Sanad Fund for MSME, a Luxembourg-based investor in lenders to micro-, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), recently loaned USD 5 million to Al Majmoua, a provider of financial and business development services to underserved groups in Lebanon. The funds are to be on-lent to low-income individuals for housing improvements and to very small enterprises for business needs.
Search Results for: morocco
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Islamic Finance Advisory & Assurance Services, Mercy Corps to Study Feasibility of Shariah Financial Products in Ethiopia
US-based NGO Mercy Corps recently hired Islamic Finance Advisory & Assurance Services (IFAAS), a UK-based consultancy, to support financial inclusion efforts in Ethiopia by conducting a “comprehensive assessment of the Ethiopian financial industry, including banking, insurance and microfinance.” The goal is to use the results to address economic and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Green for Growth Fund (GGF) Lends $7m to Attijari Leasing for MSMEs in Tunisia
The Green for Growth Fund (GGF), a Luxembourg-domiciled investor in renewable energy and energy efficiency, recently loaned EUR 6 million (USD 6.9 million) to Attijari Leasing, a Tunisia-based firm, to fund energy-efficiency improvements for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises in Tunisia. Attijari Leasing, which is controlled by
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sanad Fund for MSME Loans $5m to The National Bank (TNB) of the Palestinian Territories for Microfinance
Sanad Fund for MSME recently loaned USD 5 million to The National Bank (TNB), a public-private partnership in the Palestinian Territories, to fund loans from TNB to low-income households as well as micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). In addition
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “The Rise and Fall of Global Microcredit – Development, Debt and Disillusion;” Edited by Milford Bateman, Stephanie Blankenburg, Richard Kozul-Wright
This is a summary of a book edited by Milford Bateman, Stephanie Blankenburg and Richard Kozul-Wright; published by Routledge; September 2018; 290 pages; available for purchase at https://www.routledge.com/The-Rise-and-Fall-of-Global-Microcredit-Development-debt-and-disillusion/Bateman-Blankenburg-Kozul-Wright/p/book/9781138714120
The authors of this book discuss the history, concepts and adverse impacts of microfinance as it has been deployed in the Global South since the 1980s. Contrary to the intent of microcredit and associated economic policies to enable low-income people to benefit from entrepreneurship,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Loans $45m to Bank CenterCredit of Kazakhstan, Mostly for Micro-, Small, Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Run by Women Outside Major Cities
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based multilateral institution, recently disbursed three-year loans totaling USD 45 million to Bank CenterCredit, a commercial bank in Kazakhstan.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Loans $29m to Turkish Leasing Firm QNB Finans Finansal Kiralama for Energy-efficiency Investments
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based multilateral institution, recently loaned EUR 25 million (USD 29 million) to Qatar National Bank Finans Finansal Kiralama (QNB Finans Leasing), a subsidiary of the Turkish commercial bank, QNB Finansbank.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Arab African International Bank (AAIB), Sanad Fund for MSME Launch Microfinance Institution Sandah in Egypt
The Arab African International Bank (AAIB), which is held in equal parts by the Central Bank of Egypt and the Kuwait Investment Authority, recently launched Sandah, a microfinance institution intended to promote “financial inclusion to accommodate the low-income disenfranchised segments” by funding
SPECIAL REPORT: “Aadhaar: Lessons for the African Continent?”, by Edmund Higenbottam of Verdant Capital
In 2009, India launched the world’s largest IT project, i.e. the Aadhaar biometric identification program. The program is intended to drive social and financial inclusion, reform public-sector service delivery, improve fiscal management, increase convenience, etc. An Aadhaar number can be viewed as a permanent financial address. Considering that almost the entire Indian population is now enrolled in Aadhaar – the underprivileged as well as the rich – it also can be viewed as a tool for justice and equality.
The program consists of
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mowgli Mentoring to Engage Syrian Refugees in Jordan with Support from OeEB via Sanad
UK-based NGO Mowgli Mentoring recently secured funding from the Sanad Technical Assistance Facility, which is affiliated with the Luxembourg-domiciled Sanad Fund for MSME (Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise), to engage 15 Jordanian businesspeople in mentoring a like number of Syrian refugees looking to make their Amman-based businesses
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sanadcom Launches to Serve SMEs in Jordan, Backed by Microfund for Women, GMS Ventures and Investments
Sanadcom for Business Finance, a lender to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan, recently launched with two “anchor” investors: Microfund for Women, a Jordanian microfinance institution, and GMS Ventures and Investments, a subsidiary of Jordan’s GMS Holdings. Sanadcom has enjoyed “additional equity funding and support” from the Sanad Fund for MSME (micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises), a European investor in North Africa and the Middle East, and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Fransabank Borrows $20m from Sanad for Rural SMEs, Poor Households in Lebanon
Fransabank SAL, a Beirut-based commercial bank with 124 branches in nine countries, recently received a loan of USD 20 million from the Sanad Fund for MSME (micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises), a European investor in North Africa and the Middle East. Fransabank plans to use the funds to
SPECIAL REPORT: Reinventing Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) to Meet the Needs of SMEs at SAM: Building Staff Capacity, Sharing Default Risk with Investors, Helping Entrepreneurs Think Big
On the second day of 
the SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance) conference, Godwin Ehigiamusoe of Nigeria’s LAPO discussed the needs and expectations of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). He explained that they generally are sensitive to price and prefer not to post collateral. Loan sizing and duration are key. From a lender’s perspective, SMEs need to get their records out of their heads and onto paper (if not into digital form). The Central Bank of Nigeria has six Entrepreneurship Development Centers at which business owners can get assistance with business plans and other support.
Mr Ehigiamusoe added that LAPO became involved with SME lending as its microenterprise clients grew. Likewise the staff of LAPO was in need of capacity development to serve their clients’ evolving needs. LAPO’s Sufen loan program is designed to identify female entrepreneurs with high growth potential and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO Gives $240k to Sanad Technical Assistance Facility for MSMEs in the Middle East, North Africa
The Sanad Technical Assistance Facility, an affiliate of the Sanad Fund for MSME (Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) that supports lenders to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sanad Fund for MSME Lends $20m to Lebanon’s Byblos Bank
The Sanad Fund for MSME (Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise), a provider of loans and equity to financial institutions in the Middle East and North Africa, recently announced it will loan USD 20 million to Byblos Bank, a commercial bank based in Lebanon, to on-lend to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: AgroCenta of Ghana Wins $20k Fincluders Startup Challenge for Online Agricultural Marketplace
Ghana-based AgroCenta recently won USD 20,000 in the Fincluders Startup Challenge, which was created to support new companies seeking to increase financial inclusion.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: TriLinc Approves $36.8m in Term Loans, Trade Finance for SMEs in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia
TriLinc Global Impact Fund (TriLinc) recently announced that it has approved the disbursal of USD 36.8 million to fund term loans and trade finance transactions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The term loans will be disbursed to 10 different companies
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroFinanza Rating Issues 10 Institutional, Social Ratings
During February 2017, Italy-based MicroFinanza Rating issued “microfinance institutional ratings” to the following institutions, all with stable outlooks: Indonesia’s Komida, which was assigned a grade of BB; Albania’s NOA, which earned a BBB; Haiti’s ACME, which was assigned a BB+; Vietnam’s Anh Chi Em (ACE), which got a BB-; and two institutions that each received an A-,