by Elva Montelongo -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Credit Bank, FSD Kenya Engaging SACCOs in Effort to Reduce Remittance Costs for Rural Kenyans

The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) recently announced a pair of programs that will operate in Kenya under the EU’s Platform for Remittances, Investments and Migrants’ Entrepreneurship in Africa (PRIME Africa). In particular, IFAD will fund

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

by Sophie Fiala -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Remittance-scapes: The Contested Geographies of Remittance Management,” by Vincent Guermond

This paper introduces the concept of “remittance-scapes” as a new way of analyzing, understanding and regulating remittances. Dr Guermond defines remittance-scapes as “the socio-economic and financial institutions, physical structures and cultural practices through which

by Bradley Shulman -

MICROFINANCE WRAP-UP: “Resilience: COVID-19 Crisis Through A Migration Lens;” Published by Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD)

This brief provides an overview of recent trends in migration and remittances globally. Overall, remittances to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remained relatively stable through the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, decreasing from USD 548 billion in 2019 to USD 540 billion in 2020. Many countries used “counter-cyclical fiscal policy” to stimulate their economies, which

by Harriet Ritchie -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Fintech Zeepay of Ghana, Dutch Government, SNV, UNCDF Partner on Financial Education, Remittances via EU-funded GrEEn Program

Zeepay, a financial technology (fintech) company with offices in Ghana and the UK, recently partnered with the embassy of the Netherlands in Ghana, the Dutch NGO Stichting Nederlandse Vrijwilligers (SNV) and the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) as part of the EU-funded Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) program. The goal is to serve “youth, women and