave, a for-profit technical assistance, training and resource center in India, recently introduced two new “guidance notes” in English, French and Spanish, titled “Strategic Planning: Integrating SPM into Microfinance Capacity Building” and “Governance: Integrating SPM into Microfinance Capacity Building”. According to the Social Performance Task Force (SPTF), an initiative of CGAP
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microsavings and Payments Innovation Initiative (MPII) Offering Research Grants on Savings Products, Payment Channels in Developing Countries
The Microsavings and Payments Innovation Initiative (MPII), a program administered by Yale University of the United States and its nonprofit sub-grantee Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), is accepting expressions of interest for grants to conduct field research on savings and payment innovations and their impact on poverty alleviation.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Swiss Banking Software Provider Temenos Pilots Cloud-Based Platform for Six Mexican Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)
Temenos, a Switzerland-based banking software company, recently launched its TEMENOS 24 (T24) platform for microfinance and community banking, which is a version of its retail banking software that has been tailored in an effort to meet the needs of microfinance institutions (MFIs).
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Microfinance Investment Transparency and Evaluation in Washington DC, USA, and Online, July 20, 2011
Event Name: USAID Microenterprise Development Office After Hours Seminar #53 – Microfinance Investment Transparency and Evaluation
Event Date: July 20, 2011; 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm EDT
Event Location: QED Group, Washington DC, USA or online