In a recent paper, “Finance and Development: A Tale of Two Sectors,” published in the academic journal American Economic Review, researchers affiliated with the US-based nonprofit Consortium on Financial Systems and Poverty (CFSP), conclude that poor access to financing opportunities in developing countries makes it harder for entrepreneurs to start large-scale businesses like manufacturing [1].
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MICROFINANCE EVENT: Mobile Money Global Summit and Expo, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, October 31 – November 3, 2011
Event Name: Mobile Money Global Summit and Expo, 2011
Event Date: October 31 – November 3, 2011
Event Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: LeapFrog to Invest $15m in India’s Shriram Group to Expand Microinsurance, Savings Offerings
LeapFrog Investments, a US-based private equity fund focusing on microinsurance activities, will invest USD 15 million in the Shriram Group, an India-based provider of financial services to low-income individuals, to help the organization expand its offering of microinsurance and savings products for up to 10 million clients.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFTransparency Announces First Microfinance Data Submissions for Transparent Pricing Initiative in the Philippines
MFTransparency, a US-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) that collects and publishes information on microcredit products and pricing, recently received the first data submissions from Filipino microfinance institutions (MFIs) that are participating in its “Transparent Pricing Initiative.”
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Investment and Innovation in Microfinance Summit: Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, October 18 – 19, 2011
Event Name: Investment and Innovation in Microfinance Summit: Africa
Event Date: October 18 to October 19, 2011
Event Location: Hilton Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFTransparency, Mozambican Association of Microfinance Operators (AMOMIF) Launch Transparent Pricing Initiative in Mozambique
MFTransparency, a US-based nongovernmental organization that provides information on credit products and pricing, recently announced plans to expand its Transparent Pricing Initiative to Mozambique with the objective of collecting and publishing pricing data for microfinance products offered in the country and providing financial literacy training to microfinance clients.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: responsAbility Disburses $4m in Loans and Equity to Bai Tushum of Kyrgyz Republic; Arnur Credit, Bereke of Kazakhstan
responsAbility Social Investments AG (responsAbility), a Swiss asset management company that invests in microfinance institutions (MFIs) and microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs), recently reported to MicroCapital that it made investments totaling the equivalent of USD 4 million in Bai Tushum of the Kyrgyz Republic, Arnur Credit of Kazakhstan and Bereke of Kazakhstan.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Pakistan-Based Islamic Microfinance Network (IMFN) Recruiting Members
Islamic Microfinance Network (IMFN), a Pakistan-based nonprofit organization that aims to promote Islamic microfinance worldwide, recently announced the opening of its membership to both national and international organizations that work in Islamic microfinance [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Venture Capital Company Advans SA Wins $4m in Grants From Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank AG (OeEB), Part for Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire
Advans SA SICAR (Advans SA), a venture capital company specializing in microfinance and managed by Horus Development Finance of France, recently announced the signature of grant agreements with Agence Française de Développement (AFD), a public bilateral development finance institution, and Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank AG (OeEB), the development bank of Austria, worth a total of EUR 3.1 million (USD 4.4 million) [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC to Make Equity Investment of $1m in Microfinance Institution Advans Cote d’Ivoire
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, will invest USD 1 million in Advans Cote d’Ivoire, a member of the Advans SA group of microfinance institutions (MFIs).
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: responsAbility Loans $8m to Kompanion of Kyrgyz Republic, Eskhata of Tajikistan, XacBank of Mongolia
responsAbility Social Investments AG (responsAbility), a Swiss asset management company that invests in microfinance institutions (MFIs) and microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs), recently reported to MicroCapital that it made debt investments totaling USD 8 million through MIVs it manages in the following institutions: USD 3 million to Kompanion Financial Group Microfinance Closed Joint Stock Company, an MFI in Kyrgyzstan; USD 2 million to Eskhata Bank, an institution in Tajikistan that lends to micro- and small businesses; and USD 3 million to XacBank, a community development MFI in Mongolia.
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
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC), Microsave Publish Deposit Assessment Reports for Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, recently commissioned “The South Asia Deposit Assessment” studies.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BlueOrchard Loans $1.1m in Local Currency to Cameroonian Microfinance Institution (MFI) Advans Cameroun
BlueOrchard Finance SA, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based BlueOrchard Microfinance Investment Managers, has announced that it will provide a local-currency loan of XAF 500 million (USD 1.1 million) to Advans Cameroun, a microfinance institution (MFI) operating in Cameroon.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: African Development Bank (AfDB) Loan Guarantee Scheme Provides Loans to Women Whose Businesses are Too Big for Microfinance
The lack of access to finance for women entrepreneurs in Africa was a theme of the recent annual meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) held in Lisbon, Portugal. A report presented at the AfDB meeting showed that women entrepreneurs face a number of hurdles that make it difficult for them to obtain financing, while a study by AfDB estimated that the USD 19 billion-demand for finance from women entrepreneurs reflects an opportunity for finance institutions as well as for job creation.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Expands in Rural Kyrgyzstan as Lending Shifts to Agriculture
Kyrgyzstan’s microcredit sector reportedly has been growing in recent years and extending to outlying regions. The growth of microcredit in rural regions has corresponded to an increase in agricultural business following the June 2010 ethnic riots in the country.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Financial Sector Deepening, Microfinance Opportunities Announce “Financial Diaries” Research Indicating M-Pesa Users Better Prepared for Health Emergencies, Most E-Money Transfers Are Among Family, Friends
Financial Sector Deepening Kenya (FSD Kenya), a Kenyan trust that seeks to develop the capacity of the financial services industry, in partnership with Microfinance Opportunities, a microenterprise resource center based in Washington, DC, recently hosted a workshop on “financial diaries”, which are year-long surveys that examine financial management in poor households. The following findings, based on the implementation of the diaries in Kenya, were announced: 1) low-income households handle “a lot of cash” on a weekly basis, 2) 95 percent of transactions are in cash, with the remaining 5 percent made through M-Pesa, 3) 80 percent of e-money flows are among family and friends, 4) 75 percent of M-Pesa remittances are cashed out, mostly within a day and 5) M-Pesa users are “less vulnerable to health shocks” [1].