by Greg Casey -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Micro Finance Bank of Azerbaijan (MFBA) Renamed Access Bank

According to the Azeri Press Association, the Micro Finance Bank of Azerbaijan (MFBA) has been officially renamed Access Bank. The name stems from Access Holding, which controls a 16.53 percent stake in the microfinance institution (MFI). The news comes after MFBA recently attracted increased funding from the IFC and British Petroleum (BP).

by Ipek Kuran -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Central Bank of Liberia Grants License to AccessBank Liberia Limited, a Commercial Microfinance Bank

Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) has granted provisional license to AccessBank Liberia Limited (ABL), a microfinance bank established in 2008, to operate as a commercial entity. AccessBank Liberia will open with an initial paid-in capital of USD 6 million, the minimum capital required by the CBL of banks operating in Liberia. AccessBank will focus on microfinance lending while also provide short and medium-term lending to small and medium enterprises.

by Melissa Duscha -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: The African Development Bank (ADB) Approves US $900,000 Investment in Access Holding AG-Sponsored Access Bank Liberia (ABL) and $1m grant to Support Micro-enterprises in Liberia

In an effort to support post-conflict recovery in Liberia, the African Development Bank (ADB) approved an equity investment of USD 900,000 in Access Bank Liberia (ABL) and a USD 1 million grant from the ADB-managed Fund for African Private Sector Assistance (FAPA) to be used in the development of micro-enterprises in the region.

by Anthony Busch -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will Extend a $30m Syndicated Loan to the Micro Finance Bank of Azerbaijan (MFBA) for On-lending to Micro Enterprises

The Board of Directors of the London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), an international bank utilizing investment tools to encourage democracy and market economies from central Asia to central Europe since 1991, will discuss an upcoming syndicated loan to the Micro Finance Bank of Azerbaijan (MFBA) on May 12th. The loan will be worth USD 30 million, as reported by the Azeri-Press Agency (APA). The EBRD will finance USD 10 million of the loan and the remaining USD 20 million will be offered to the syndication market on “B loan” terms.

by Mary Fu -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets (SIFEM) Lends USD 6 Million to Micro Finance Bank of Azerbaijan (MFBA)

Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets (SIFEM), on behalf of Swiss Confederation, granted a six-year USD 6 million loan to Micro Finance Bank of Azerbaijan (MFBA), marking the first deal between the two entities. The loan will be applied toward financing micro, small, and agricultural businesses of Azerbaijan; a minimum of USD 3 million will be used exclusively for granting agrarian credit, a bank product that MFBA first launched in August 2007. By supporting Azerbaijan’s agricultural sector, SIFEM hopes to foster a diversification of the Azerbaijan economy away from oil and gas sectors.

by Steven Craig -

MICROCAPITAL SPECIAL FEATURE: 2007 Equity Investments in Small and Medium Sized Microbanks, Part 3 of 3

December 10, MicroCapital.org featured Part 2 of a series on 2007 Equity Investments in Small and Medium Sized Microbanks. Previously, detailed information was provided on institutions with less than USD 100 million in assets. Here, in Part 3, we provide detailed financial and outreach information on microbanks with total assets greater than USD 100 million and less than USD 200 million. The institutions are presented in ascending order based on asset size.