by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Looking Back to Plan Ahead – The Year of AFISAR

AFISAR© (the Agents for Impact Sustainability Alignment Rating) builds trust and credibility in the microfinance sector. With our part­ners, we engage in an active rating process, inspiring discussion and increasing awareness and understanding of the UN’s SDGs and envi­ronmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, taking a deep dive into the poten­tial of finance to transform people’s lives, especially the lives of mem­bers of vulnerable groups. Placing active dialogue at the centre of the AFISAR© rating process, we address sustainability with strategic decision-makers and support our partners to further align their opera­tions to the SDGs.

Having clocked five years of rating experience, culminating with the Year of AFISAR© in 2022, we would like to share some reflections:

Local presence is key Our rating team has grown bigger and stronger: we have a new colleague, Abhinav Soni, who is based in

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Sustainable Finance in the MENA Region;” by Natalia Realpe Carrillo, Alexander Reviakin; Published by Sanad Fund for MSME Technical Assistance Facility, HEDERA Sustainable Solutions

This report examines the sustainable finance ecosystem in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, including the capabilities of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the region to contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation. The objectives were

by Ben Barba -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 3rd CIS Islamic Banking and Finance Forum; March 14-16, 2023; Tashkent, Uzbekistan 

This event offers a one-day summit on March 14 and a two-day workshop on March 15 and 16, all with the aim of promoting Islamic finance in the 10 member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The summit offers sessions titled Islamic Finance and Financial Inclusion; Investment

by Renata Samadova -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Livelihoods India Summit; January 19-20, 2023; New Delhi, India

The 13th edition of this event will address how to increase the resilience of low-income people’s livelihoods. The sessions are to cover topics such as: (1) inclusive value chains; (2) the impact of climate change on livelihoods; (3) methods for

by Saulius Ramanauskas -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Digital Finance Campaign Replication Guide,” Published by USAID

This paper describes a digital finance education campaign called “Hey Sister! Show Me the Mobile Money,” including efforts to make it easy to replicate from one geographical context to another. The program facilitates low-income women’s access to digital financial services (DFS) by addressing the challenges of

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Offering AgriAcademy Graduate-level Education Courses in Ukraine to Boost Agriculture Sector

The multilateral European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is rolling out a remote, free-of-charge learning platform called AgriAcademy with a target of educating 10,000 agri-food workers in Ukraine. The goal is

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Agritech SuperZop Nets $2.7m in Equity from Incofin India Progress Fund to Connect More Farmers, Retailers

Incofin Investment Management of Belgium recently invested USD 2.7 million to purchase a stake of undisclosed size in SuperZop, a technology firm that helps farmers and mills sell their whole grain, flour and other staples to restaurants and shops in India. SuperZop also packages food under its Khetika brand and provides

by Renata Samadova -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: SuperReturn Africa; December 5-7, 2022; Cape Town, South Africa

The 13th edition of this event will focus on “market trends, challenges and innovations” in Africa. On December 5, the event will feature summits covering three topics: (1) fundraising; (2) infrastructure; and (3) ESG [environmental, social and governance issues] & impact. The remaining days will

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: European Microfinance Week Is Almost Here!

e-MFP logoEuropean Microfinance Week (EMW) 2022 is fast approaching, and we’re delighted that it will be in-person again, with a hybrid component for remote speakers and participants. EMW2022 offers more than 30 sessions organised across several thematic streams, including “Finan­cial Inclusion that Works for Women” – the topic of the European Micro­finance Award 2022 – as well as green and climate-smart finance, digital­isation, funding, financial health, and social performance and impact. Other subject areas include agri-insurance, women’s leadership, fund regu­la­tion, mobile money, biodiversity, refugee finance, WASH, food security and more. To give MicroCapital readers a sense of what they can look forward to, here are some details of just three of the EMW2022 thematic streams:

Climate and Green Finance
Climate change represents one of the greatest issues the world faces today. While the changing climate impacts all countries, sectors and people, they are not all affected in the same ways. Climate change is par­ticularly threatening to poor and marginalised communities. Tackling the issue requires battling on many fronts – not just on the mitigation side (mini­mising the actual climate change that takes place), but on the adap­ta­­tion side too. The financial inclusion sector has an important role in increas­ing the resilience of communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and EMW2022 will feature a variety of related sessions, including:

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “The Impact Radar,” Published by UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative

The authors of this report offer a taxonomy to help measure the positive and negative impacts of the products and services of financial institutions, with the aim of enabling these institutions to build a better understanding of various elements of sustainable development. The “impact radar” includes a range of “impact areas” and constituent

by Nithin Naren -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 18th Annual Global Microfinance Forum; March 16-17, 2023; Prague, Czech Republic

In the context of lingering pandemic-induced caution among investors, this event promises to cover a variety of topics relevant to microfinance investors, practitioners and other stakeholders. In addition to addressing “how MFIs [microfinance institutions] adapt to and run in the new reality [and] complications for micro clients,” sessions will cover

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Visa Foundation Donates $2m to Opportunity International to Support Microfinance, Small-business Lending to Women in Africa

US-based nonprofit microfinance network Opportunity International recently secured a grant of USD 2 million from the Visa Foundation, an affiliate of US-based payments firm Visa. The goal is to facilitate Opportunity in routing an additional USD 14 million via its affiliated financial services providers (FSPs) in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda to micro- and small businesses owned by women. The two-year grant is to fund services for: (1) business owners and farmers, such as training in financial literacy, business management and agricultural practices; and (2) partner FSPs, such as technical assistance in developing gender-oriented policies and financial incentives for serving women, such as guarantees, interest-rate buy-downs and collateral buy-downs. A collateral buy-down – where an FSP might

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Themed “Inclusive Growth in a Digital Era,” Financial Inclusion Week 2022 Offers 180 Virtual Sessions, October 17-20

For the eighth year, the Center for Financial Inclusion, a program of the US-based NGO Accion, is organizing Financial Inclusion Week, an opportunity for all stakeholders to attend virtual sessions – both live and on-demand – at no charge. The theme for 2022 is “Inclusive Growth in a Digital Era,” with sessions covering 14 topics such as Climate Change, Client Protection,

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Christoph Pausch of e-MFP on European Microfinance Week 2022, Luxembourg & Virtual, November 16-18

Christoph Pausch, e-MFPMicroCapital: European Microfinance Week (EMW) 2022 will be in-person for the first time in 3 years. What can we expect?

Christoph Pausch (pictured): We’re very excited to be going back to an in-person conference at the beautiful Abbaye de Neumünster in Luxembourg. For the last two years, EMW has been virtual, and we are very proud of how both editions went, but – as I think everyone agrees – an online conference, however professional and comprehensive, can never entirely substitute for meeting in-person. You cannot fully replicate the richness of dis­cussion within a room or the opportunities for exchange, debate and networking that gathering face-to-face allows.

You’ll see some innovations at EMW2022, as we’re taking much of what worked over the last couple of years and incorporating it into the in-person event. Among other things, that means some sessions will be in a hybrid format, so attendees and speakers who cannot come to Lux­em­bourg can take part. Also this year, the conference proper starts on Wed­nesday at lunchtime, so that our opening will be timezone-suitable for more remote participants.

MC: What range of sessions can attendees choose from?

CP: As always, EMW sessions have been put forward largely by our members and organised across several thematic streams, such as “Financial Inclusion that Works for Women” (the topic of the Euro­pean Microfinance Award), climate-smart finance, digitalisation and