by Rohan Trivedi -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ImpactAssets Includes 22 Microfinance-Focused Fund Managers in List of Top 50 Impact Investors

ImpactAssets, a US-based nonprofit company specializing in impact investment, recently released its “2011 ImpactAssets 50,” a list of investment fund managers that “achieve financial performance with positive social and environmental impacts,” including 22 microfinance-focused funds.

by Carol Kim -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Hanson Wade Hosts “Impact Investing Summit: Advanced Investment Strategies for the Bottom of the Pyramid” in Washington DC, USA, September 20 – September 21, 2011

Event Name: Impact Investing Summit: Advanced Investment Strategies for the Bottom of the Pyramid

Event Date: September 20 to September 21, 2011

Event Location: Holiday Inn Central / White House, Washington DC, USA 

by Rohan Trivedi -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Advans Ghana Receives Investment of $4.52m from Société Générale, IFC, Triodos; Advans Cameroun Receives Loans of $2.45m from MicroVest, REGMIFA

Advans SA, a microfinance investment vehicle (MIV) registered in Luxembourg, recently reported to MicroCapital that two of its holdings have received local-currency refinancing loans.

by John Howard-Smith -

MICROCAPITAL SPECIAL REPORT: “Principles for Investors in Inclusive Finance” Launched at Responsible Finance Forum in The Hague, Netherlands

A group of 40 global investors in the microfinance industry, including US retirement planning firm TIAA-CREF and several microfinance investment vehicles (MIV), recently launched a set of guiding principles for investing in the microfinance industry at the Responsible Finance Forum in The Hague, Netherlands. The initiative – titled “Principles for Investors in Inclusive Finance” – is reportedly the brainchild of Her Royal Highness Princess Maxima, the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, and a core group of Dutch investors, including; Triodos, a microfinance investment vehicle (MIV); Goodwell, a for-profit social investment outfit; Oikocredit, a cooperative investment fund; PGGM, an investment and pension firm; and SNS Asset Management, an institutional investment group. The group and Her Royal Highness Princess Maxima developed the principles together with CGAP and the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), a network of international investors created to promote the practice of responsible investing.

by John Howard-Smith -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Luxembourg Fund Labeling Agency (LuxFLAG) Releases Study Analyzing Microfinance Industry, Performance of Microfinance Investment Vehicles (MIVs)

The Luxembourg Fund Labeling Agency (LuxFLAG), an organization that certifies whether investment vehicles actually invest in the microfinance sector, has released a study analyzing 2009 and early-2010 trends in the microfinance industry as well as the performance of microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs) that were carrying the LuxFLAG certification label during the period covered in the study.

by Witt Gatchell -

MICROCAPITAL PAPER WRAP-UP: Microfinance Investment Vehicle (MIV) Survey Market Data and Peer Group Analysis: The 2010 CGAP MIV Survey, by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor)

By Symbiotics, published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), August 2010, 42 pages, available at:
http://www.cgap.org/gm/document-1.9.47373/CGAP_2010_MIV_Survey_Report.pd…

CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) has recently published its fourth annual survey of microfinance vehicles (MIVs) offering two levels of analysis: (1) key market trends from 90 microfinance investment intermediaries (MII) and (2) market data, benchmarks and performance analysis of 73 MIVs, a sub-group of the MIIs, organized into six peer groups.

by Diana Baide -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Luxembourg Find Labeling Agency (LuxFLAG) Grants Label to Microfinance Investment Vehicles (MIVs) KCD-Mikrofinanzfonds I Global, KCD Mikrofinanz Fonds II Latin America, Finethic Microfinance SCA, Triodos SICAV II and Wallberg Global Microfinance Fund

The Luxembourg Fund Labeling Agency (LuxFLAG), an independent organization that certifies that microfinance vehicles (MIVs) actually invest in the microfinance sector, announced that it has granted the LuxFLAG Microfinance Label to five MIVs: KCD-Mikrofinanzfonds I Global and KCD Mikrofinanzfonds II Latin America of Luxembourg; Finethic Microfinance SCA of Switzerland; Triodos SICAV II (Triodos Microfinance Fund) of the Netherlands and Wallberg Global Microfinance Fund of Luxembourg.

by Matthew Fox -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund and responsAbility Mikrofinanz-Fonds Invest $1.09m in Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) Apoyo Integral in El Salvador and Forjadores Negocios in Mexico

responsAbility, a Swiss microfinance investment vehicle (MIV) manager, recently reported to MicroCapital that it has executed debt investments totaling the equivalent of nearly USD 1.1 million in microfinance institutions (MFIs) in El Salvador and Mexico.

