Samunnati, a non-banking financial company in India dedicated to the agricultural sector, recently borrowed EUR 5 million (USD 6.1 million) each from Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a development bank controlled by the Dutch government, and Triodos Investment Management (Triodos IM), a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Triodos Bank, for on-lending to farmer producer organizations (FPOs) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agricultural sector. Triodos IM is disbursing the funds from
Tag: Agriculture
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Launches Rural Enterprise Finance Project (REFP) to Expand Mobile Banking, Financial Literacy Training in Mozambique
The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) recently launched the Rural Enterprise Finance Project (REFP), aimed at improving access to national and regional markets for people in rural Mozambique. The project includes elements such as
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: UNCDF, EU, Private Sector Foundation of Uganda, Uganda Development Bank Financing SMEs via “Support to Agricultural Revitalization and Transformation” (START) Program
The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the EU, the Private Sector Foundation of Uganda and the Uganda Development Bank recently launched the Support to Agricultural Revitalization and Transformation (START) program to finance small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) involved in agriculture in northern Uganda. The goals of the program include addressing the
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Developpement International Desjardins (DID): “A Roadmap for Making Inclusive Finance a Driving Force for Rural Development and Food Security”
This is a summary of a paper published by Developpement international Desjardins (DID), February 2018, 24 pages, available at: https://www.did.qc.ca/media/documents/en/positionnements/agricultural-finance-roadmap.pdf.
This report outlines a set of indicators that correlate with how easily the actors in a country’s agricultural sector – ranging from smallholder farmers to commercial producers – can access affordable and reliable services from financial institutions:
1. Producers’ Stage of Development: Financial service providers have more incentive to engage with agricultural producers if the producers have greater operational capacity and productivity, including the ability to demonstrate their ability to yield return on investment. Other qualities that make producers
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Calvert Impact Loans $5m to One Acre Fund for Agricultural Inputs, Clean-energy Equipment Leasing to Smallholder Farmers in East Africa
Calvert Impact Capital, a US-based NGO that raises funds for organizations with “a social and/or environmental focus,” recently loaned USD 5 million to One Acre Fund, a US-based NGO active in the agriculture sector in Africa.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Green for Growth Fund (GGF) Loans $1.5m to Microfinance Organization Crystal of Georgia
The Green for Growth Fund (GGF), a Luxembourg-based lender to projects deemed beneficial to the environment, recently loaned USD 1.5 million to Joint Stock Company Microfinance Organization Crystal, a microfinance institution primarily serving microentrepreneurs and farmers in rural Georgia. Crystal plans to use the proceeds
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO, Rabobank Foundation Invest $500k in Apollo Agriculture, Provider of Loans, Insurance, Training to Smallholder Farmers in Kenya
The Netherlands Development Finance Company, a public-private bank also known by its Dutch acronym FMO, and Rabobank Foundation, the “social fund” of the Dutch Rabobank Group, each recently disbursed USD 250,000 to Apollo Agriculture, a Kenyan startup that provides financial and technical assistance to smallholder farmers in Kenya.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC Loans $93m to Mahindra Finance for Microloans Targeting Farmers, SMEs, Women in India
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a unit of the World Bank Group, recently loaned INR 6.4 billion (USD 93 million) to Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited (Mahindra Finance), a non-banking financial company owned by the India-based Mahindra Group. Mahindra Finance plans to use the funding to expand its lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD, UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Training Farmer Cooperatives in Serbia
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based development bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an Italy-based organization of the UN dedicated to addressing world hunger, recently have united to support farmer cooperatives in Serbia. With assistance from the Serbian government,
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: AgriProFocus, ICCO Cooperation, Rabobank Foundation: “Critical Capital for African Agri-Food SMEs;” by Bert van Manen, Boubacar Diallo, Miraj Desaj, Paul Njenga
Following is a summary of a paper by Bert van Manen, Boubacar Diallo, Miraj Desaj and Paul Njenga; published by the Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO Cooperation); May 2018; 60 pages; available at: https://www.icco-cooperation.org/Portals/2/Files/Publications/Critical%20Capital%20Web.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: responsAbility-managed Private Equity Vehicle Acquires 51% Stake in Bank Lviv, Lender to SMEs, Agricultural Firms in the Ukraine
A private equity investment vehicle managed by responsAbility Investments AG, a Switzerland-based asset manager specializing in impact investments in developing countries, recently paid an undisclosed sum to buy a 51-percent
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Bank Climate Investment Funds Disburse $15m to “Zambia Strengthening Climate Resilience” Project for Technical, Financial Support for Smallholder Farmers
The World Bank recently disbursed a total of USD 15 million in grant and debt funding via the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), a group of four funding vehicles addressing issues related to climate change, for the second phase of the Zambia Strengthening Climate Resilience project. The project was launched
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Woori Bank of South Korea Acquires VisionFund Cambodia from Microfinance Subsidiary of US-based World Vision
VisionFund International, a UK-based NGO that offers microfinance services for World Vision, a US-based Christian relief and development organization, recently sold VisionFund Cambodia, a microfinance institution (MFI) serving rural
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC Loans $1.2m to AFK of Kosovo for Microlending to Smallholder Farmers; Micro-, Small Enterprises (MSEs)
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a unit of the World Bank Group, recently loaned EUR 1 million (USD 1.2 million) to the Agency for Finance in Kosovo (AFK), a microfinance institution that focuses on
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Malawi, IFAD Debut $58m Financial Access for Rural Markets, Smallholders and Enterprise Programme (FARMSE)
The government of Malawi and the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) recently agreed to launch the Financial Access for Rural Markets, Smallholders and Enterprise (FARMSE) Programme, whose primary objective is to address poverty in Malawi by boosting rural households’
MICROFINANCE EVENT: TBLI Conference Nordic 2018; November 8 – 9, 2018; Stockholm, Sweden
As in previous editions in several other countries, the next TBLI Conference will consider triple bottom line investing (TBLI) – investing that “benefits investor, environment, and society” – including environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. Sessions will address the
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Kazakhstan’s Government Expanding Bastau Business Project, Supporting Agricultural Cooperatives, Entrepreneurship Training, Rural Microfinance
Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Nurzhan Altayev, recently announced plans to expand the Bastau Business Project, a government-sponsored initiative that involves “training rural people with entrepreneurial skills, including the principles of forming agricultural cooperatives, and supporting their business projects” with credit. The program, launched in 2017,
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs’ (ANDE’s) Metrics from the Ground Up; June 12 – 13, 2018; Washington, DC, USA
Summary of Event: The tenth iteration of this event will address how to quantify impact in the “small and growing businesses” (SGBs) sector. Participants will take stock of the progress made over the last decade as well as discussing ways to overcome challenges in the industry. Draft agenda items include; Collecting Data Across the Five Dimensions of Impact, Using Outcome Data to