by A'kos Szebeni -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Germany’s Kreditech Raises $15m in Debt from Kreos Capital for Lending in Eurasia, Latin America

Kreditech, a German technology company that uses an online platform to assess the creditworthiness of loan applicants, recently announced that it has raised USD 15 million in debt financing from UK-based venture capital firm Kreos Capital (Kreos).

by Anesa Kratovac -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC) Inclusive Business Models Group Publishes Case Studies

The World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), through “Inclusive Business Models Group,” has presented eight new case-studies of initiatives that operate within inclusive business principles [1, 2].

by Adrija Vaiciulionis -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Moody’s Analytics, Microfinance Centre (MFC) Partner to Launch Social Performance Assessment (SPA) in Europe, Central Asia

Moody’s Analytics, a unit of US-based Moody’s Corporation that aims to help capital markets and credit risk professionals respond to market changes, and the Microfinance Centre (MFC), a Poland-based microfinance resource center, recently partnered to launch Moody’s Analytics Social Performance Assessment (SPA), a tool that analyzes the performance of microfinance institutions and operations, in Europe and Central Asia.

by Anesa Kratovac -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Absolute Portfolio Management’s Dual Return Funds Invest $9.5m in Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) of Eight European, Asian, Latin American Countries

In June 2013, Absolute Portfolio Management (APM), an Austrian firm that invests in microfinance and other sectors, issued loans totaling the equivalent of USD 9.5 million to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Poland though its two Vision Microfinance funds, Dual Return Fund- Vision Microfinance and Dual Return Fund- Vision Microfinance Local Currency Fund.

by Nicole Boyd -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) to Loan $1.9m to Mi-Bospo of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a Luxembourg-based microfinance investment vehicle (MIV), recently loaned EUR 1.5 million (USD 1.9 million) to Mikrokreditna Fondacija Mi-Bospo, a microfinance institution (MFI) based in Bosnia and Herzegovina that loans exclusively to women.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Microinsurance Product Development for Microinsurance Providers;” by Michael J. McCord; published by Microfinance Centre, Microinsurance Centre, International Fund for Agricultural Development

By Michael J. McCord; published by the Microfinance Centre for Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States, the Microinsurance Centre and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); 2012; 124 pages; available at: http://www.ifad.org/ruralfinance/wrmf/manual.pdf

In this manual, Mr. McCord proposes a “systematic new-product development process” for the microinsurance market.

by Chioma Okwudiafor -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Part of $38b Commitment From European Investment Bank, World Bank, European Bank For Reconstruction and Development To Support SMEs

The European Investment Bank (EIB), the long-term lending bank of the European Union; the World Bank Group, a family of five organizations that provide leveraged loans and grants to developing countries; and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a development finance institution headquartered in London, recently launched a new joint international financial institution (IFI) action plan that is intended to rekindle growth in Central and South-Eastern Europe by supporting private and public sector initiatives including infrastructure, corporate investment and local financial sectors.

by Webster Hughes -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: responsAbility Loans $7.8m to ProCredit Moldova, $1.2m to Noa of Albania

In June, responsAbility Social Investments AG, a Swiss investment company, made debt investments totaling USD 7.8 million in ProCredit Moldova, a subsidiary of Germany’s ProCredit Group. As of 2011, ProCredit Moldova has assets totaling USD 150 million, USD 117 million in loans outstanding, return on equity of 8.8 percent and USD 43.6 million customer deposits.

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Council of Credit Unions’ Young Credit Union People (WYCUP) Scholarship Applications Due June 1, 2012

The World Council of Credit Unions’ Young Credit Union People (WYCUP) Scholarship Program recently announced the agenda for its four-day program to take place in Gdansk, Poland, from July 15, 2012 – July 18, 2012.

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mikrofond, Microfinance Centre, Citi Foundation Collaborate on Financial Education Project in Bulgaria

Mikrofond Aktzionerno Druzhestvo, a Bulgarian microfinance institution (MFI); Microfinance Centre, a Poland-based network of MFIs; and Citi Foundation, a US-based organization supporting financial inclusion, have prepared 25 Bulgarian microfinance trainers to give financial education workshops and counseling sessions to poor people in both rural and urban areas.

by Ariana Malushi -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Groupe Provoir Launches Prevoir Kampuchea Micro-life Insurance in Cambodia

Prevoir Kampuchea Micro-life Insurance Public Limited Company (PKMI), a subsidiary of French insurer Groupe Prevoir, has been launched in Cambodia after receiving an operating license from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

by Carol Kim -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Centre (MFC) for Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States’ “Financial Education Program” Reaches 100,000 Low-Income Households in Eastern Europe, Central Asia

The Microfinance Centre (MFC) for Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States, a regional network of 110 microfinance institutions (MFIs), announced its Financial Education Program (FEP) has reached 100,000 low-income households.

by Carol Kim -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Proposals Sought by “Social Performance Start-up Fund for Networks” of Microfinance Centre for Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States

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.

by Rohan Trivedi -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: European Investment Fund Loans $7m to Šiauliu Bankas of Lithuania for Expansion of Microfinance Portfolio

The European Investment Fund (EIF), a public-private partnership (PPP) that supports financial institutions in Europe that serve small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), has agreed to loan EUR 5 million (USD 7.2 million) to Šiauliu Bankas, a Lithuanian bank that provides finance to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

by Hajar Elaalej -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Habitat for Humanity, Microfinance Centre (MFC) for Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States Establish “Shelter Innovation Center” to Address Housing Needs in Europe, Central Asia

Habitat for Humanity (Habitat), a nonprofit housing organization based in the US state of Georgia that seeks to eliminate substandard housing, and the Microfinance Centre (MFC) for Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States, a regional network of 110 microfinance institutions (MFIs), recently agreed to work together to establish a Regional Center for Innovation for Shelter and Finance.