The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) recently extended a loan of EUR 3.5 million (USD 3.6 million) to Soafiary, an agribusiness in Madagascar, to support the firm’s effort to “grow sustainably and reorient [its] business model, by increasing from 30 to 70 percent its direct sourcing from small-scale farmers,” potentially increasing grower incomes by
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MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: DFC, USAID, African Union’s AUDA-NEPAD Partner to Expand Access to Finance for MSMEs in Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Nigeria
The US Agency for International Development (AID) and the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) recently joined with the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) to provide loan guarantees to support micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi and Nigeria. The goals of the partnership are to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BII Investing $75m in MSME Funders via Symbiotics to Enable “Green” Projects in Africa, Asia
British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution, recently subscribed to a bond issuance arranged by Switzerland-based Symbiotics in the amount of USD 75 million to be invested in 10 to 15 funders of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia to boost “small-scale green projects and businesses.” To support the investments, BII has committed USD 520,000 in technical assistance for the retail lenders to help their clients invest in assets such as “rooftop solar panels, sustainable agriculture, energy-efficient appliances” and others. The program spans
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: 60 Decibels Microfinance Index Offers Impact Data from 18k Customers of 72 MFIs
Impact-measurement firm 60 Decibels recently released data it has assembled from 18,000 clients of 72 microfinance institutions (MFIs) that serve 25 million people in 41 countries. The report is based on a survey exploring changes in factors such as income, stress level, number of employees and ease of affording loan repayments, as well as levels of MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Incofin Sells 20% Equity Stake in ACEP Burkina to SIDI
Belgium’s Incofin Investment Management (Incofin IM) recently sold the 20-percent equity stake in Agence de Crédit pour l’Entreprise Privée (ACEP) Burkina, a microfinance institution in Burkina Faso, that it had held through its Incofin CVSO fund. The buyer is Solidarité Internationale pour le Développement et l’Investissement (SIDI), a French social business that is
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sherpa Company Pays $65m for 25% Equity Stake in Trusting Social to Harness Big Data for Consumer Finance in Vietnam
Singapore-based Trusting Social recently closed its Series C funding round, selling 25 percent of its equity for USD 65 million to Sherpa Company, a subsidiary of the Vietnam-based Masan Group, which operates across the financial, food, materials, retail and technology sectors. Trusting Social offers
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Impact Asset Management Disburses $15m from Dual Return Funds to Microfinance Institutions in 7 Countries
Impact Asset Management (I-AM), a member of the Austria-based C-Quadrat Investment Group, recently disbursed loans totaling USD 15 million from the Dual Return Funds to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and three other countries. Neither the names of the MFIs nor
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Solaris Offgrid Adds NuovoPay to PaygOps Platform, Boosting Retailers’ Ability to Lease Smartphones to Unbanked
Two providers of business-to-business services, UK-registered Solaris Offgrid and India’s NuovoPay, recently agreed to make NuovoPay’s smartphone leasing service available to distributors via Solaris’s PaygOps platform with the goal of increasing “access to digital technology for millions of unbanked people in emerging countries.” PaygOps is a system for
SPECIAL REPORT: Pratibha Singh of Agents for Impact, Arunkumar Padmanabhan of Svasti Discuss the AFISAR Rating, Microfinance, Impact and Much More!
This is part of a series of features sponsored by Agents for Impact (AFI), a German impact investing firm whose products include the AFI Sustainability Alignment Rating (AFISAR©) tool. AFISAR© is a trust mark – in microfinance and other forms of social business – signifying a commitment to positive and enduring change for people and the planet, based on the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework.
AFISAR© helps MFIs leverage the market’s growing focus on sustainability performance to raise capital from international investors and, particularly, impact investors. The rating helps investors and social businesses understand their strengths and weaknesses and devise effective strategies to minimize negative impact and maximize positive impact to the benefit of the organization – its employees, clients and other stakeholders – as well as the environment.
The conversation below outlines the AFISAR© rating process carried out in the “direct partnership” format by a leading MFI like Svasti Microfinance. Direct partnership offers a continuous and immersive experience to facilitate sustainable transitions. The active dialogue and engagement embedded in the AFISAR© process enable the MFI as well as asset managers to embark on a journey that leads to long-term sustainable development. AFI highly values long-term partnerships with organizations sharing our mission of achieving the UN SDGs. We take this so seriously that a rating above the sustainability threshold is required for the disbursement funds.
To date, AFI has used AFISAR© to rate 35+ microfinance and SME finance institutions in Asia, East Africa and Eastern Europe, helping the institutions demonstrate their SDG competency and alignment.
Pratibha Singh (pictured): How did you become interested in microfinance?
