by Rohan Kumar Agarwal -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ADB Issues $8.5m Bond to Fund On-lending to Women, Agricultural MSMEs in Azerbaijan

The multilateral Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently raised AZN 14.5 million (USD 8.5 million) from UK-based Record Currency Management and Germany-based Capitulum Asset Management to fund inclusive finance for women and agriculture in Azerbaijan. The funding is channeled through

by Aarya Dhru -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Global Inclusive Finance Summit; December 12-13, 2023; New Delhi, India

This event, formerly known as the Inclusive Finance India Summit, is in its 20th year. The organizers expect 1,200 delegates to attend. While the agenda for this year has not been released yet, the 2022 iteration offered sessions such as:

by Pranav Agarwal -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BlueOrchard Sustainable Assets Fund (BOSAF) Raises $15m for Infrastructure Lending

The Swiss investment manager BlueOrchard recently raised an additional USD 14.6 million from undisclosed investors for its BlueOrchard Sustainable Assets Fund (BOSAF), an infrastructure debt fund active in “growth markets.” Among BOSAF’s outstanding placements are:

by Aarya Dhru -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Sanabel’s 16th Annual Conference; November 21-22, 2023; Dead Sea, Jordan – POSTPONED

Please note that this event has been postponed; new dates have not yet been announced. This event is centered on the effects of global trends on microfinance in Arab countries. Participants will discuss and build strategies on topics such as making microfinance less harmful to the environment, improving risk management, and expanding services to farmers as well as

by Hawra Moochhala -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Sankalp Global Summit; October 19, 2023; Mumbai, India

The Sankalp Forum’s 15th Global Summit is themed “The Great Transition: Financing Climate Action for the Global South.” The program will focus on the promotion of: (1) Micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) seeking to reduce human impacts on the environment; (2) Switching to renewable – and affordable – energy sources; (3) Protecting biodiversity on land and in water;

by Aarya Dhru -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ResponsAbility Invests $40m in Equity in eFishery of Indonesia for Technology Helping Fish, Shrimp Farmers with Feeding, Water Quality, Documenting Sustainable Practices, Market Linkages

Switzerland-based responsAbility Investments recently paid USD 40 million for an equity stake of undisclosed size in eFishery, a company assisting Indonesian fish and shrimp farmers with automatic feeders and mobile apps. The money is sourced from the responsAbility fund Sustainable Food Asia II, which has raised USD 173 million as of 2023.

Founded in 2013, eFishery reports having partnered with 70,000 cultivators, including separate apps for

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Seedstars Accepting Applications from Fintechs Offering “Financial Innovations for Women Affected by Migration” Through July 30

Seedstars, a Switzerland-based investment and education firm, is accepting applications from financial technology (fintech) startups looking to scale up their services to women in Africa and Asia who have migrated from their homes or whose family members have done so. Seedstars is offering this support through its Financial Innovations for Women Affected by Migration (FIWAM) programme, which includes

by Ben Barba -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ADB, FinDev Canada to Partner on Investments in Market Development; Women’s Empowerment; Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation in Asia, Pacific

The multilateral Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Canadian government’s FinDev Canada recently announced a partnership to support projects in Asia and the Pacific that further FinDev Canada’s priority areas of “women’s economic empowerment, climate action and local market development.” In addition to identifying deals to co-finance, the organizations plan

by Ben Barba -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Jeevan Bikas, Pula, UNCDF Partner on Index Insurance for Farmers in Nepal

The Nepali microfinance institution Jeevan Bikas Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha, Swiss insurance technology (insurtech) firm Pula and the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) recently announced the completion of a pilot program combining technical assistance, subsidies and financial education to design and deploy an index-based insurance product for Nepali smallholder farmers. The program provided 15,000 smallholder farmers with insurance covering

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Navigating the Future of Impact Investing in Asia; May 9, 2023; Hong Kong, China

Attendees at this conference will debate investing “with the intention to generate social and environmental impact alongside a financial return” in Asia and worldwide. The topics to be covered include: 1) the current status of the sector; 2) methods for

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Incofin Launches Water Access Acceleration Fund (W2AF) with $39m to Invest in Africa, Asia

The Belgium-based investment firm Incofin recently launched the Water Access Acceleration Fund (W2AF), a private equity fund with the objective of reaching 30 million people with access to safe drinking water, primarily in Africa and Asia. In particular

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Microfinance, Over-indebtedness and Climate Adaptation: New Evidence from Rural Cambodia;” by Vincent Guermond et al; Published by Royal Holloway, University of London

The authors of this report argue that microfinance loans in Cambodia are leading to over-indebtedness amongst farmers, inhibiting their ability to adapt to climate change. The aggregate

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Institution 4 de Octubre Borrows $1.5m from Aequitas Fund for Onlending in Ecuador

The Canadian NGO Desjardins International Development (DID) recently disbursed USD 1.5 million from its financial inclusion fund Aequitas to 4 de Octubre, a microfinance institution (MFI) in Ecuador, to support the MFI’s

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: DID Loaning $2m from Aequitas Fund to Faces Microfinanzas for Microfinance in Ecuador

Aequitas, a financial inclusion fund launched by Desjardins International Development (DID), recently issued a USD 2 million loan to Ecuador-based microfinance institution (MFI) Faces Microfinanzas to

by Ben Barba -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 3rd CIS Islamic Banking and Finance Forum; March 14-16, 2023; Tashkent, Uzbekistan 

This event offers a one-day summit on March 14 and a two-day workshop on March 15 and 16, all with the aim of promoting Islamic finance in the 10 member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The summit offers sessions titled Islamic Finance and Financial Inclusion; Investment

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: SentBe Launches Remittances from US to 50 Countries

The South Korean money-transfer service SentBe recently announced the official launch of its service allowing individuals to send remittances from the US to Australia, Canada, Nigeria, member nations of the EU and 24 additional countries in Eurasia. The firm also serves individuals sending payments from