The multilateral African Development Bank (AfDB) and the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) recently announced an initiative to scale up food production in Africa. The program
Tag: Technology
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Remitly Acquires Remittance Fintech Rewire
Remitly, a US-based digital payments provider, recently acquired Israel-based payments company Rewire. Established in 2015, Rewire targets
MICROFINANCE EVENT: SOCAP23; October 23-25, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA
This event will focus on increasing the reach of “investable and profitable businesses” that contribute to solving global issues. Through February 17, those who operate such entities
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: DEG Loans Husk Power $750k for Solar Microgrids in Nigeria, India
The German development finance institution Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG) recently lent USD 750,000 to Husk Power Systems, an India-based supplier of small-scale electricity generation and distribution networks, to construct
MICROFINANCE EVENT: FinovateSpring; May 23-25, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA
This event focuses on financial technology (fintech), with 60 demos on the agenda as well as sessions such as: (1) Why Reimagining
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: African Fintech Nala Expands Remittance Service to EU, Launches Business Platform
Nala, a payments company launched in Tanzania in 2018, recently added 19 EU nations to the range of markets from which its users may send money transfers. The app targets
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: China Mobile’s Zong Unveils PayMax Payment Service in Pakistan
China Mobile, a China-based telecommunications company, recently launched a digital payments product called PayMax via its subsidiary China Mobile Pakistan (CMPAK), which trades under the brand name Zong. Zong is targeting
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Arab Savings & Financial Literacy Conference; October 9-11, 2023; Cairo, Egypt – NEW DATES
This event, which originally was set to begin on May 7, 2023, will focus on the importance of financial literacy and long-term savings in improving household financial stability. It offers in-person and remote access to sessions such as: (1) Reconciling the
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: B2B Fintech Clowd9 Chooses Netcetera for Payments Security
Clowd9, a UK-based payment processing platform, recently hired the Switzerland-based software company Netcetera to augment its digital payment security. Clowd9 connects
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Fintech Robos, General Arab Insurance Federation (GAIF) Partner on Events Promoting Financial Literacy, Savings, Social Insurance, Pensions
The Egypt-based General Arab Insurance Federation (GAIF) recently agreed to support Bahrain-based Fintech Robos in its production of the following annual events: (1) Arab Savings & Financial Literacy Conference; (2) the Arab Pension & Social Insurance Conference; and (3) the Arab Actuarial Conference. Fintech Robos CEO Ebrahim K Ebrahim noted that one of the goals of the partnership is
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO, Proparco Lend $125m to NMB for MSME, Agriculture, Green Financing in Tanzania
The Dutch development bank Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) recently led a senior loan package of USD 125 million in favor of Tanzania’s National Microfinance Bank (NMB). NMB is a commercial bank offering
MICROFINANCE EVENT: X Conferencia Centroamericana y del Caribe de Microfinanzas; March 20-22, 2023; Antigua, Guatemala
The tenth Central American and Caribbean microfinance conference is themed “Resilience and recovery of financial inclusion in the new reality.” The first morning is a forum for showcasing new technologies. The remaining two days will cover themes such as digital transformation, gender equity,
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Livelihoods India Summit; January 19-20, 2023; New Delhi, India
The 13th edition of this event will address how to increase the resilience of low-income people’s livelihoods. The sessions are to cover topics such as: (1) inclusive value chains; (2) the impact of climate change on livelihoods; (3) methods for
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Sustainability Week; March 29-31, 2023; London, United Kingdom
This eighth annual Sustainability Week is intended to help businesses, policymakers, investors and NGOs achieve their sustainability goals more quickly. The event offers
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Future of Fintech; June 14-15, 2023; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; NEW DATES
Originally scheduled to take place starting March 1, this event will focus on “disruptive ideas from across the fintech ecosystem.” The two-day event offers online and in-person sessions including: (1) Evaluating Saudi Arabia’s FinTech [Financial Technology] Venture Activity – Key Drivers and Factors; (2) Offering Financial Flexibility to
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Islamic Finance & Banking Summit; September 27-28, 2023; Dubai, UAE – NEW DATES
Originally scheduled to take place beginning February 27 in Saudi Arabia (and then May 31 in UAE), this two-day event is organized with the goal of developing strategies for elevating the Islamic finance industry. The agenda offers sessions – in-person and on-line – such as: (1) Economic Growth, FDI [Foreign Direct Investment] & Islamic Banking Developments; (2) Leveraging
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Digital Finance Campaign Replication Guide,” Published by USAID
This paper describes a digital finance education campaign called “Hey Sister! Show Me the Mobile Money,” including efforts to make it easy to replicate from one geographical context to another. The program facilitates low-income women’s access to digital financial services (DFS) by addressing the challenges of
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Offering AgriAcademy Graduate-level Education Courses in Ukraine to Boost Agriculture Sector
The multilateral European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is rolling out a remote, free-of-charge learning platform called AgriAcademy with a target of educating 10,000 agri-food workers in Ukraine. The goal is