Arunkumar Padmanabhan: I was a lawyer and had worked for some years with ICICI Bank. Based on that experience, I wanted to set up a commercial business in the social impact space. We started in the slums of Mumbai, and now we have expanded to eight states in India with 220,000 borrowers across 120 branches.
PS: What makes the Svasti model unique?
AP: The key to success in this field is based on three aspects: people, process and technology. Our vision follows the “people-first” approach. Technology and innovation are driving forces as well, and we have built all of our systems from the ground up. That gives us a significant competitive advantage. Meanwhile, we have focussed on client protection and social impact from a very early stage in our development. With AFISAR©, we have become one of the few companies that is measuring its performance based on the SDGs. Constantly trying to improve in impact-driven areas is of great strategic importance.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Khazna of Egypt Raises $38m in Series A Round Led by Quona, 3 More Fintechs Join in Netting Investments from Nclude Fund
Nclude Fund, which was launched in 2022 primarily to focus on financial technology (fintech) in Egypt, has invested unspecified amounts of funding in four startups: (1) Khazna, a financial services app targeting the underbanked; (2) Lucky, an app offering consumer loans and loyalty rewards; (3) Mozare3, which helps small-scale farmers and food processors find funding; and (4) Paymob, an online payment platform that operates in the Middle East and Africa. Khazna also raised funding from
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Louis Dreyfus Company Borrowing $100m from ADB to On-lend to Small-scale Farmers to Boost Climate Resilience, COVID-19 Recovery
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), a multilateral institution based in the Philippines, recently agreed to lend USD 100 million to Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), a Netherlands-based firm active in agriculture, food processing and shipping. LDC plans to use the funds to finance “coffee, cotton and rice inventories” for 50,000 smallholder farmers who supply the firm’s operations in India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam. Among the goals of the project are to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ADA to Promote Financial Inclusion in Niger via Improved Product Design, Supervision, Funding Framework
Appui au Développement Autonome (ADA), an NGO based in Luxembourg that supports microfinance institutions (MFIs) in low- and middle-income countries, recently entered into a contract with Luxembourg’s Directorate of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs with the goal of creating jobs and otherwise reducing
MICROFINANCE EVENT: 7th European Research Conference on Microfinance; June 20-22, 2022; Glasgow, UK
Held every two years, this conference provides a platform for researchers, professionals, and students to discuss current research in the microfinance industry, particularly as it relates to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Although the research papers to be presented have not yet been announced, the Sixth European Research Conference on Microfinance in 2019 showcased papers including the following, which were
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bailyk Finance Borrows from Incofin for On-lending to Small-scale Entrepreneurs, Farmers in Kyrgyzstan
Belgium’s Incofin Investment Management recently provided a loan of an undisclosed amount to Kyrgyzstan-based Bailyk Finance to support the microlender’s mission “to create affordable financial solutions for rural and small cities’ residents to improve their quality of life.” Established in 2011, Bailyk provides microloans and associated insurance for consumption, enterprise, farming, housing, solar energy, medical and other purposes to 45,000 consumers – mostly women – through 43 offices. The company’s loan formats include
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: AXA, Acumen’s KawiSafi Lead $16m Equity, Debt Investment Round in Sistema.bio, Provider of Biogas Digesters
KawiSafi Ventures, a Kenya-based fund managed by US-based Acumen Capital Partners, and AXA IM Alts, which is controlled by France’s AXA Group, recently led an investment totaling USD 15.6 million in Sistema.bio, a Mexico-based biogas company that is active on four continents. The funding package includes
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Toronto Centre Releases Gender Toolkit for Financial Regulators
The Canada-based NGO Toronto Centre, with funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), recently released a toolkit titled First Step: Integrating Gender into Technology-enabled Financial Sector Supervision, “to assist financial supervisors from emerging markets with integrating gender dimensions into their supervisory practices.” The toolkit, which emphasizes the relevance of gender awareness and inclusion, offers
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Study-abroad Firm Leverage Edu Facilitating Student Access to Finance, Banking Services, Cross-border Remittances
Leverage Edu, which offers platforms for students in India looking to study in other countries, recently launched Leverage Finance, a unit facilitating loans to pay for tuition, cross-border remittances, and remote opening of bank accounts in countries to which students will travel for their education. During the pilot phase of the service, Leverage Finance customers accessed loans totaling INR 750 million (USD 10 million) and opened approximately 500 accounts at banks in Canada and the UK. Going forward, the firm plans to:
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Incofin Lends $1.5m from Fairtrade Access Fund to Lafaza to Support Vanilla Farmers in Sava Region of Madagascar
Belgium’s Incofin Investment Management recently lent USD 1.5 million from the Fairtrade Access Fund (FAF) to Lafaza Trading, a company with offices in Madagascar and the US that buys vanilla and other spices “directly [from 1,000] smallholder farm owners who use organic and sustainable agricultural practices.” Lafaza works with farmers to help them