by Jennifer Shevock -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund and Mikrofinanz-Fonds Provide Loans Totaling $5.1m to Pro Mujer Bolivia, Coffee Central Agricultural Cooperatives COCLA LTDA (COCLA) of Peru and Asociacion Union de Cafetaleros Ecologicos (Unicafec) of Peru

The responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund and the responsAbility Mikrofinanz-Fonds, microfinance investment vehicles founded by responsAbility Social Investments AG, recently reported to MicroCapital that they have provided debt financing to the Bolivian arm of Pro Mujer, a microfinance institution supporting poor women in Latin America; Coffee Central Agricultural Cooperatives COCLA LTDA (COCLA), a Peruvian coffee cooperative; and Asociacion Union de Cafetaleros Ecologicos (Unicafec), a Peruvian coffee producers association.

by Stefanie Rubin -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and German Development Bank KfW Launch $150m Fund for Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in Sub-Saharan Africa

The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German development bank KfW recently launched a regional investment fund for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Sub-Saharan Africa.

by Christine Chang -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: All Eyes on Asset Quality: Microfinance Global Valuation Survey 2010 Published by CGAP, Written by Xavier Reille, Christoph Kneiding, Daniel Rozas, Nick O’Donohoe and Frederic Rozeira de Mariz

Written by Xavier Reille, Christoph Kneiding, Daniel Rozas, Nick O’Donohoe and Frederic Rozeira de Mariz, published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), March 2010, 40 pages, available at: http://www.cgap.org/gm/document-1.9.42531/OP16R.pdf

The authors of the paper aim to provide the investor community with benchmarks for the valuation of microfinance assets using two datasets, one being a sample of 200 private equity transactions between 2005 and 2009, the other being data on eight publicly listed low-income financial institutions (LIFIs).

by Christine Chang -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) Pension Fund to Consider Investment in Microfinance

Global Pensions, a magazine serving the global institutional pensions industry, recently reported that following significant investments in microfinance by Dutch pension funds ABP and PGGM, California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), a USD 133 billion pension fund located in the US, will consider investing in microfinance investment vehicles.

by Sally Levy -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Philippines Government and Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) Initiate Loans Totaling $3.3b Since July 2004

In 2004 the Philippines Government and private microfinance institutions (MFIs) agreed to increase microfinance lending across the country. At the 11th anniversary of the Filipino National Anti Poverty Commission (NAPC), data was released indicating that loans totaling PHP 161 billion (USD 3.3 billion) have been made to 5.8 million microfinance clients from July 2004 to April 2009. The NAPC, a government body, estimated that 2.7 million jobs have also been created through this investment. In 2007 PHP 25.9 billion (USD 537 million) in loans were made and this grew to PHP 64.8 billion (USD 1.3 billion) in 2008. From January to April 2009 PHP 9.7 billion (USD 201.1 million) microfinance loans have been created. It was not clear how this data was collected or the methodology behind it.  

by Goda Thangada -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: African Credit Information Company Compuscan Establishes Private Credit Reference Bureau in Rwanda

A new private Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) has been established by the African credit information company Compuscan in Rwanda. Compuscan will compile and share credit information about borrowers between banks and non-bank financial institution. The National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) has approved a three year contract with Compuscan to provide credit information to financial institutions within the country. Michael Malan, managing director of Compuscan, comments, “The principle of data reciprocity will apply. Users of data will be required to share data in order to view data ensuring fairness for all.” In 2009, the World Bank “Doing Business” Survey gave Rwanda’s credit information system a “2” out of a possible high score of “5”.

by Jaclyn Berfond -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: BlueOrchard Finance Disburses Over USD 28m to Microfinance Institutions in May

BlueOrchard Finance disbursed over USD 28 million in loans to 13 microfinance institutions (MFIs) in May.  As reported to the CGAP Microfinance Dealbook, BlueOrchard Finance loaned USD 15.5 million through the Dexia Micro-Credit Fund and USD 1 million through the BBVA Codespa Microfinance Fund. BlueOrchard is also an advisor to the Microfinance Enhancement Facility, launched by the International Finance Corporation and KfW Entwicklungsbank, which disbursed its first four loans totaling USD 12 million.

by Zoran Stanisljevic -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Second Annual Microfinance Investment Summit, October 6-7, 2009, London, United Kingdom, Sponsored by Incofin

Microfinance Event: Second Annual Microfinance Investment Summit, October 6-7, 2009, London United Kingdom, Sponsored by Incofin

Second Annual Microfinance Investment Summit, October 6-7, 2009, London, United Kingdom, Sponsored by Incofin

See Our Comprehensive Event Calendar Here: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events