by Aliz Crowley -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: GIIN Impact Investor Survey; Financial Inclusion in Humanitarian Emergencies; Green Index 2.0

“Annual Impact Investor Survey 2017, The Seventh Edition;” by Abhilash Mudaliar, Hannah Schiff, Rachel Bass, Hannah Dithrich; published by the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), May 2017, 84 pages, available at https://thegiin.org/knowledge/publication/annualsurvey2017

The authors of this paper discuss the results of primary and secondary research on the latest trends and challenges of the impact investment sector, which they define as investments that “target social and / or environmental impact objectives”[1].

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Evolving Regulations Obscure the Future of Microfinance in Myanmar

Paul European Microfinance PlatformLuchtenburg, who serves as coordinator for the UN Capital Development Fund in Myanmar, described several of the contrasts in the microfinance industry in Myanmar at European Microfinance Week Thursday. Five years into civilian rule, Mr Luchtenburg says “I’ve never seen a government work so hard. You go to a meeting and the results go up the leadership chain that night…. There’s this rapid push for development.” To accept deposits, institutions must pay at least 10 percent per year and be deemed “sustainable” by the government. However, lending rates are capped at 2.5 percent per month, a level that all of the panelists agreed was too low, especially for serving rural areas. Rommel Caringal, the CEO of the local unit of US-based VisionFund, said, “The inconsistency is causing big problems, but

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Kashf Foundation of Pakistan Wins $106k European Microfinance Award for Supporting “Low-cost” Private Schools

The Kashf Foundation, a Pakistani nonprofit providing microfinance services and advocacy on social issues, won the seventh European Microfinance Award last night for its support of private schools that serve students from low-income families. In addition to financing the schools, Kashf provides training in areas ranging from classroom management to human resources. The organization also assists

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Fostering South-South Knowledge Exchange: Solar Home Systems in Bangladesh

On this first day of European Microfinance Week conference sessions, three participants described their visits to Bangladesh to learn how low-income families there have financed purchases of home solar systems. Tesfaye Befekadu, the general manager of Ethiopia’s Harbu Microfinance Institution, explained, “The exposure visit opened my mind to green microfinance…. I came back from Bangladesh with a lot of knowledge. I collected the managers, and we exchanged information and immediately decided this idea should go to the Board of Directors. Then I asked the Board to explain it to the shareholders.… I can say that all levels of the organization, down to the clients, own this program.” In the year since the visit, Harbu has delivered

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Overcoming Fears at European Microfinance Week: Farmers Eschew Microinsurance to Prevent Drought, MFIs Wary of Group Technology Purchases

At yesterday’s meeting of the European Microfinance Platform’s (e-MFP’s) Digital Innovations for Financial Empowerment Action Group, a wide range of presenters described their challenges and successes in implementing financial technologies.

by Sharanya Madhavan -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Government of Canada to Invest $6m in Afghanistan’s Zardozi to Support Women’s Economic Empowerment

The government of Canada recently announced it will donate USD 5.9 million from 2016 to 2020 to Zardozi, an Afghanistan-based NGO supporting women in establishing microenterprises.

by Meredith Steih -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Social Performance Task Force (SPTF) 2016 Annual Meeting; May 30 – June 2, 2016; Marrakech, Morocco

Event Location: Mogador Palace Agdal, Marrakech, Morocco

Cost: The standard cost to attend this event is USD 225 per participant. Participants who register before March 17, 2016, may enjoy a discounted rate of USD 175.

