IFMR Capital, an affiliate of the Chennai-based nonprofit Institute of Financial Management and Research (IFMR), recently structured the first capital market transaction for the Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Bank, an Indian public-sector financial institution that provides subsidized loans and other services to microfinance institutions (MFIs) and non-banking financial institutions (NBFCs).
Tag: investment
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Indian Microfinance Institution Ujjivan Goes Public, Raising $95m in Association With IPO
Ujjivan Financial Services, an Indian provider of microloans and life insurance, recently conducted its initial public offering (IPO), generating INR 3.6 billion (USD 54 million) from the sale of newly issued shares.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Indian Microfinance Lender Equitas Holdings Goes Public, Raising $330m
Equitas Holdings Limited, an Indian microfinance lender, recently opened its primary market sale.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Accion Venture Lab Invests in Alternative Credit Scoring Firm Aire
Accion, a US-based nonprofit providing microfinance services in 32 countries, recently announced that it will invest an undisclosed amount of money in Aire, a UK-based startup focused on credit score data analytics.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: VisionFund International Buying Majority Equity Stake in Opportunity’s Microfinance Institution in Democratic Republic of Congo
Pending regulatory approval, VisionFund International, a US-based affiliate of the Christian humanitarian organization World Vision International, recently agreed to purchase a majority stake in Opportunity International’s (OI’s) microfinance institution (MFI) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Sierra Leone to Lend to SMEs at Single-digit Interest Rates without Collateral
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Sierra Leone (SMESL), which was established by that nation’s parliament in 2015 [2], recently announced it will provide loans at interest rates below 10 percent per year without a collateral requirement, in an effort to strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises in the country.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Teranga Capital Launches Fund for Small Growing Business in Senegal
Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), a France-based family of investment funds that supports “socially responsible” entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa, recently announced the inauguration of its third fund, Teranga Capital (TC).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Green for Growth Fund Southeast Europe (GGF) Signs $2.2m Senior Loan Facility with ICS Total Leasing & Finance of Moldova
The Green for Growth Fund Southeast Europe (GGF), a Germany-based fund that invests in energy efficiency and renewable energy, recently announced that it has agreed to disburse a senior loan of EUR 2 million (USD 2.2 million) to ICS Total Leasing & Finance S.A. (TLF), a Moldova-based non-banking financial institution.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Microinsurance Business Models for Africa; April 6-7, 2016; Diani, Kenya
Event Name: Microinsurance Learning Sessions: Microinsurance Business Models for Africa
Event Dates: April 6-7, 2016
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) to Distribute Funds from Government-Backed Kredit Usaha Rakyat (KUR) Microloan Program via Rural Banking Members of Perbarindo
Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), a state-owned bank in Indonesia, recently signed an agreement with Perbarindo, an Indonesian association of rural banks, to support the government-backed microloan program Kredit Usaha Rakyat (KUR) channeling “subsidized loans” to micro- small and medium-sized enterprises.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to Invest up to $200m in Equity in LeapFrog Investments
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a development finance institution backed by the US government, recently committed to investing up to USD 200 million in equity in Leapfrog Investments, a for-profit private equity fund based in Mauritius.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: LeapFrog Investments Acquires Ghana’s UT Life Insurance
Leapfrog Investments, a Mauritius-based private equity fund that invests in companies that serve people in Africa and Asia who earn low incomes, recently acquired a majority stake in UT Life Insurance, a Ghana-based insurance company, for an undisclosed price.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Prudential Financial to Invest $350m in African Insurers, To Be Managed by LeapFrog
Prudential Financial Incorporated, a US-based financial services company, recently announced an investment of USD 350 million in life insurance companies in African countries such as Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.
MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Financing Necessary for SMEs to Grow; Microfinance Challenges in the Arab World; Incofin on MFIs’ Social Performance
“ADB Report: Asia SME Finance Monitor 2014;” by S. Shinozaki, T. Chaiken, S. Jain, K. Dorofev, C. T. Delos Santos and J. Bautista; published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB); September 2015; 318 pages; available at: http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/173205/asia-sme-finance-monitor2014.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO Completes $153m Syndicated Loan to Sri Lanka’s Commercial Leasing & Finance (CLC)
Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Dutch development bank, recently served as lead arranger and facility agent to finalize a USD 153 million senior secured syndicated loan for Sri Lanka’s Commercial Leasing & Finance (CLC).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Qalaa Holdings Planning to Sell 70% Stake in Microlender Tanmeyah to Egyptian Financial Group (EFG) Hermes for $40m
Qalaa Holdings, an Egypt-based investment holding company previously named Citadel Capital, recently announced that it will sell its 70-percent ownership in Tanmeyah, an Egypt-based provider of microloans and microinsurance, to Egyptian Financial Group (EFG) Hermes, an investment bank serving the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Trends in International Funding for Financial Inclusion; Inclusive Finance in India; Financial Regulation for Inclusion and Development in Latin America
“Current Trends in International Funding for Financial Inclusion;” by M. Soursourian, E. Dashi and E. Dokle; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); December 2015; 4 pages; available at: http://www.cgap.org/sites/default/files/Brief-Current-Trends-in-International-Funding-Dec-2015.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Développement international Desjardins (DiD) to Provide Microfinance to Food Producers in Senegal in Partnership with Micronutrient Initiative
Développement international Desjardins (DiD), a Canadian nonprofit supporting the community finance sector in emerging economies, recently joined the “Project integer de nutrition dans les regions de Kedougou et Kolda (PINKK)”, which is aimed at increasing food security for women and children in the Senegalese regions of Kedougou and Kolda.