Soleco Energy, a solar firm serving Latin America and the Caribbean, recently delivered a three-day “Women in Solar” training to 19 women in Jamaica with the intent of boosting the number of women working in the solar energy industry. There was no cost to participants, who gained exposure to
Tag: Jamaica
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: GCS International, Mastercard Target Unbanked in Jamaica with Mobile Wallets, Payment Cards
GCS International, a financial technology (fintech) firm based in the Dominican Republic, and Mastercard, a US-based payment technology firm, recently announced the implementation in Jamaica of their partnership “to develop and deliver digital payments solutions to underserved consumers across the Caribbean.” Using their work in the Dominican Republic as a model, the partners will
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Jamaica Moves Forward on Micro Credit Act to Regulate Microfinance Institutions
The Senate of Jamaica recently passed the Micro Credit Act, 2021, paving the way for its approval by the Governor-General. The legislation aims to reduce
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Invest, Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB) Bank Strike $70m Deal to Boost SME Lending, Social Performance, Human Resources, Environmental Tracking
IDB Invest, a member of the US-based Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, recently formed a partnership with Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB) Bank whereby JMMB Bank will receive from IDB Invest: (1) support “on the development and implementation of an environmental and social management system;” (2) capacity building services related to human resources; (3) a five-year loan of USD 35 million earmarked for on-lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); and (4) the arrangement of an additional lending package of USD 35 million funded by third-party banks. The funding will increase “the mat
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Blue Mahoe Buying 40% Equity Stake in Microfinance Provider Sprint of Jamaica
Blue Mahoe Capital, an investment firm based in the US city of Miami, recently agreed to purchase a 40-percent equity stake in Sprint Financial Services Limited, a Jamaican microfinance company, for an undisclosed sum. The transaction is scheduled to close in March. Sprint plans to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Jamaica National Small Business Loans Limited (JNSBL) Launches “I Support Jamaica” Website to Fund Microentrepreneurs
Jamaica National Small Business Loans Limited (JNSBL), a microfinance institution established in 2000, in partnership with the Jamaica National (JN) Foundation, a Jamaica-based social development organization, recently announced the launch of “I Support Jamaica,” a fundraising website that provides money for entrepreneurs in the country to start micro- and small businesses [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Jamaica’s Ministry of Finance Delays Microfinance Institutions’ Exemptions from Money Lending Act, Blocking Wholesale Funding from Development Bank of Jamaica
Members of the Jamaica Micro Financing Association (JaMFA), a committee of eight microfinance institutions formed in 2008, reportedly have had their access to relatively cheap wholesale funds from the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), a state-owned bank, blocked due to delays in the Ministry of Finance in renewing their exemptions from the Money Lending Act, a law established in Jamaica in 1938 [1].