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Crédit Rural de Guinée Wins $110k European Microfinance Award for Response to Ebola

Crédit Rural de Guinée (CRG) has been announced as the winner of the 6th European Microfinance Award, focusing this year on Microfinance in Post-disaster, Post-conflict Areas & Fragile States, for its innovative response to the Ebola outbreak in Guinea. The Award was presented during European Microfinance Week by Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, during a ceremony on 19th November held at the European Investment Bank headquarters in Luxembourg.

by Meredith Steih -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: C-Quadrat’s Vision Microfinance Funds Loan $9.2m to Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Cambodia, Congo, Ecuador, India, Kenya, Nicaragua, Peru

During October 2015, Austrian asset manager C-Quadrat Asset Management issued loans worth the equivalent of USD 9.2 million via its two Vision Microfinance funds to unspecified microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Cambodia, Congo, Ecuador, India, Kenya, Nicaragua and Peru.

by Hye In Arielle Oh -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), MasterCard Partner to Build Inclusive Payment Systems in Low-Income Economies

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a United Nations (UN) organization that engages in “sustainable management”[1] of natural resources and works toward the eradication of hunger, and MasterCard, a US-based payments and technology company, recently formed a partnership to create “inclusive payment systems”[2] to support small-scale farmers and low-income households in developing countries.

by Ananya Tiwari -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: “Inclusive Microfinance Conference” 2014, to Address Serving People with Disabilities in Kampala, Uganda, November 11-12, 2014

Event Name: Inclusive Microfinance Conference 2014

Event Dates: November 11-12, 2014

Event Location: Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala, Uganda

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sodexo, Bluedrop Learning, Global Impact Announce Commitments to Middle East, Women-Owned Small, Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) at 10th Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting

The tenth annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of US-based nonprofit Clinton Foundation, is being held in the US city of New York from September 21-24, and has entertained new commitments as well as progress reports on earlier commitments to address global challenges [1][2]:

by Meraj Husain -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Silatech, PlaNet Finance to Support Youth Entrepreneurship in Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine

Silatech, a Qatar-based social enterprise that serves young people in the Middle East and North Africa, has signed on to support the Youth Entrepreneurship Project (YEP), an initiative founded by French non-governmental organization (NGO) PlaNet Finance and funded by the European Union that seeks to empower young people by supporting three microfinance institutions (MFIs): Alexandria Businessmen’s Association of Egypt, Lebanese Association for Development (Al Majmoua) and Palestine’s Arab Center for Agricultural Development (ACAD).

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Lessons Learned from Morocco’s Microcredit Crisis; Using Microinsurance to Promote Universal Coverage; Remittances and Post-Conflict Economic Growth

“Lessons Learned from the Moroccan Crisis;” by Nadine Chehade and Alice Negre; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); 2013; 4 pages; available at http://www.cgap.org/sites/default/files/Brief-Lessons-Learned-from-the-Moroccan-Crisis-July-2013_0.pdf

This report presents the results of a study conducted by US-based NGO CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) that explored the Moroccan microcredit downturn, focusing on outlining “lessons learned from the rise, fall, and ongoing recovery of the Moroccan microcredit sector that may be useful when adapted in other countries in similar situations.”

by Michael Averell -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Silatech, Macroinvest, Jaida, Afif, ANAPEC, IYF, Ministry of Tourism to Support Moroccan Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), Youth

Silatech, a Qatar-based social enterprise that seeks to promote youth entrepreneurship and employment in Arab countries, recently announced seven new partnerships in an effort to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and youth in Morocco.

by Jaime Fellers -

MICROCAPITAL PAPER WRAP-UP: “Youth’s Financial Inclusion Policy Reform Study;” by Yassir Ahmed Hassan Jamie; published by MDG Achievement Fund; Microfinance Unit, Central Bank of Sudan; United Nations Development Programme

By Yassir Ahmed Hassan Jamie, published by MDG (Millennium Development Goals) Achievement Fund; Microfinance Unit, Central Bank of Sudan; United Nations Development Programme, May 2012, 103 pages, available at http://www.microfinancegateway.org/gm/document-1.9.57618/Youth%20Financial%20Inclusion%20Policy%20Reform%20Study%20FINAL.pdf

by Brendan Millan -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Informal Savings in Rural Rwanda through Voluntary Savings and Loan Scheme Reaches $3.18m

NGO CARE Rwanda, a branch of Swiss relief agency CARE International (CARE), reportedly stated that the amount of rural informal savings have reached approximately RWF 1.9 billion (USD 3.18 million) as part of its Voluntary Savings and Loan (VSL) scheme targeting Rwanda’s unbanked population.