Accion Venture Lab, an investment vehicle of US-based NGO Accion, recently sold its stake in Clip, a company that provides Mexican businesses devices that plug in to smartphones, allowing them to accept payments via credit and debit cards. Clip, which has offices in the US and Mexico
Search Results for: Brazil
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Chilean Credit Reporting Firm Destacame Raises Seed Equity from Accion Venture Lab to Expand into Mexico
Destacame, a Chile-based credit scoring firm, recently announced that it has closed its seed round of financing, which was led by Accion Venture Lab, a USD 10 million investment vehicle of US-based NGO Accion. The funds are slated to allow Destacame
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: 2016 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project Report; by John Villasenor, Darrell West, Robin Lewis
“The 2016 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project Report Advancing Equitable Financial Ecosystems;” by John D. Villasenor, Darrell M. West and Robin J. Lewis; published by the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution; August 2016; 146 pages;
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Cambodia’s Prasac Microfinance Introduces Mobile Banking Services Through Compass Plus’s TranzWare
Cambodia’s Prasac Microfinance Institution Limited recently launched a suite of mobile banking services using the TranzWare processing platform from Compass Plus, an electronic payment systems provider with primary offices located in Russia and the United Kingdom.
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Guidance on the Application of the Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision to Institutions Relevant to Financial Inclusion, published by the Basel Committee
“Guidance on the Application of the Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision to the Regulation and Supervision of Institutions Relevant to Financial Inclusion”, published by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, December 2015, 55 pages, available at http://www.bis.org/bcbs/publ/d351.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Accion Venture Lab Invests in Alternative Credit Scoring Firm Aire
Accion, a US-based nonprofit providing microfinance services in 32 countries, recently announced that it will invest an undisclosed amount of money in Aire, a UK-based startup focused on credit score data analytics.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Penn Microfinance to Host 10th Annual Conference: Banking on Change; April 9, 2016; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Event Name: 10th Annual Penn Microfinance Conference: Banking on Change
Event Date: April 9, 2016; 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Event Location: University of Pennsylvania, Huntsman Hall; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MetLife Foundation, Accion, Chinese Association of Microfinance (CAM) Launch Microfinance Management and Leadership Program in China
Accion, a US-based nonprofit providing microfinance services in Africa, Asia, and the Americas; the MetLife Foundation, the philanthropic arm of US-based insurance company Metlife; and the Chinese Association of Microfinance, a network of 92 microfinance institutions (MFIs) and other members, recently launched the International Microfinance Management and Leadership Program. This nine-month program comprises classroom lectures, monthly webinars and visits to microfinance institutions (MFIs) with the goal of teaching managers of Chinese MFIs how to expand the reach of their financial services.
MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Mapping Pathways Out of Poverty; Marketing Insurance to Women; Sustaining Financial Inclusion in the Philippines
“Mapping Pathways out of Poverty: The State of the Microcredit Summit Campaign Report, 2015;” published by the Microcredit Summit Campaign; December 2015; available at: http://www.microfinancegateway.org/library/mapping-pathways-out-poverty-state-microcredit-summit-campaign-report-2015
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Microfinance Egypt Summit, March 23-24, 2016, Cairo, Egypt
Event Name: Microfinance Egypt Summit
Event Dates: March 23-24, 2016
Event Location: The Nile Ritz-Carlton Cairo, Egypt
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFMR Holdings Raises $25m from Accion, LeapFrog, Lok Capital to Accelerate Financial Inclusion in India
IFMR Holdings, an arm of Indian nonprofit IFMR Trust, recently raised USD 25 million from Accion, a US-based nonprofit organization; LeapFrog Investments, a for-profit private equity fund based in Mauritius; and Lok Capital, an India-based microfinance investment vehicle.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC) Loans $25m to Azerbaijan’s AccessBank for Micro-, Small, Medium-Sized Enterprises
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the US-based World Bank Group that aims to increase economic growth in developing countries, recently announced that it will provide a subordinated loan of USD 25 million to AccessBank, a microfinance bank in Azerbaijan that is associated with Germany’s Access Microfinance Holding AG (AccessHolding), to enable it to serve more micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Mobile Financial Services in Latin America & the Caribbean: State of Play, Commercial Models, and Regulatory Approaches”
Published by the Global System for Mobile Association; May 2015; 29 pages; available at: http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/mobile-financial-services-in-lac
This report, published by the London-based Global Systems for Mobile Association (GSMA), provides an overview of the state of mobile financial services in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Accion’s Smart Campaign Streamlines Microfinance Client Protection Certification Program
The Smart Campaign, a consumer-protection initiative launched in 2010 by US-based nonprofit organization Accion, recently announced changes to its Client Protection Certification Program that are intended to improve the certification process by reducing the time it takes for financial institutions to become certified, extending certification validity from two years to four years, and launching an appeals and complaints system [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Accion, Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), Triodos to Acquire Myanmar’s Dawn Microfinance for $7m
Accion, a US-based microfinance NGO; Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Dutch public-private partnership that aims to promote growth in developing economies; and Triodos Investment Management, a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Triodos Bank, have announced plans to invest a total of USD 6.85 million in Dawn Microfinance, a Myanmar-based microfinance institution (MFI).
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Mobile Money and Digital Payments Americas; March 24-25, 2015; Mexico City, Mexico
Event Name: Mobile Money & Digital Payments Americas
This event will be held at the same time and venue as the Prepaid Americas and Transport Ticketing Americas events.
Event Date: March 24-25, 2015
Event Location: Marquis Reforma Hotel; Mexico City, Mexico
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Mobile Money and Digital Payments Asia 2015; January 20 – 22, 2015; Jakarta, Indonesia
Event Name: Mobile Money and Digital Payments Asia 2015
Event Dates: January 20 — January 22, 2015
Event Location: The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: The MasterCard Foundation, Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) Provide $6.5m to Launch Accion Africa Board Fellowship
Accion, a US-based nonprofit organization that offers services such as microenterprise loans and business training in 32 countries; The MasterCard Foundation, a Canadian nonprofit that promotes financial inclusion and education in Africa and other emerging markets; and Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Dutch development bank, recently partnered to launch the Accion Africa Board Fellowship in an effort to promote improved corporate governance and risk management practices in financial institutions assisting people with low incomes.