by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Deutsche Bank Announces Closing of $50m Social Enterprise Fund “Essential Capital Consortium” (ECC)

Germany-based Deutsche Bank’s Global Social Finance Group, which specializes in socially responsible investing, recently announced the closing of a five-year, USD 50 million Essential Capital Consortium (ECC) social enterprise fund.

by Aliz Crowley -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Microinsurance Distribution Channels, Friendship Bridge, MicroVest Impact Reports

“Microinsurance Distribution Channels: Insights for Insurers;” by Alice Merry, Pranav Prashad and Tobias Hoffarth; published by the Microinsurance Innovation Facility of the International Labour Organization as Paper Number 33; June 2014; 25 pages; available at http://www.microinsurancefacility.org/sites/default/files/MP33.pdf

The Microinsurance Innovation Facility of the International Labour Organization (ILO), an agency of the United Nations that addresses labour standards and related issues, recently analyzed the distribution channels available to microinsurance providers based on the experiences of 60 of its partner institutions.

by A'kos Szebeni -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Impact Investing at a Crossroads Raising Awareness, Expanding Product Offerings, Sound Metrics and Mainstreaming Were Among Key Themes at “5th Annual Impact Conference at Sustainatopia 2014”

Panelists at the recent Fifth Annual Impact Conference at Sustainatopia in the US city of Miami, Florida, showed consensus on some of the short-term steps needed to develop the impact investing sector toward becoming a mainstream, investable asset class that is attractive from a risk-reward perspective.

by Meraj Husain -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: LeapFrog Invests $29m in Equity in Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) Capital of India

LeapFrog Investments, a for-profit private equity fund based in Mauritius that invests in microfinance, reportedly has invested USD 29 million in return for a minority stake of undisclosed size in the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) Capital, an Indian non-banking financial company that facilitates funding for organizations that serve low-income people.

by Tejas Jain -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFX Solutions, Fonds pour l’Inclusion Financière en République Démocratique Congo to Provide Technical Assistance to Banks, Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)

MFX Solutions, a US-based company that provides currency hedging solutions for microfinance institutions (MFIs) and microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs), recently announced that it has entered into a two-year technical assistance partnership with Fonds pour l’inclusion financière en république démocratique Congo, a nonprofit microlending organization in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that is known by its English acronym FPM, in an effort to help financial institutions better manage risks.

by Meraj Husain -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Deutsche Bank Grows Global Commercial Microfinance Consortium II Fund to $100m

Frankfurt-based financial services company Deutsche Bank recently met its goal of securing USD 100 million from various investors for its Global Commercial Microfinance Consortium II fund (Consortium II), which provides capital to microfinance institutions (MFIs).

by Meraj Husain -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Prudential Purchases Controlling Stake in Ghana’s Express Life Insurance From LeapFrog Investments

UK-based life insurance firm Prudential plc has purchased a majority stake in Ghanaian microinsurance provider Express Life Insurance Company from LeapFrog Investments, a private equity fund based in Mauritius.

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Développement International Desjardins (DID) Invests in Microfinance Currency Hedging Company MFX Solutions

Développement International Desjardins (DID), a nonprofit organization based in Canada that provides technical support and investment for development finance in emerging economies, has invested an unspecified amount in US-based MFX Solutions, a company that provides currency hedging solutions for microfinance institutions (MFIs) and microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs) [1].

by Adrija Vaiciulionis -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: LeapFrog Raises $204m for Second Fund; to Invest in Microinsurance, Other Financial Services for Poor People in Africa, Asia

LeapFrog Investments, a Mauritius-based investor in financial services for poor people in emerging markets, has raised USD 204 million for its second equity fund.

by Jennifer Young -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Risk Management Initiative in Microfinance (RIM) Launched

MFX Solutions, a US-based company that provides currency hedging solutions for microfinance institutions (MFIs) and microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs), recently announced that it is one of eight partners launching the Risk Management Initiative in Microfinance (RIM), which will aim to mitigate challenges MFIs face in risk management; promote best practices; institute global MFI risk management standards; and protect MFIs and their clients from internal and external risks.

by Nicole Boyd -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: LeapFrog, Kinnevik Invest $7m in Mobile Microinsurance Provider Bima

LeapFrog Investments, a Mauritius-based investor in insurance providers operating in emerging markets, recently announced plans to invest USD 4.3 million to take a stake of undisclosed size in Bima, a Sweden-based mobile microinsurance provider that operates in emerging markets in Africa and Asia.

by Brian LeBlanc -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Applications Open for Indian “Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2013”

The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a Switzerland-based nonprofit, and the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation, an Indian nonprofit, have announced that they are now accepting applications for the 2013 Indian “Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award.”

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFX Solutions Releases French Version of Comprehensive Asset/Liability Management (CALM) Tool for Microfinance Institutions

MFX Solutions, a US-based company that provides currency hedging solutions for microfinance institutions (MFIs) and microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs), has released a French-language version of its Comprehensive Asset/Liability Management (CALM) Tool.

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Omtrix’s Higher Education Finance Fund (HEFF) Provides $3m Loan to Fundacion Genesis Empresial of Guatemala

Omtrix Incorporated, a privately owned fund management consulting firm based in Costa Rica, recently announced the first disbursement from its Higher Education Finance Fund (HEFF), which will go to Fundacion Genesis Empresarial, a Guatemalan microfinance institution (MFI).

by Sarah Benali -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: LeapFrog Takes 15% Stake in Mahindra Insurance Brokers for $15m in Effort to Boost Impact in Rural India

LeapFrog Investments, a for-profit private equity fund that invests in microinsurance, recently made its second investment in India in the past year by taking a 15-percent equity stake in Mahindra Insurance Brokers Limited (MIBL), an Indian insurance brokerage firm dedicated to serving rural Indians.