by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BNP Paribas, Russian Microfinance Department Award $2m Loan to FINCA Russia

Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) Paribas Russia, the Russian arm of French financial services provider BNP Paribas, and the microfinance department of Russia’s Ministry of Finance have reportedly awarded a two-year, USD 2 million loan to FINCA Universal Credit Organization CJSC, a subsidiary of US-based nonprofit microfinance institution (MFI) FINCA International.

by Brett Cohen -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Productive Safety Net Program of Ethiopia Introduces Electronic Transfers

The Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) of the Ethiopian government reportedly has introduced electronic money transfers for participants in the program, which provides money to food-insecure Ethiopians in return for labor on public works projects.

by Webster Hughes -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Amid Concerns of a Bubble In Kyrgyzstan, 94 Microfinance Institutions Are Shut Down, 31% of Borrowers Owe Multiple Loans

According to a quote attributed to Fatima Eshimbekova of the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), MFIs in Kyrgyzstan have doubled their aggregate loan portfolio since 2010.

by Brett Cohen -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Funds Managed By Incofin Loan $5m to FINCA Kyrgyzstan, Bai Tushum of Kyrgyzstan; Take 35% Stake in Unguka Bank of Rwanda

Incofin, a Belgian for-profit microfinance investment manager, has agreed to disburse loans of USD 3 million to FINCA Kyrgyzstan, a branch of US-based microfinance nonprofit FINCA International, and USD 2 million to Bai Tushum Partners, a microfinance institution (MFI) based in Kyrgyzstan.

by Brett Cohen -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Swarna Pragati Housing Microfinance, Accion Invest $4.5m in Saija Finance of India

Swarna Pragati Housing Microfinance Limited, an Indian housing finance company, and Accion, a US-based nonprofit, reportedly have invested USD 4.5 million in Saija Finance, an Indian microfinance institution (MFI).

by Mihaela Grindeanu -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Austrian Development Bank Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank AG (OeEB) to Invest $18.75m in European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE)

Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank AG (OeEB), Austria’s official development bank, recently pledged an investment of EUR 15.0 million (USD 18.75 million) to the European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a microfinance investment vehicle (MIV) based in Luxembourg.

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Regional MSME Investment Fund for Sub-Saharan Africa (REGMIFA) Celebrates 2nd Anniversary, Reports Positive Financials for 2011

The Regional Micro-, Small and Medium Sized Enterprise Investment Fund for Sub-Saharan Africa (REGMIFA) SA, a Luxembourg-based investment fund that focuses on supporting micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the region, recently celebrated its second anniversary by presenting a summary of 2011 achievements along with an overview of its goals for 2012.

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Advans Incorporates Advans Pakistan Microfinance Bank, La Fayette Microfinance Bank of Nigeria

Advans SA, a microfinance investment vehicle that mobilizes funds for microfinance institutions (MFIs), recently announced the incorporation of the Advans Pakistan Microfinance Bank in the Republic of Pakistan and the La Fayette Microfinance Bank in Nigeria.

by John Crawford -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Bank’s Findex: 16% of Sub-Saharan Africans Transfer Money via Mobile Phones

According to “Measuring Financial Inclusion: the Global Findex Database,” a new World Bank study, 16 percent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa makes money transfers via mobile phones, compared with 3 percent in the rest of the world.

by Brett Cohen -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Women Entrepreneur Development Project of Ethiopia Borrow $50m From World Bank

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a no-interest loan of USD 50 million from the International Development Association (IDA), a unit of the World Bank, to the Women Entrepreneur Development Project, a nonprofit that was created to help female Ethiopians find employment opportunities and gain skills  to increase their contributions to the country’s economic growth.

by Brett Cohen -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ResponsAbility Loans $6.4m to Microfinance Institutions KMF of Kazakhstan, FINCA Jordan, FINCA Azerbaijan

ResponsAbility Social Investments, a Swiss microfinance investment manager, has reached four investment deals with three microfinance institutions (MFIs) in central Asia and Jordan.

by Brendan Millan -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation, BNP Paribas to Loan $25m to Vietnam’s Orient Commercial Joint Stock Bank for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Women-owned Businesses

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, has agreed to provide a syndicated loan of USD 25 million toVietnam’s Orient Commercial Joint Stock Bank to expand financing to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and women-owned businesses.

by Amira Berrada -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Bank Group’s “Measuring Financial Inclusion: The Global Findex Database” Indicates 2.5 Billion Do Not Have Access to Formal Banking

A recent policy research working paper released by The World Bank Group, entitled “Measuring Financial Inclusion: The Global Findex Database” indicates that three quarters of the world’s poor people, 2.5 billion, do not have access to a bank account mostly because of cost, distance and the paperwork required to set up a bank account [1][2].

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation, MasterCard Foundation Plan $37m Effort to Improve Financial Services in Africa

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group that supports private-sector development, and MasterCard Foundation, a Canada-based foundation that focuses on microfinance end education, recently announced a USD 37.4 million partnership to increase access to financial services in Sub-Saharan Africa.