Impact Asset Management (I-AM), a unit of Austria’s C-Quadrat Investment Group, recently announced it lent a total of USD 20 million to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in China, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Peru and three other countries through its Dual Return Funds during July 2022. I-AM has
Tag: investment
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: In $112m Deal, ADB, BII, LeapFrog, Premji Invest in Shubham Housing Development Finance of India as Elevar, Motilal Oswal Private Equity Exit
The multilateral Asian Development Bank (ADB), the UK government’s British International Investment (BII), UK-based LeapFrog Investments and India’s Premji Invest (PI) – via its PI Opportunities Fund – recently announced they have led an investment in the India’s Shubham Housing Development Finance in local currency totalling the equivalent of USD 112 million. The four investors disbursed USD 78 million to Shubham as primary capital to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: DFC, Citibank Invest $300m in Access Bank for SME Financing in Nigeria
The US government’s International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) recently deployed USD 280 million in favor of Nigeria’s Access Bank to support about 4,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a focus on women-owned and “climate-change focused” businesses. US-based Citibank is
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ElectriFI, Oikocredit Invest $8m in Equity in Solar Panda to Expand Electricity Access for Off-Grid Communities in Kenya
The government-funded Electrification Financing Initiative (ElectriFI) and Dutch cooperative investor Oikocredit recently announced equity investments in Solar Panda, a Canada-based provider of solar technology to households in Kenya. The goal of
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Afrikamart Secures $850k in Equity to Improve Food-delivery Logistics, Boost Purchasing from Smallholder Farmers in Senegal
Afrikamart, a Senegal-based food distribution technology platform, recently secured USD 360,000 from Bloc Smart Africa, an investment fund managed by Luxembourg-based Bamboo Capital Partners, as part of a larger equity package. An additional
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: C-Quadrat Impact Asset Management (I-AM) Loans $35m in 8 Countries via Dual Return Vision Microfinance Funds
Impact Asset Management (I-AM), a unit of Austria’s C-Quadrat Investment Group, recently announced it has disbursed a total of USD 35 million to microfinance institutions in Armenia, El Salvador, Panama, Uzbekistan and four other countries. While I-AM has not released the names of the latter countries or any of the borrowers, it did announce a recent local-currency loan to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: SIDI, Alterfin Announce First Close of FEFISOL II Fund at $23m to Support Rural Microfinance, Smallholder Farmers in Africa
France-based investment firm Solidarité Internationale pour le Développement et l’Investissement (SIDI) and Belgium-based cooperative Alterfin recently announced a new investment vehicle, Fonds Européen de Financement Solidaire (FEFISOL) II, whose first close includes investments totaling EUR 22 million (USD 23 million). The goal of the new fund is to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit, Aqua for All to Invest $17m in Water, Sanitation in Africa, Cambodia
Two Dutch entities, the cooperative investor Oikocredit and the nonprofit Aqua for All, recently launched a two-year partnership to facilitate access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Cambodia as well as unspecified countries in East and West Africa. Oikocredit has agreed to invest up to EUR 15 million (USD 15.6 million) in
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Visa, Davivienda Announce Commitments to Digitize Financial Services in Central America
Visa, a US-based financial services company, recently announced its commitment to further “digital and financial inclusion” in Central America as a response to the US government’s Call to Action for Northern Central America. Visa plans to invest USD 270 million to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroVest Loans $9m to Acleda Bank via IFC Syndication to Support SMEs in Cambodia, with Focus on Women Entrepreneurs
US-based asset manager MicroVest is lending USD 9 million for five years to Acleda Bank, a publicly traded firm that operates in three countries, to support Acleda’s provision of financial services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Cambodia, particularly those owned by women. The investment is part of a syndication for Acleda by the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) that is to include up to USD 100 million each from IFC and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Symbiotics Invests $7.5m in Evocabank of Armenia for MSMEs
Evocabank of Armenia recently gained access to USD 7.5 million from Switzerland-based Symbiotics to on-lend to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with goals including to boost market competition and job creation. Symbiotics sourced the funds from
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BlueOrchard Launches 2nd Private Equity Fund, Seeking to Invest $300m in Financial Inclusion of 30m Poor Households, MSMEs
BlueOrchard Finance, a Switzerland-based member of the UK-based Schroders Group, recently launched its BlueOrchard Financial Inclusion Fund, seeking to invest
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: UsPlus Borrows $11m from Lendable, Absa to Boost Access to Factoring for SMEs, Including Black-owned, Rural Companies
Verdant Capital, a Mauritius-based corporate finance firm, recently arranged USD 10 million in debt funding from US-based Lendable Asset Management for UsPlus, a South African funder of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This comes after UsPlus raised
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Canada, African Development Bank (AfDB) Announce $78m for Lending to Gender-inclusive, Climate-resilient Agricultural SMEs
Global Affairs Canada, an agency of the Canadian government, recently announced a contribution of CAD 100 million (USD 78 million) to the African Development Bank (AfDB), a multilateral institution that works to alleviate poverty in Africa, to support
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: Palestinian Monetary Authority, European Investment Bank (EIB) Announce $63m Package for MSMEs in Gaza Adjusting to COVID-19 Pandemic, with Focus on Companies Run by Women, Youth
The EU’s European Investment Bank (EIB) recently announced it will disburse EUR 60 million (USD 63 million) to the Palestinian Monetary Authority (PMA), with USD 50 million of the total to be on-lent by retail lenders in Gaza to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The remainder of the funding will
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) Annual Conference; September 13-15, 2022; Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Themed “resilient entrepreneurship,” this event will focus on how small and growing businesses (SGBs) across the globe are adapting to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and an otherwise changing world. The agenda includes topics such as climate change, sustainability, and how SGBs can plan for the future. Although the session titles for this year have not been released yet, sessions from last year’s iteration included “A Care-centered Economic Recovery: The Role of SGBs and Impact Investment” and “How Have We Co-created Gender-smart Accelerators that Actually Meet Female Founders’ Needs?”.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Equity Group Nets Over $165m from IFC, BII, FMO, ResponsAbility, Symbiotics for Climate Projects, Financial Inclusion for MSMEs in Africa
Partially through its Financial Institutions Growth Fund, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is paying an undisclosed sum to acquire a 6.7-percent stake in Equity Group Holdings, which has banking operations in Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. IFC and the UK government’s British International Investment (BII) also are each lending the group’s Equity Bank Kenya