Bankingly, a Uruguay-based company that helps smaller financial services providers (FSPs) implement digital financial services, and Woodcore, a provider of core banking software with offices in Nigeria and the US, recently partnered on an effort to help microfinance institutions and other FSPs in Africa to add
Tag: MFIs
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oxus Kyrgyzstan Borrowing $1.6m from Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation for Microfinance Lending
Oxus Kyrgyzstan, one of three microfinance institution (MFI) affiliates of the France-based Oxus Development Network, recently borrowed local currency approximately equivalent to USD 1.6 million from Grameen Credit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, which has offices in France and Luxembourg. Like its partner MFIs in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, Oxus Kyrgyzstan seeks to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation Loans $760k to Microfinance Institution Oxus Tajikistan
Grameen Credit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, which has offices in France and Luxembourg, recently lent Oxus Tajikistan, one of three microfinance institution (MFI) affiliates of the France-based Oxus Development Network, local currency approximately equivalent to USD 760,000. The purpose is to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Reefy Microfinance Borrows $6.5m from EBRD for Youth-led MSMEs in Egypt
Reefy Microfinance Enterprise Services, an Egypt-based microfinance institution (MFI), recently agreed to accept a loan of EGP 200 million (USD 6.5 million) from the UK-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The loan is part of EBRD’s
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Determinants of Choice of Credit Source Among Clients of Microfinance Systems in the Upper West Region of Ghana,” by Paul Bata Domanban et al
The authors of this article examined which groups of people in northwestern Ghana were more and less likely to borrow money from microfinance institutions (MFIs). The authors conducted
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Microfinance in India: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities;” by Mohammad Abu Saleh, Zubair Ahmad
Based on a review of existing literature on microfinance in India, the authors of this study seek to: (1) analyze the size and growth of the domestic microfinance market; (2)
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Financial Inclusion in Niger: Challenges and Opportunities,” by Yoro Diallo et al, Published by IMF
This paper examines the inclusivity of financial services in Niger. The data examined indicate that Niger is behind other countries in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) in terms of access to financial services. Only 14 percent of the adult population of Niger accesses and uses formal financial services, such as those offered by commercial banks, e-money service providers and microfinance institutions (MFIs). The WAEMU country closest to Niger in terms of this metric is Mali, in which 55
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BIM Borrows $20m from IDB Invest for Locfund Next to Support Lenders to MSMEs in Latin America, Caribbean
Locfund Next, a debt fund managed by Bolivia-based BIM Asset Management, recently accepted a 6-year loan of USD 20 million from IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group. The loan is intended to help funders of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to expand their outreach to
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “The Impact of Microfinance Institutions on Poverty Alleviation,” by Collin Chikwira et al, Published by Journal of Risk and Financial Management
The authors of this report reviewed evidence of the effects of microfinance institutions (MFIs) on poverty in developing economies. Although a number of
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Microfinance Technology Summit; March 28-29, 2023; Kigali, Rwanda
This event will promote networking among representatives of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and technology firms to leverage innovations that improve
MICROFINANCE EVENT: 18th Annual Global Microfinance Forum; March 16-17, 2023; Prague, Czech Republic
In the context of lingering pandemic-induced caution among investors, this event promises to cover a variety of topics relevant to microfinance investors, practitioners and other stakeholders. In addition to addressing “how MFIs [microfinance institutions] adapt to and run in the new reality [and] complications for micro clients,” sessions will cover
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Committee in Bangladesh Considering Cutting Microcredit Interest Rate Cap Below 24%
The Bangladeshi government recently convened a committee to “analyze cost of the MFIs’ [microfinance institutions’] services and to determine if there is any scope to reduce the charges” with a nationwide cap. The committee, which includes 11 representatives of government, industry and observers, is headed by
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: JSIL Initiates JS Microfinance Sector Fund to Lend to MFIs in Pakistan
Pakistan-based JS Investments Limited (JSIL) recently launched the JS Microfinance Sector Fund (JSMFSF) with the goal of providing “the opportunity to tap into the growth potential of Pakistan’s microfinance sector” resulting in “a reasonable rate of return while maintaining high liquidity.” The fund carries a minimum investment of
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Dual Return Vision Microfinance Funds Loan $16m to MFIs in Armenia, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Panama, Tajikistan
C-Quadrat Impact Asset Management (IAM), a member of the Austria-based C-Quadrat Investment Group, recently announced that it loaned a total equivalent to USD 16 million to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Bolivia, Armenia, Costa Rica, Panama and Tajikistan from its
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: In India, MFIs, State Government Agree on Assam Microfinance Relief, Incentive Scheme for Women Borrowers Struggling with COVID-19 Impacts
The government of the Indian state of Assam recently announced it has reached an agreement with 38 microfinance institutions (MFIs), many of which are members of the self-regulating Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), to launch the Assam Microfinance Incentive and Relief Scheme (AMFIRS). For those who have been late repaying their microloans, the “relief under the scheme shall be extended to…
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Incofin Loans $2m to Bina Artha for Microfinance, Small Business Loans for Rural Women in Indonesia
Recently, Belgium-based Incofin Investment Management (IM) lent USD 2 million from its Incofin CVSO fund to Bina Artha, a microfinance institution (MFI) in Indonesia. Incofin IM acknowledges that
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: PBU Invests $15m in Nordic Microfinance Initiative’s NMI Fund IV to Invest in Women in Africa, Asia
Paedagogernes Pension (PBU), Denmark’s Pension Fund of Early Childhood Teachers, recently invested approximately USD 15 million, denominated in kroner, in NMI Fund IV, which is managed by the Nordic Microfinance Initiative (NMI), a Norway-based public-private partnership that supports microfinance institutions in developing countries.
The goal of the investment is