The Social Performance (SP) Start-up Fund for Networks, an initiative aimed at increasing the implementation and transparency of SP processes and tools by microfinance institutions (MFIs), recently initiated a call for proposals from national microfinance associations from Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa for projects aiming to support SP activities.
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MICROFINANCE EVENT: International Labor Organization (ILO), Microinsurance Network Host “New Frontiers in Microinsurance Distribution” Webinar, July 13, 2011
Event Name: New Frontiers in Microinsurance Distribution
Event Date: July 13, 2011
Event Location: Online
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Westpac Banking of Australia Implements Government-to-Person (G2P) Payment System Providing Electronic Cash Transfers in Fiji
Westpac Banking Corporation of Australia, an international banking group, has begun rolling out an electronic payment system that facilitates cash transfers from Fiji’s Department of Social Welfare (DSW) to poor people in rural Fiji.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: SKS Microfinance Reconsidering Business Strategy to Rebuild Reputation
SKS Microfinance, a microfinance institution (MFI) that serves groups of impoverished women in India, is reportedly considering new business growth avenues in an attempt to increase revenue and improve its reputation. Along with collateral-free loans, four new products would be offered: loans using gold as collateral, housing loans, loans to buy mobile phones and loans to local grocery stores in a supply arrangement with the cash-and-carry chain, Metro. “The pilot projects have been yielding very encouraging results,” says Vikram Akula, chairperson and founder of SKS Microfinance.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) Cash Withdrawal Limit Expected to Impact Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently issued limits on daily cash withdrawals by individuals and corporate customers of NGN 150,000 (USD 962) and NGN 1 million (USD 6,417), respectively, effective June 1, 2012.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MoPIC) Announces New Policy Framework for Expansion of Microfinance Industry in Jordan
The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MoPIC) in Jordan, with assistance from KfW, a German government-owned development bank, recently developed a new policy framework for the microfinance industry.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Nigeria’s Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Partnering with Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN) to Offer Mobile Banking
Nigeria-based Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) has partnered with Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN), a telecommunications provider based in South Africa, to offer mobile banking services in Nigeria.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: US Under Secretary of State Maria Otero: Mobile Money, Policy Reform are Keys to Financial Success
Speaking at a recent panel held by the Brookings Institution, a US-based nonprofit public policy organization, on “Growth Through Innovation in Africa: Mobile Financial Services and Financial Inclusion,” Maria Otero, US Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, argued that mobile money could substantially support financial inclusion efforts.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) Publishes Working Draft of “Microfinance, Financial Crises, and Fluctuations in Food and Fuel Prices” by Adrian Gonzalez
Microfinance Information Exchange, a US-based, nonprofit data provider, recently drafted a paper entitled “Microfinance, Financial Crises, and Fluctuations in Food and Fuel Prices” that examines the potential impact of large-scale financial crises on the microfinance sector.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microinsurance Network Releases Coverage Of “Microinsurance Debate on Public-Private Partnership (PPP)”
The Microinsurance Network, a member-based organization that works to advance insurance in poor countries, recently published a summary of an online discussion on public-private partnerships (PPPs) addressing themes including the role of governments in enabling PPPs, the merits and drawbacks of subsidizing the private sector, how to define success in microinsurance PPPs and current gaps in consumer protection and institutional capacity.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) Releases “2010 Sub-Saharan Microfinance Analysis and Benchmarking Report”
The Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) recently released the “2010 Sub-Saharan Microfinance Analysis and Benchmarking Report,” which covers information on 181 microfinance institutions (MFIs) that operate in 41 countries.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Sanabel Microfinance Network of Arab Countries to Host Eighth Annual Conference, Amman, Jordan, June 7 – June 9, 2011
Conference Blog: http://microlinks.kdid.org/learning-marketplace/blogs/sanabel-annual-conference-plenary-panel-%E2%80%9Cstate-sector%E2%80%9D-and-impacts-politi
Event Name: Sanabel’s Eighth Annual Conference – “Microfinance in the Arab Region: Challenges of the Past and Opportunities of the Future”
Event Date: June 7, 2011 to June 9, 2011
Event Location: Le Meridien Hotel, Amman, Jordan
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Asia Society Washington Hosts “Lending To The Poor: Insights on Microfinance in Asia,” May 9, 2011, Washington, DC, USA
Event Name: Lending To The Poor, Insights on Microfinance in Asia
Event Date: May 9, 2011
Event Time: 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Event Location: Asia Society Washington, The Cinnabar Room, Whittemore House, 2nd floor, 1526 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC, USA
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microinsurance Network Launches Website for its “Stocktaking Initiative: Ongoing Impact Assessments on Microinsurance”
The Microinsurance Network, which was initially established as the CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) Working Group on Microinsurance in 2002, recently launched its “Stocktaking Initiative: Ongoing Impact Assessments on Microinsurance” website. An initiative of the network’s Impact Working Group, the Stocktaking Initiative aims to serve as an information clearinghouse on impact assessments of microinsurance around the world.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) Wins Tageblatt Award For Social Business Model At Luxembourg Fund Awards
The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a microfinance investment fund incorporated in Luxembourg, was recently awarded the Tageblatt Award of the Luxembourg Fund Awards for its contribution to socioeconomic development in Southeast Europe and the Caucasus region.
MICROCAPITAL EVENT: Hanson Wade Hosts Transformational Microfinance LATAM in Mexico City, Mexico, May 17 – May 19, 2011
Event Name: Transformational Microfinance LATAM
Event Date: May 17 – May 19, 2011
Event Location: Mexico City, Mexico
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Bank Group Publishes Guide to Reducing Fraud in Mobile Banking Services for Unbanked Clients, “Protecting Mobile Money Against Financial Crimes”
The World Bank Group, a Washington, DC-based group of five institutions with a mission to fight poverty and improve living standards for people in the developing world, has published a book titled “Protecting Mobile Money Against Financial Crimes”. The book was written as a guide to delivering mobile banking services to unbanked customers in rural areas [1]. Based on fieldwork in eight markets including Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines and Zambia and research in more than ten countries, the book suggests approaches to mitigate the risks associated with mobile money [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Nigerian Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) Continue to Require Collateral, Other Conditions for Loans; Lift Above Poverty Organisation (LAPO) to Cut Interest Rates
Most Nigerian microfinance institutions (MFIs) reportedly continue to place conditions on borrowers who are seeking to take out loans, despite the stated policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to de-emphasize such requirements.