MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Development Seed, Key2Flex Offer Geospatial Technology Services to Analyze Availability of Financial Services in Developing Countries

Geospatial mapping is being used to show the geographic distribution of banks, automated teller machines (ATMs) and banking agents in relation to low-income and other population groups, thus giving an indication of the accessibility of financial services to those groups.

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Willingness to Pay for Business Correspondents in India, Health Microinsurance Third Party Payment Mechanisms, Accenture Development Partners Report on Microinsurance

The Answer is ‘Yes’—Cost and Willingness to Pay in India;” by Akhand Tiwari, Akhilesh Singh, Ann-Byrd Platt, Graham A N Wright, Minakshi Ramji and Sachin Bansal; published by MicroSave; 2011; 16 pages; available at http://ami.microsave.org/sites/default/files/research_papers/CWP_Summary…

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: responsAbility Lends $4m to ACLEDA Bank, Hattha Kaksekar Limited (HKL) of Cambodia

Switzerland’s responsAbility Social Investments AG (responsAbility) recently reported to MicroCapital that it has made loans amounting to USD 4 million to Cambodian financial institutions ACLEDA Bank and Hattha Kaksekar Limited (HKL).

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Aiden Business Solutions Hosts “2nd Annual Africa Banking & Finance Conference – ABFC 2012” in Nairobi, Kenya, March 6 and March 7, 2012

Event Name: 2nd Annual Africa Banking & Finance Conference – ABFC 2012

Event Date: March 6 and March 7, 2012

Event Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: “Nokia Money” Electronic Wallet Service Launched in India in Effort to Promote Financial Inclusion

Nokia Corporation, a Finnish telecommunications company, has launched Nokia Money, an electronic-wallet service, in an effort to promote financial inclusion of previously “underbanked” people across India [1].

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: European Fund for Southeast Europe Lends $24m to AccessBank of Azerbaijan, Kreditimi Rural I Kosoves of Kosovo, Byblos Bank Armenia, Alter Modus of Montenegro

The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a microfinance investment fund incorporated in Luxembourg, has reported to MicroCapital that it has made loans to the following institutions: USD 15 million to AccessBank of Azerbaijan, the equivalent of USD 649,000 to Kreditimi Rural I Kosoves (KRK) of Kosovo, the equivalent of USD 5.27 million to Byblos Bank Armenia and approximately USD 3.89 million to Alter Modus of Montenegro. The loan to Byblos Bank was disbursed in two tranches: a local currency loan of AMD 875 million (USD 2.27 million) and an additional transaction of USD 3 million. The loan to Alter Modus was disbursed in tranches of USD 1.3 million and USD 2.6 million.

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Harvard Business School Hosts “ACCION Program on Strategic Leadership for Microfinance,” Boston, Massachusetts, USA, April 9 – April 14, 2012

Event Name: Harvard Business School-ACCION Program on Strategic Leadership for Microfinance

Event Date: April 9 – April 14, 2012

Event Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Hanson Wade Hosts “MicroInsurance Summit LATAM 2012” in Miami, Florida, USA, March 26- March 29, 2012

Event Name: MicroInsurance Summit LATAM 2012

Event Date: March 26 to March 29, 2012

Event Location: Miami Beach Resort, 4833 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida, USA

MICROFINANCE EVENT: CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) Hosts Virtual Conference “Understanding Multiple Borrowing and Avoiding Over-indebtedness Among Clients,” January 12 and 13, 2012

Event Name: Understanding Multiple Borrowing and Avoiding Over-indebtedness Among Clients

Event Date: January 12 – 13, 2012

Event Location: Online

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FinMark Trust’s Annual FinScope South Africa Survey: Financial Inclusion Down from 77% to 73%

FinMark Trust, a nonprofit trust based in South Africa, has released the 2011 results of its annual FinScope South Africa survey, which indicates that 73 percent of adults use financial products and services, a drop from the 2010 level of 77 percent.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Incofin Lends $6m to Microfinance Institutions Vision Banco of Paraguay, Lazika Capital of Georgia, Credit Mongol of Mongolia, Forus Bank of Russia

Belgian company Incofin Investment Management (Incofin IM) has disbursed loans through microfinance investment funds it manages to four microfinance institutions (MFIs): USD 3 million to Vision Banco of Paraguay, USD 1 million to Lazika Capital of Georgia, USD 1 million to Credit Mongol LLC of Mongolia and USD 1 million to Forus Bank of Russia [1, 2, 3, 4].

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: The International Finance Corporation (IFC) to Invest $1m in Equity in ACCION Microfinance China

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, has signed an agreement with ACCION International, a US-based nonprofit organization, to invest USD 1 million in ACCION’s Chinese affiliate, ACCION Microfinance China (AMC).

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Vision’s Dual Return Fund Loans $6.2m to Microfinance Institutions in Latin America, Africa, Central Asia

Absolute Portfolio Management GmbH, an Austrian investment company, has reported that the Dual Return Fund – Vision Microfinance, a sub-fund of Absolute’s Vision Microfinance, loaned the equivalent of USD 2 million to KazMicroFinance of Khazakstan and the equivalent of USD 4.2 million to unnamed microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Kyrgyzstan, Ecuador, Uruguay and Benin.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Incofin Invests $3m in Equity in Arman Financial Services Limited of India

Arman Financial Services Limited (Arman), a non-bank finance company based in India, has announced that its board has approved a proposed equity investment from Belgian company Incofin Investment Management (Incofin).