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 the AXA Group.
Search Results for: Microfinance Institutions Bill India
MICROCAPITAL STORY: India’s ACCESS Development Services and French NGO ACTED to Build Capacity of South Asian Microfinance Institutions with Funding from the European Commission
ACCESS Development Services (ACCESS) of India and the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED), an independent French non-governmental organization, will be working with 20 microfinance institutions (MFIs) from southern Asia with the goal of increasing economic co-operation between the region and Europe. Partially funded by the European Commission, this 18-month project will provide intensive capacity-building support, including development of business plans, best practice exchanges among regional MFIs and exposure to European banking standards. Other benefits are to include an opportunity to receive investment or loans from European companies and access to loan tracking software.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: ING Review of American International Group (AIG) and Its Partnerships with ACCION, FINCA, MicroCred, Pro Mujer, and Pak-Oman Microfinance Bank
The Dutch Bank ING published its updated 2008 study on commercial bank microfinance activity, called “A Billion to Gain? The Next Phase”. A MicroCapital review 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 American International Group (AIG).
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Annual Policy Conference on Indian Microfinance Held in New Delhi
The Annual Policy Conference on Indian Microfinance, organized by Sa-Dhan, the Association of Community Development Finance Institutions, and the Minister of State for Finance of the Government of India was held this past April 2nd-3rd in New Delhi.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Whole Foods Partners with Muhammad Yunus to Found Whole Planet Foundation Supplier Alliance for Microcredit, Uniting Natural Foods Vendors to Pledge $1m to Microfinance
Whole Planet Foundation (WPF), a Whole Foods Market nonprofit that makes grants and loans to microfinance institutions in developing countries, announced in March the creation of a coalition of natural foods companies dubbed the Whole Planet Foundation Supplier Alliance for Microcredit (WPFSAM). WPFSAM has pledged USD 1.05 million over three years to WPF. WPF’s operating expenses will continue to be funded by Whole Foods Market, which invests USD 1 million annually in the effort. The newly committed funds will be loaned to an estimated 6,500 families via implementation partners that include Grameen Trust in Costa Rica, Guatemala and India; Fundación Adelante in Honduras; and Pro Mujer in Nicaragua. A partial transcript and online audio are available of Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus’s interview regarding this commitment by Washington’s National Public Radio.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: A Review of BNP Paribas’ Microfinance Activities and Outlook for Expansion
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 will review the microfinance activities of several of large international banks covered in the study, starting with BNP Paribas.
NEWS WIRE: India: Microfinance Nonprofit ACCESS Development Services Provides Clean Water
Source: NextBillion.net.
PAPER WRAP-UP: Benchmarking Asian Microfinance 2006
Written by Scott Gaul and Hindi Tazi of the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), based on 2006 benchmark data collected by MIX from 194 Asian microfinance institutions, this publication was released in March 2006 as a 20-page document available here.
The Asian microfinance sector served over 35 million active borrowers with USD 6.97 billion in loans in 2006. While it represents only one third of global borrowers, Asian microfinance serves two thirds of total microloan clients. Asian MFIs also achieved scale in savings with over 47 million voluntary depositors, three-fourths of global microfinance savings clients.
PAPER WRAP-UP: ING Report States that Global Banks Doubled Microfinance Loans Last Year
International financial services provider ING published the updated study “A Billion to Gain? – The Next Phase”. The 68-page report states that the amount of outstanding wholesale loans by international banks to microfinance institutions (MFIs) doubled by the end of 2007 to approximately USD 1.4 billion from USD 0.5 billion in 2006. The author and researcher is Matthis Boúúaert.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: ING Bank Will Host the “A Billion to Gain? The Next Phase” Microfinance Seminar
A BILLION TO GAIN? THE NEXT PHASE
JUNE 16, 2008, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
The ING Group published an updated study on the microfinance activities of large, international financial institutions, called “A Billion to Gain? The Next Phase”. ING will hold a seminar to highlight the study, discuss latest trends, and debate central banks’ role in microfinance. The conference hopes to attract commercial banks and international microfinance representatives.
PIONEERS IN MICROFINANCE: Aloysius P. Fernandez of MYRADA and Sanghamithra Rural Financial Services
Aloysius P. Fernandez is Executive Director of rural development NGO MYRADA and Chairman of the Board of microfinance institution Sanghamithra Rural Financial Services.
MicroCapital: How did you get started in social finance?
AF: During the 1971 Bangladesh War, running a refugee program, I discovered the poverty and suffering there. I began to understand the causes of poverty, and I said: “Well, I’ve got to intervene in some way. Should I intervene in land? That’s difficult. Should I intervene in wages? That’s difficult.” So I said, “Let’s look at capital.” Then, we started cooperative societies, and these cooperatives broke down….
PAPER WRAP-UP: Foreign Capital Investment in Microfinance: Balancing Social and Financial Returns by Xavier Reille and Sarah Forster
A Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) publication, this 24-page study discusses the boom of private investments in microfinance. Along with an overview of current players, the authors highlight the latest trends and issues in debt and equity financing. The full-version of the paper is available here.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: A Brief Survey on the Impact of Microfinance on Women Part 3 of a 3-Part Series: Focusing on Women Clients for Financial Sustainability
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) reports that women’s access to microfinance improves overall economic activity in poorer regions, causing economic growth, since women make up 70 percent of the 1.3 billion people living below the poverty line. Access to savings and credit are believed to increase investment and productivity, access to markets and overall income.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Reliance Capital Enters First Phase of Microfinance Initiative in India
As posted by MicroCapital on Thursday, Reliance Capital of India, a publicly-traded financial institution offering a wide range of services and reporting March 2007 total assets of USD 1.5 billion, announced a new microfinance initiative on March 3rd beginning with the financing of two microfinance institutions (MFIs) based in Gujarat state. As stated in the press release, MAS Financial Services Limited (MFSL) and Vardan Trust received the first checks and Reliance Capital plans to continue the first phase of the initiative in Maharashtra state before expanding nation-wide at an undetermined date. Mr. K. V. Srinivasan, the Deputy CEO of Reliance Consumer Finance—a division of Reliance Capital offering loans for a variety of products—expressed that the methodology of the initiative will be to lend to MFIs which will then on-lend to individuals, self help groups (SHGs), and other joint liability microfinance structures. SHGs are unions of individuals, usually connected by geographical location, which organize to take advantage of the financial services that can be utilized from their collective assets.
NEWS WIRE: India: Billionaire Anil Ambani’s Reliance Capital Launches Microfinance Initivative to Reach Rural Poor
Source: The Hindu.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: ASA International Secures $125m in Largest Microfinance Equity Commitment to Date
Catalyst Microfinance Investors (CMI) of Mauritius announced on Tuesday that it had raised USD 125 million through the largest microfinance equity sale to date. Investors included private individuals as well as a number of institutional investors such as the Dutch pension fund, ABP and the US financial services organization, TIAA-CREF. The majority of the funds will be channeled to ASA International of Bangladesh, who will use the increased capital to expand operations in Africa and Asia.
NEWS WIRE: Bangladesh: Microfinance Institution ASA International Secures Largest Equity Capital Commitment Ever to Microfinance
Source: Catalyst Microfinance Investors.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Standard and Poor’s to Launch Rating Program for Microfinance Institutions in Latin America
In a press release, Standard and Poor’s Ratings Service (S&P) announced that it intends to launch a pilot ratings program for Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will sponsor the pilot program and will work closely with the S&P throughout the process.