by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Networks in Nigeria, Latin America & Caribbean Boost Trajectory of Women Staff, Clients of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)

European Microfinance PlatformAt a session titled “Professional Women’s Networks and Women’s Leadership in Financial Inclusion,” Mariana Martinez of FinEquity, a platform hosted by CGAP that promotes women’s financial inclusion, described the platform’s new Spanish-language arm, FinEquityALC. FinEquityALC focuses on Latin America and the Caribbean, serving as a pilot project that could lead to FinEquity establishing other regional projects. The goals of FinEquityALC are to improve public policy that impacts women’s financial inclusion as well as financial products and financial education that are targeted at women. Its 1,100 users span 250 institutions.

Barbara Magnoni of Andares and EA Consultants described how Andares connects 

by Teo Lin-Bianco -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: REGMIFA Raises $10m from FMO to Invest in MSMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa

Recently, the Regional MSME Investment Fund for Sub-Saharan Africa (REGMIFA), a fund that invests in micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in 19 countries, accepted an investment of USD 10 million from Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Dutch public-private partnership. The purpose of REGMIFA is to

by Sophie Fiala -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation Disburses $10m to Microfinance Institutions for On-lending in Indonesia, Myanmar

The Grameen Crédit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, whose head office is in Luxembourg, recently announced it has disbursed loans in local currency to three microfinance institutions (MFIs) active in Indonesia and Myanmar. GCA Foundation loaned the

by Tejas Gumudavelly -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Regional MSME Investment Fund for Sub-Saharan Africa (REGMIFA) Raises $24m from BMZ via KfW

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, which is also known by its German acronym BMZ, recently invested EUR 20 million (USD 24.3 million) in the Regional MSME Investment Fund for Sub-Saharan Africa (REGMIFA), which supports micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in 19 countries. The investment, which BMZ issued through Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), a government-backed development bank in Germany, is earmarked for the nine of REGMIFA’s target countries that participate in the G20 Compact with Africa. A total of 12 African countries are active in the Compact with

by Bradley Shulman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Samunnati Borrows $12m from FMO, Triodos to Boost Agricultural Producer Organizations, SMEs in India

Samunnati, a non-banking financial company in India dedicated to the agricultural sector, recently borrowed EUR 5 million (USD 6.1 million) each from Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a development bank controlled by the Dutch government, and Triodos Investment Management (Triodos IM), a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Triodos Bank, for on-lending to farmer producer organizations (FPOs) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agricultural sector. Triodos IM is disbursing the funds from

by Kate Finster -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ADA Microfinance Launching 10-year “Smallholder Safety Net” Program Targeting Agricultural Value Chains, 3m Households; Partnering with 5 Impact Investors

ADA Microfinance, a Luxembourg-based NGO, recently announced a new program called the Smallholder Safety Net Upscaling Programme (SSNUP) to assist: (1) smallholder farmers in accessing insurance and implementing agricultural practices that increase productivity in a “climate-smart” manner; (2) actors in agricultural value chains in adopting “more sustainable environmental and social business practices;” and (3) boosting investment in agricultural value chains. The investors Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation, Incofin, Oikocredit, responsAbility and Symbiotics have agreed to participate by

by Nathan Kiplagat -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Greenlight Planet Secures $90m in Debt, Equity for Pay-as-you-go Solar in Africa, South Asia

Greenlight Planet, a for-profit social business with offices in Kenya, India and the US, recently secured USD 90 million in debt and equity to expand its sales of pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar products. The investors are

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Incofin Loans Inecobank of Armenia $6m from Microfinance Enhancement Facility (MEF) to Offset Effects of COVID-19 via Mobile Banking

Belgium-based Incofin Investment Management (IM) recently disbursed a loan of USD 6 million to Inecobank, an Armenia-based institution, from the Microfinance Enhancement Facility (MEF), a fund launched by the German government’s KfW Entwicklungsbank and the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation. The proceeds will enable Inecobank to increase its lending during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March, due to the pandemic, the bank moved all of its

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: e-MFP Investors Action Group Wrestles with Measuring Microfinance Client Outcomes in Alignment with UN’s SDGs

Members European Microfinance Platformof the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) Investors Action Group met at last week’s European Microfinance Week to review their progress on developing methods for reporting client outcomes in terms of meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Cécile Lapenu from Cerise explained that the action group is working to: (1) identify investors’ expectations regarding reporting on outcomes; (2) review existing impact reports and websites to identify the metrics now in use; (3) conduct field tests of selected indicators; and (4) document the results to serve as guidance for moving forward.

