by Anthony Busch -

MICROCAPITAL EVENT: The Boulder Institute of Microfinance (BI) and the Università Degli Studi di Bergamo (University of Bergamo) in Italy, with Support from the Rural Finance Program (RFP) at The Ohio State University (OSU), to Hold Conference on the Future of Rural Finance

Boulder-Bergamo Forum on Access to Financial Services: Expanding the Rural Frontier

September 18-20, 2008, University of Bergamo, Italy

The Boulder Institute of Microfinance (BI), a nonprofit organization which grew out of microfinance training programs initiated in 1995, and the Università Degli Studi di Bergamo (University of Bergamo), an institution outside of Milan, Italy that offers a one-year Master on Microfinance program, will jointly host “Boulder-Bergamo Forum on Access to Financial Services: Expanding the Rural Frontier,” a conference focusing on rural financial services meant to gather researchers, government leaders, managers of financial institutions, and representatives of international organizations for dialogue on the future of the sector. The Rural Finance Program (RFP) at The Ohio State University’s (OSU) Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE) will support the conference.

by Anthony Busch -

MICROCAPITAL EVENT: The School of Applied Microfinance (SAM) in Kenya to Hold Annual Training Program Designed for Managers and Consultants of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian Sub-continent

Practical Skills and Tools for Microfinance Managers & Consultants

September 8-19, 2008, Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort & Spa, Mombasa, Kenya

Incorporated in Nairobi, Kenya, the School of Applied Microfinance (SAM) will hold its annual two-week training program in September, which will focus on capacity building for employees and partners of microfinance institutions (MFIs) located in Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian Sub-continent. The curriculum will include daily plenary presentations on macro issues such as e-banking’s effect on microfinance and the ongoing commercialization of the sector. Each day, the plenary presentations will be followed by two technical training sessions chosen by the participants from a list of 14 topics. The technical training sessions, which are all still open according to SAM’s web site, will include subjects such as Process Mapping, Product Costing, Customer Service, and Corporate Branding & Identity. Each session is one week in duration and participants can choose no more than four. Finally, participants will make presentations and hold discussions on case studies from their own MFIs in the evenings.

by Anthony Busch -

WHO’S WHO IN MICROFINANCE: Mr. William “Bill” Drayton of Virginia-based Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

William “Bill” Drayton is the CEO of Ashoka and in 1980 founded the nonprofit—or “citizen organization” as the institution prefers to refer to itself—with the aspiration of supporting “social entrepreneurs” in the world; a term used by Ashoka to describe the growing number of engaged citizens who are tackling global problems with innovative, system-wide solutions, profitable and not. Ashoka’s main avenue for affecting change in the world is through its Ashoka Fellows program which identifies social entrepreneurs worldwide and provides a powerful network of assistance, mentorship, and finances to enable the fellows to truly be “changemakers.”

by Anthony Busch -

WHO’S WHO IN MICROFINANCE: Mr. Shafiqual Haque Choudhury of the Association for Social Advancement (ASA) in Bangladesh

Shafiqual Haque Choudhury is the founder and President of the Association for Social Advancement (ASA), a microfinance institution (MFI) based in Dhaka, Bangladesh serving over 5.5 million borrowers and reporting a loan portfolio of BDT 32.4 billion, or USD 482.5 million, in April 2008. Additionally, he recently served as an Advisor to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh (December 2006 through 2007) with responsibility for the Ministry of Agriculture, Youth & Sports, and Cultural Affairs.

by Melissa Duscha -

PAPER WRAP-UP: Microfinance for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: An Introduction

This document was produced by the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) with contributing editors Catarina Fonseca, Marieke Adank, Deirdre Casella and Martine Jeths, in cooperation with the International Water and Sanitation Center (IRC) and contributing editors Peter van der Linde and Bianca Dijkshoorn. Originally published in October 2007, this 33-page document is available here.

This paper was published as an introduction to the use of microfinance services in developing sustainable infrastructure to provide drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services to poor communities in developing countries. Water supply and sanitation activities are not traditionally targeted by microfinance institutions because they are not seen as income-generating businesses. Recently, more and more microfinance institutions argue that sustainable businesses can be established in water supply and sanitation projects.

by Jennifer Lee -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Indian Microfinance Institution Grama Vidiyal Microfinance (GV) Plans Expansion and Receives USD 3.5 Million from Unitus Equity Fund and Vinod Khosla

Indian non-banking finance company, Grama Vidiyal Microfinance (GV), will look to increase its branches by 115 for its current 100. Currently GV operates in 18 districts of the southern state of Tamil Nadu. By December of 2009, the company expects to open branches in Andhra Pradesh and then in northern India.

by Jennifer Lee -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: ING Review of Deutsche Bank’s Microfinance Activities, the Microcredit Development Fund, and the Global Commercial Microfinance Consortium

The Dutch Bank ING published its updated 2008 study on commercial bank microfinance activity, called “A Billion to Gain? The Next Phase”. A MicroCapital summary of the paper can be read here. MicroCapital is reviewing the microfinance activities of several of large international banks covered in the study, such as Deutsche Bank (DB).

by Jennifer Lee -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: ING Review of Citigroup’s Microfinance Activities and Its Syndicated Loan Securitizations for Compartamos, SKS Microfinance, and BRAC

The Dutch Bank ING published its updated 2008 study on commercial bank microfinance activity, called “A Billion to Gain? The Next Phase”. A MicroCapital summary of the paper can be read here. MicroCapital is reviewing the microfinance activities of several of large international banks covered in the study, such as Citigroup (Citi).

by Anthony Busch -

MICROCAPITAL EVENT: 2008 World Business and Development Awards, for Which Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) are Eligible, Currently Accepting Nominations

WORLD BUSINESS AND DEVELOPMENT AWARDS

SEPTEMBER 24, 2008, NEW YORK

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), an institution promoting trade and investment across borders since 1919, announced on April 16th through a press release that the bi-annual World Business and Development Awards (WBDA) are now accepting nominations for the 2008 competition. The awards will recognize private sector institutions which support the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), one of which is the eradication of extreme poverty, the primary social motive for many microfinance institutions (MFIs).