by A'kos Szebeni -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Effectiveness of Microfinance in Cambodia; Scaling Up in Agriculture and Development; Mobile Savings in Ecuador

“AMK Cambodia – Have AMK loans helped its clients improve their overall wellbeing?”, published by Angkor Mikroheranhvatho Kampuchea (AMK); January 2014; 12 pages; available at https://www.incofin.com/sites/default/files/attachments/newsitems/Change%20Study_AMK_2014.pdf

This report explores the results of a five-year study of the effectiveness of Angkor Mikroheranhvatho Kampuchea (AMK), a Cambodian microfinance institution, in helping increase its clients’ livelihoods through microcredit services.

by Nisha Koul -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Kompanion Financial Group of Kyrgyzstan Receives Syndicated Loan of $12m from European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappijvoor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO)

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based multilateral financial institution, has announced that it has arranged a three-year syndicated loan in local currency equivalent to USD 12 million for Kompanion Financial Group, a microfinance institution (MFI) in Kyrgyzstan [1].

by A'kos Szebeni -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Funding Trends for Inclusive Finance; Developments in Agricultural Microinsurance; Financial Inclusion in South Africa: Survey Results

“Trends in International Funding for Financial Inclusion;” by Edlira Dashi, Estelle Lahaye and Ralitsa Rizvanolli; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); December 2013; 4 pages; available at http://www.cgap.org/sites/default/files/Brief-Trends-in-International-Funding-for-Financial-Inclusion-Dec-2013.pdf

This report explores qualitative and quantitative data reflecting trends in the public and private capitalization of financial service providers offering inclusive finance products and services.

by Meraj Husain -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “A Guide to Responsible Investing,” Published by MicroRate

“A Guide to Responsible Investing,” published by MicroRate, December 2013, 7 pages, available at http://www.microrate.com/a-guide-to-responsible-investing-a-microrate-white-paper

MicroRate, a US-based for-profit microfinance rating agency, has published a primer introducing the terminology and practices used by the “responsible” investing community.

by Tejas Jain -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen-Jameel Microfinance to Loan $2m Each to Microfund for Women of Jordan, Al Majmoua of Lebanon

Grameen-Jameel Microfinance Limited, a nonprofit Cyprus-based joint venture of the US-based Grameen Foundation and the Saudi Arabia-based nonprofit Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives, recently declared that it will loan USD 2 million each to Microfund for Women (MFW), a microfinance provider in Jordan, and Al Majmoua, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization (NGO) that lends to microenterprises.

by Megan McGowan -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “The International Bank of Bob,” by Bob Harris; published by Walker Publishing

“The International Bank of Bob;” by Bob Harris; published by the Walker Publishing Company, Inc.; March 2013; 400 pages, http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-international-bank-of-bob-9781620405222/

This book stems from the moment that US-based author Bob Harris met a group of South Asian day laborers while on assignment for ForbesTraveler.com in Dubai.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Microfinance and Mobile Banking, Financing Incremental Housing Improvements, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) 2012 Microfinance Snapshot

“Microfinance and Mobile Banking: Blurring the Lines?”; by Michel Hanouch and Sarah Rotman; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); 2013; 20 pages; available at http://www.cgap.org/sites/default/files/Focus-Note-Microfinance-and-Mobile-Banking-August-2013.pdf

This report presents the results from a study conducted by US-based NGO CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) that explored the impact of mobile banking services on the microfinance market.

by Megan McGowan -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sanad Fund for MSME Loans $1m to Middle East Micro Credit Company (MEMCC) of Jordan to Expand Lending Services

The Sanad Fund for MSME (micro-, small, and medium-enterprises), a Luxembourg-based initiative that invests in financial institutions in the Middle East and North Africa, recently provided a local-currency loan of JOD 709,000 (USD 1 million) to the Middle East Micro Credit Company (MEMCC), a Jordan-based for-profit development institution that operates under Global Communities, provides loans to micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises, to further expand its lending services [1].

by Meghan Gillis -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Transition Fund Grants $11m to Moroccan Youth Microentrepreneurship Projects

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Transition Fund, a financial intermediary fund established by the US-based World Bank in 2012 that provides grants to help countries implement social reforms, has sponsored a total of USD 11 million in grants for two projects that will aim to assist approximately 5,000 Moroccan youths with starting their own businesses and micro-enterprises [1].

by Jennifer Young -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sanad Fund for MSME Loans $6m to Enda Inter-Arabe of Tunisia for Young Entrepreneurs, Micro, Small, Medium-sized Enterprises in Rural Areas

The Sanad Fund for MSME (micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises), an initiative that invests in financial institutions in the Middle East and North Africa, recently loaned the local-currency equivalent of USD 6 million to Enda Inter-Arabe (Enda), a financial services provider and Tunisia-based arm of non-governmental organization Enda Third-World, to support Enda’s expansion into poor rural areas of Tunisia; increase product offerings to young entrepreneurs; provide financial services to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises; and promote the empowerment of women. The loan is Sanad’s first debt investment in the country [1].

by Michael Averell -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Silatech, Macroinvest, Jaida, Afif, ANAPEC, IYF, Ministry of Tourism to Support Moroccan Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), Youth

Silatech, a Qatar-based social enterprise that seeks to promote youth entrepreneurship and employment in Arab countries, recently announced seven new partnerships in an effort to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and youth in Morocco.

by Meghan Gillis -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Citing Bank Delays, Kenya’s Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) to Boost Direct Lending to Young Entrepreneurs

The Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF), a Kenyan state corporation established in 2006 that provides loans for youth-owned or youth-focused enterprises, reportedly has applied for a deposit-taking microfinance license from the Central Bank of Kenya, and will increase its focus on providing loans directly to young entrepreneurs in Kenya.

by Jennifer Young -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sanad Fund for MSME to Loan $2m to Al Majmoua of Lebanon for Microenterprises

The Sanad Fund for MSME (micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises), an initiative that invests in financial institutions in the Middle East and North Africa, recently agreed to grant a senior loan facility of USD 2 million to Al Majmoua, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization (NGO) that lends to microenterprises.

by Jennifer Young -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC), European Investment Bank (EIB), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), European Commission Establish $380m Middle East, North Africa Small, Medium-Sized Enterprises Facility

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, recently announced that it is partnering with the European Investment Bank (EIB), the long-term lending bank of the European Union (EU); Agence Française de Développement (AFD), France’s international development agency; and the European Commission, the legislative body of the EU, via the Neighborhood Investment Facility (NIF), to establish a USD 380 million financing facility for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

by Jennifer Young -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFTransparency Reveals Truth in Lending Tables Data Platform and Pricing Transparency Index

MicroFinance Transparency (MFTransparency), a US-based nongovernmental organization that provides information on microcredit products and their prices, recently revealed the Truth in Lending Tables (TILT) Data Platform that displays the interest rates and fees charged to 40 million microfinance clients of 429 institutions across 20 countries.

by Brian LeBlanc -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Social Performance Task Force (SPTF) Calls for Survey Submissions by April 5, 2013

The Social Performance Task Force (SPTF), a working group initiated in 2005 by a  group of NGOs based in the US and Switzerland, is calling for microfinance industry professionals to fill out an online survey intended to identify what social performance management practices are being implemented throughout the microfinance industry, what challenges exist in implementing these policies and what additional resources institutions need to achieve their social performance goals more effectively.