by Jeffrey Erfe -

MICROCAPITAL EVENT: Women Advancing Microfinance New York (WAM New York) Hosts Panel Discussion on Female Leadership in Microfinance Sector on November 17

NOVEMBER 17, 2008, 6:30PM – 8:30PM, NEW YORK CITY

Women Advancing Microfinance New York (WAM New York), the New York branch of an international organization of professional women who work to promote microfinance, will host a discussion panel on female leadership in microfinance on Monday, November 17.  The event will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Sullivan and Cromwell on 125 Broad Street in New York City. 

by Jeffrey Erfe -

MICROCAPITAL PAPER WRAP-UP: Impact of Microfinance on Rural Households in the Philippines: A Case Study from the Special Evaluation Study on the Effects of Microfinance Operations on Poor Rural Households and the Status of Women, by Toshio Kondo

Written Toshio Kondo and based on a survey study carried out by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), released in September 2007 as an ADB Operational Report, 24 pages, available on November 2, 2008 at: http://www.adb.org/Documents/IES/PHI/IES-PHI-Impact-of-Microfinance.pdf.

The paper uses an economic approach to evaluate the impacts of the Rural Microenterprise Finance Project (RMFP) in the Philippines.  RMFP is a government-sponsored program that aims to support rural microfinance institutions (MFIs) and other lenders.  In the long-term, the government hoped the program would reduce poverty, create employment opportunities and increase the incomes of the poorest 30 percent of the rural population.    Rural banks, cooperative rural banks, cooperatives, thrift banks and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) participated in the program, which ended in December of 2002. 

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL SPECIAL FEATURE: Mohammad Yunus and Michael Chu Debate Profiting from Poor People at the Worldwide Microfinance Forum

“Is it fair to do business with the poor?”

Mr Mohammad Yunus and Mr Michael Chu debated whether commercial finance should make a profit from doing business with the poor in the plenary debate at the World Microfinance Forum, October 1 – 2, 2008, in Geneva.

by Greg Casey -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Examination of Fitch Rating Standards for Microfinance Institutions

The credit ratings assigned to corporations affect the cost of borrowing money in international capital markets. Microfinance institutions (MFIs) are no exception. As more and more MFIs look to raise money from capital markets, their credit ratings will become increasingly important in their ability to provide financial services at a low cost. Fitch Ratings is a premier international ratings agency, which has evaluated a number of MFIs around the world. This story will examine how Fitch approaches ratings of microfinance.

by Greg Casey -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: ACCION International Hires Ascendant Strategy Management Group to Develop Performance Metrics

ACCION International has hired Ascendant Strategy Management Group to develop performance metrics for ACCION managers. The system will be based on Ascendant’s “balanced scorecard” framework, the name for its general consulting package that it tailors to individual clients. Further specifics, including which areas of ACCION will be employing the new measurements, was not available, although it appears that ACCION’s Center for Financial Inclusion will be involved.

by Yrenilsa Lopez -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: India’s Stricter Capital Norms may Prompt more Efficient Financial Structures for Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)

India’s present growth rate for its microfinance sector has been recorded at 130 percent, with prospects of continued growth and increased demand in coming years. Microfinance Institutions (MFI) in India have been responsible for Rs 10,000 crore (approx. USD 2.23 billion) in loans to low-income individuals and small businesses. Currently a sector consisting of about 135 MFI’s throughout the country, the government of India has begun introducing tighter norms for the capital adequacy ratios (CAR) of its microfinance lenders, which are expected to be enacted within the coming year.

by Scott Everett -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: In Asia, Newly defined Poverty Lines Reveal Higher Numbers of People in Poverty, Risks To Millennium Development Goals And Growing Microfinance Opportunities

The World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) both released studies recently that offer new definitions of international poverty. The original “$1-a-day Poverty Line” is a global poverty line for absolute poverty that was set by the World Bank in 1990, and is adjusted for various purchasing power parities (PPP). PPPs are conversion factors that ensure a common purchasing power over a given set of goods and services. People living at or below these poverty lines are said to be in extreme poverty.

by Greg Casey -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: An Investigation of Economies of Scale in Microfinance Institutions, by Joshua Zacharias

Written by Joshua Zacharias, Glucksman Institute for Research in Securities Markets at The Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University, Faculty Advisor: David Backus, April 16, 2008, available at: http://archive.nyu.edu/handle/2451/25936.

‘Economies of scale’ refers to increased efficiency (lower average costs per unit produced) experienced by firms as they increase the overall size (total units produced) of their operations. For financial institutions, this measurement measures cost savings realized from increasing the size of its loan portfolio in terms of both number of loans and overall value of loan portfolios.