With a focus on impact investing, this event will explore how to build markets in Africa as well as pipeline opportunities and challenges. The agenda includes sessions such as: (1) Investing in SMEs [Small and Medium-sized Enterprises] and Start-ups; (2) Systems and Design Thinking for
Tag: Trends/Challenges
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EIB Loans $214m to Sicredi for Solar Panels for Households, SMEs in Brazil
Banco Cooperativo Sicredi, a Brazil-based financial cooperative owned by its 6.5 million members, recently agreed to borrow EUR 200 million (USD 214 million) from the EU’s European Investment Bank (EIB). Sicredi plans to use the capital to equip houses and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sanad Fund for MSME Raises $26m from ASN Bank, Calvert Impact to Boost Financial Inclusion, Resilience in MENA
The Luxembourg-domiciled Sanad Fund for MSME recently agreed to borrow EUR 15 million (USD 16.5 million) from Algemene Spaarbank voor Nederland (ASN) Bank, a retail banking member of the Netherlands’ de Volksbank, and USD 10 million from the US-based NGO Calvert Impact Capital. Sanad intends to use the fresh funds to facilitate
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Futu Expanding Digital Investment, Financial Education Platform to Malaysia
The Hong Kong-based wealth management company Futu Holdings is adding Malaysia to the list of countries whose residents can access its investment platform Moomoo, following the firm’s local subsidiary receiving preliminary regulatory approval for the service. Moomoo allows
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroVest Lending $3.4m to Financiera Finexpar for Agriculture, SME Lending in Paraguay
MicroVest, an asset management subsidiary of US-based DAI Global, recently issued a loan of USD 3.4 million to the Paraguay-based microfinance institution (MFI) Financiera Finexpar to support the MFI’s lending activities, specifically the funding of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in
MICROFINANCE EVENT: ANDE Annual Conference; September 12-14, 2023; Accra, Ghana
This event will observe the “half-way point” towards the 2030 target of achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. It is themed “Accelerating Action: Small Business Solutions and the SDGs,” and is to focus on cataloging the progress and ongoing needs of small and
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Impact of Microcredit on Household Consumption and Assets in Nepal;” by Shalik Ram Pokhrel
Dr Pokhrel hypothesized that microcredit is a sustainable tool for poverty reduction, based on the idea that access to microcredit can improve household income and employment opportunities, thus leading to increases in household consumption and asset ownership. The study employed data from
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: “Green Energy Finance and Gender Disparity: The Case of Mountain Areas in Bangladesh,” by Sakib Bin Amin et al, Published by Copenhagen Business School
The authors of this study conducted a household-level analysis to examine the relationships among electricity access, green finance and gender disparity in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh. Although access to electricity can
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Araratbank of Armenia, FMO Ink $10m Risk-sharing Facility to Boost MSMEs
The Armenian bank Araratbank and Dutch development bank Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) recently agreed to expand their risk-sharing facility by USD 10 million. FMO’s portion of the commitment is from its Nasira Fund, which guarantees
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: AFI Invests $5m in Microfinance Institution AFK of Kosovo from Invest in Visions (IIV)
The Germany-based investing company Agents for Impact (AFI) recently informed MicroCapital that it has issued a loan of USD 5 million to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Enabling Qapital Loans $10m to AccessBank for Microfinance, SME Lending in Azerbaijan
Enabling Qapital Limited, a Switzerland-based investment advisory company, recently issued a loan of AZN 17 million (USD 10 million) to AccessBank, which was founded in 2002 to provide credit and other financial services to smaller businesses and low-income families in Azerbaijan. The three-year loan is to be used
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Asia Pacific Microfinance Forum; October 17-18, 2023; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
This event, in its fourth edition, aims to facilitate networking among investors and retail financial institutions. With a focus on market trends, the forum will address topics such as: (1) Recent Developments in Responsible Inclusive Finance; (2) Strategies to Overcome
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Visa Everywhere Initiative 2023 Offering $500k for Fintech Innovation
US-based payment technology firm Visa and TechCrunch, a media company owned by US-based technology firm Yahoo, recently opened the Visa Everywhere Initiative 2023, a contest offering USD 500,000 in prizes to financial technology firms (fintechs) that “deliver innovative payment and commerce solutions.” Applicants apply based
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Luxembourg Invests $25m in First Close of Green Earth Impact Fund, Managed by BlueOrchard, Schroders
The Luxembourg Ministry of Finance, the UK-based Schroders Group and its Switzerland-based unit BlueOrchard Finance recently announced the first closing of the Green Impact Earth Fund (GEIF) with a USD 25 million commitment from the Ministry of Finance. The fund
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Responsible Finance Forum; July 5-7, 3023; Bengaluru, India
Themed “Shaping a Responsible Digital Finance Ecosystem,” the upcoming edition of this event – the first in-person since 2019 – will focus on client protection to help “low-income and vulnerable” people reduce risks as they use financial tools. Although the detailed agenda has not yet been finalized, it is expected to include topics such as: (1) Balancing Responsible Finance Between
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Finance Magnates Africa Summit; May 8-10, 2023; Johannesburg, South Africa
This event offers sessions including: (1) The Global Economy, African View: Facing Financial Distress; (2) Fintech in Africa: Opportunities in
MICROFINANCE EVENT: European Microfinance Network (EMN) Annual Conference; June 14-16, 2023; Paris, France
Themed “Economy for the People,” the 20th annual iteration of this event will focus on financial inclusion and social entrepreneurship. The agenda will include topics such as: (1) crisis management for entrepreneurs; (2) the needs of