The group is now soliciting data from investors on their current data collection practices. This includes if and how they collect data from: (1) the financial services providers (FSPs) they invest in; and (2) directly from those FSPs’ clients.

Ms Lapenu argued that factors such as client satisfaction do not

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: At SAM, Meeting the SDGs by Decreasing Hunger, Increasing Digital Access, Embracing Change to Modernize Microfinance in Africa

On SAM 2019the second day of this week’s SAM conference in Burkina Faso, Mathieu Soglonou of the UN Capital Development Fund commented on several of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a session on the “State of the Inclusive Finance Sector and Its Contributions to Development in Africa.” Despite general progress toward the SDGs, Mr Soglonou noted that there have been setbacks in SDG 2, “Zero Hunger.” The number of people living with hunger has increased by 800 million due to problems such as extreme weather, war, and difficulties with the storage and distribution of agricultural products. Mr Soglonou noted that one challenge in reducing hunger is that lenders tend to

by Eugene DeCosse -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Invest in Visions’ IIV Mikrofinanzfonds Lends $13m to China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) for Microfinance Lending

Germany-based Invest in Visions (IIV) recently announced that it has disbursed a loan of USD 13 million to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) from IIV Mikrofinanzfonds, a microfinance investment vehicle that is active in developing countries. CFPA, an NGO in China, was established in 1989 and

by Michelle Fleming -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ADB Lending $20m in Local Currency to MicroCred to Support MSMEs in Western China

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently agreed to loan the equivalent of USD 20 million to MicroCred China, a unit of the France-based Baobab Group, to support micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The money is intended to

by Nicholas Galimberti -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oman India Joint Investment Fund (OIJIF) Buys $23m Equity Stake in India’s Annapurna Microfinance

The Oman India Joint Investment Fund (OIJIF), a private equity investor associated with the governments of India and Oman, recently placed an equity investment of INR 1.6 billion (USD 23 million) in Annapurna Microfinance Private Limited, a non-deposit-taking microfinance institution (MFI)

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Microfinance Investment Vehicles, MFIs “Speed Date” at SAM Investor’s Fair in Ethiopia

Both the “speed dating” and “free meeting” sessions for microfinance institutions (MFIs) to sit down with investors were very popular at SAM Conference 2017, Addis Ababa, Ethiopiathe SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance) conference in Addis Ababa. Representatives of dozens of organizations met each other for the first time and renewed old connections.

Duncan Frayne of Switzerland-based Symbiotics Group spoke on behalf of REGMIFA (the Regional MSME Investment Fund for Sub-Saharan Africa), for which his company serves as investment manager. He said, “The value for me is meeting up-and-coming MFIs as well as

by Ryan Gauthier -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: KMF and Bereke of Kazakhstan, Vasham of Indonesia Borrow $5.1m from Grameen Credit Agricole Microfinance Foundation

The Grameen Credit Agricole Microfinance Foundation (GCAMF), a Luxembourg-based provider of financial services primarily to microfinance institutions, recently informed MicroCapital that it has committed to extending the following local-currency loans in phases over three years: the equivalent of USD 3.9 million to KazMicroFinance LLC (KMF) of Kazakhstan, the equivalent of USD 550,000 to Bereke of Kazakhstan, and the equivalent of USD 660,000 to Vasham of Indonesia.

by Phoebe Rorke -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MBK Borrowing $15m from FMO to Grow Group Microfinance Loan Portfolio in Indonesia

Mitra Bisnis Keluarga Ventura (MBK), a microfinance institution providing group loans to women in Indonesia, recently borrowed USD 15 million from Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Netherlands-based development finance institution. This is the third loan FMO has provided to MBK

by Christian Chartier -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Asian Development Bank (ADB) Places $10m Equity Investment in Satin Creditcare Network to Support Microfinance for Women in Rural India

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), a Philippines-based multilateral institution, recently made an equity investment of USD 10 million in Satin Creditcare Network Limited, a for-profit Indian microfinance institution (MFI). The funding will be used to “expand and broaden” the institution’s services for unserved