by A'kos Szebeni -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Women and Mobile Financial Services in Uganda; Quantitative Poverty Scoring Methods; European Investment Bank’s Rural Impulse Fund II Symposium in Africa

“Research on Women and Usability of Mobile Financial Services in Uganda;” published by Grameen Foundation; February 2014; 40 pages; available at http://www.grameenfoundation.org/resource/use-mobile-financial-services-among-poor-women

This presentation gives an overview of the Uganda-specific results of a series of studies undertaken by the US-based nonprofit Grameen Foundation with the goal of understanding how mobile-phone usability, or lack thereof, impacts the ability of poor women to access mobile financial services in India, the Philippines and Uganda.

by Chikondano Faith Chisala -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Tigo Introduces Cross-border Mobile Money Transfer Service With Currency Conversion Serving Rwanda, Tanzania

Millicom International Cellular, a Luxembourg-based telecommunications company also known as Tigo, recently introduced a cross-border mobile money transfer service between Rwanda and Tanzania that includes currency conversion.

by Tejas Jain -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to Loan $2m to FINCA Jordan for On-Lending to Micro-, Small Enterprises (MSEs)

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based multilateral financial institution, recently announced that it will disburse a senior loan of USD 2 million to Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA) Jordan, a microfinance institution (MFI) based in Jordan that is a part of the US-based, nonprofit FINCA International microfinance network.

by Anesa Kratovac -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: OPIC to Support Citi in Loaning up to $200m to Support Small Businesses in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America

Citigroup (Citi), a US-based financial services corporation, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a development finance institution of the US government, reportedly have partnered to deliver USD 200 million to Citi’s local and multinational corporate and financial institution clients [1].

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Alleviating Poverty via Mobile Communications; Integrating Microfinance, Health Services in the Andes; Mobile Phone Technology for Women in Afghanistan

“Alleviating Poverty: Mobile Communications, Microfinance and Small Business Development Around the World;” by Darrell M. West; published by The Brookings Institution; May 2013; 12 pages; available at: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2013/05/16%20poverty%20mobile%20microfinance%20business%20west/westalleviating%20povertymobile%20comms%20microfinance%20small%20business51613v12.pdf

by Jennifer Young -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Cracking the Nut Africa: Improving Rural Livelihoods and Food Security, January 13 – 15, 2014, Kigali, Rwanda

Event Name: Cracking the Nut Africa: Improving Rural Livelihoods and Food Security

Event Date: NEW DATES: January 13 – January 15, 2014

Event Location: Kigali, Rwanda

by Jennifer Young -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Loan $4m to Mikrokreditna Fondacija Mi-Bospo of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a Luxembourg-based microfinance investment vehicle (MIV), recently notified MicroCapital that it has opened a EUR 1.5 million (USD 1.9 million) credit line for Mikrokreditna Fondacija Mi-Bospo, a microlender in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) that loans exclusively to women [1].

by Nicole Boyd -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation, Jordan Ahli Bank Launch IFC’s SME Toolkit in Jordan

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the US-based World Bank Group, and Jordan Ahli Bank, a Jordan-based financial institution, recently launched the SME Toolkit, an initiative of IFC, in Jordan.

by Nicole Boyd -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: NGOs, Government Unite In Effort to Increase Savings Group Membership to 50m Worldwide by 2020

A group of government and nonprofit organizations recently launched “50 by 2020,” an initiative with the goal of increasing the number of savings group members worldwide from 7.5 million to 50 million by 2020.

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) Lends $5m to Thaneakea Phum Cambodia (TPC) to Expand Housing, Microfinance Loans

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a development finance institution backed by the US government, recently finalized a USD 5 million loan to Thaneakea Phum Cambodia Limited (TPC), a Cambodian microfinance institution (MFI).

by Lena Phillips -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Uganda’s Insurance Regulator, Making Finance Work for Africa (MFW4A), Access to Insurance Initiative (A2ii) Seek to Expand Access to Microinsurance, Perhaps Mobile Money

The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), Uganda’s insurance industry regulator, reportedly is partnering with Making Finance Work for Africa (MFW4A), a multilateral platform that aims to coordinate financial sector activities among African governments, and the Access to Insurance Initiative (A2ii), a global program hosted by Germany’s international cooperation agency (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), to create regulation that make access to microinsurance more efficient, mainly for low-income earners.

by Nicole Boyd -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Itau Unibanco of Brazil Commits $167m to Microloans for Urban Entrepreneurs in Concert with Business Call to Action, UN Millennium Development Goals

Brazilian bank Itau Unibanco recently joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA), a multi-organization initiative that seeks to reduce poverty through the private sector in support of the United Nations Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).

by Brian LeBlanc -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Anne Hastings of Fonkoze Outlines Framework for National Mobile Money Systems

Anne Hastings, CEO of Haitian microfinance institution Fonkoze Financial Services, recently summarized the challenges outlined by a panel hosted by the Better Than Cash Alliance (BTC), a US-based NGO that promotes financial inclusion through mobile banking, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2013. The panel discussed the benefits and challenges of making the transition from cash to electronic payments.

by Nicole Boyd -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI) to Host Summit & Awards Ceremony, May 7-9, 2013, Istanbul, Turkey

Event Name: Child and Youth Finance Summit & Awards Ceremony 2013

Event Date: May 7-9, 2013

Event Location: Istanbul Stock Exchange, Istanbul, Turkey 

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: One Woman Initiative, Opportunity International Partner to Raise $50m for Microloans to Women

The One Woman Initiative (OWI), a US-based organization that focuses on empowering women, has come under the umbrella of Opportunity International, a US-based nonprofit organization with a focus on microfinance.

by Chioma Okwudiafor -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Millicom, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, US Agency for International Development Offer Financial Literacy Training, Loans to Rwandan Women to Become Tigo Mobile Money Agents

Millicom International Cellular, a Luxembourg-based telecommunications company also known as Tigo; the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, a UK-based charity promoting women’s entrepreneurship; and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a US government agency that provides international economic and humanitarian assistance, have partnered to assist 4,000 women in Rwanda  to become Tigo mobile money agents.

by Chioma Okwudiafor -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Savings Group Conference 2013: Expanding Financial Inclusion and Development, March 4 – March 5, 2013, Arlington, Virginia, USA

Event Name: Savings Group Conference 2013

Event Date: March 4 – March 5, 2013

Event Location: Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel, Arlington, Virginia, USA