by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Increasing Financial Access for Women with Better Data, Mentoring, Staff Training, “Gender-smart” Audits

e-MFP logoSilke Mufflemann of Frankfurt School of Finance and Management described the common differences between women-owned micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and those owned by men during a session at this month’s European Microfinance Week. On average, women owners are more cautious regarding business decisions and want more information before accepting a loan. In lower-income countries, women often have had less access to education and are less confident in their financial and business management skills. They also tend to have more limited social and business networks from which to draw information and other resources. For all these reasons, Ms Mufflemann argues, it is key that financial services providers (FSPs) connect women with non-financial support services.

Bettina Wittlinger, also from the Frankfurt School, discussed how to determine whether a FSP is “gender-smart.” Among the factors is

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Financial Inclusion for Women Requires Engaging All Levels of the Microfinance Institution

e-MFP logoDuring a plenary session on financial inclusion for women at European Microfinance Week 2022, the presenters highlighted the need to collect and use good data. Not only must financial services providers (FSPs) disaggregate data by gender, but they must segment it further, as not all women have the same needs. Mary Ellen Iskenderian of Women’s World Banking cited the example of regulators in Chile realizing their data pointed to a need for housing loans, which the entity then successfully encouraged FSPs to develop.

Carine Roenen of Fonkoze Foundation spoke to the importance of rich data – not just numbers but qualitative data as well. Fonkoze has had success encouraging line staff to report important client experiences to supervisors. For example, when thieves started targeting clients

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Banco FIE of Bolivia Takes $100k “Financial Inclusion that Works for Women” European Microfinance Award 2022

e-MFP logoFrom the European Microfinance Platform: After a selection process that reviewed applications from 88 organisations, Banco FIE SA has been chosen by the Luxembourg Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs to receive the €100,000 European Microfinance Award 2022.

The Bolivian bank captured the High Jury’s attention by incorporating a gender-related dimension into its products and services, in an effort to make them more accessible to women. To do this, it conducted a large number of customer surveys. Banco FIE provides a wide range of products, including micro-insurance (family life insurance and cancer policies), digital financial literacy and technical support to enhance agricultural productivity among women. Within its own organisation, Banco FIE has introduced an innovative business management model called “Marca Magenta” to promote inclusive leadership, the empowerment of women, the prevention of violence and

by Renata Samadova -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Remote Coaching to Prevent Dormancy Among Low-income Savers,” by Scott Graham et al, Published by WSBI

This report addresses the phenomenon of “dormancy” in the savings accounts of new owners of financial accounts, whereby the newly established accounts go unused after initial deposits are complete. The authors describe the use of coaching – via phone calls and SMS messages – to increase

by Renata Samadova -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 19th Inclusive Finance India Summit; January 17-18, 2023; New Delhi, India

This event is intended to advance dialogue on the challenges associated with financial inclusion. Although the agenda has not been released to date, last year’s iteration of the summit featured sessions including

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: European Microfinance Week Is Almost Here!

e-MFP logoEuropean Microfinance Week (EMW) 2022 is fast approaching, and we’re delighted that it will be in-person again, with a hybrid component for remote speakers and participants. EMW2022 offers more than 30 sessions organised across several thematic streams, including “Finan­cial Inclusion that Works for Women” – the topic of the European Micro­finance Award 2022 – as well as green and climate-smart finance, digital­isation, funding, financial health, and social performance and impact. Other subject areas include agri-insurance, women’s leadership, fund regu­la­tion, mobile money, biodiversity, refugee finance, WASH, food security and more. To give MicroCapital readers a sense of what they can look forward to, here are some details of just three of the EMW2022 thematic streams:

Climate and Green Finance
Climate change represents one of the greatest issues the world faces today. While the changing climate impacts all countries, sectors and people, they are not all affected in the same ways. Climate change is par­ticularly threatening to poor and marginalised communities. Tackling the issue requires battling on many fronts – not just on the mitigation side (mini­mising the actual climate change that takes place), but on the adap­ta­­tion side too. The financial inclusion sector has an important role in increas­ing the resilience of communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and EMW2022 will feature a variety of related sessions, including:

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Coop TLM Borrows $1.3m from Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation for Microfinance in Indonesia

The Luxembourg-based Grameen Crédit Agricole (GCA) Foundation has reported disbursing a local-currency loan approximately equivalent to USD 1.3 million to Coop TLM, a nonprofit microfinance institution in Indonesia. Established in 2010 by the Tanaoba Lais Manekat (TLM) Foundation and headquartered in the city of Kota Kupang, Coop TLM seeks

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Visa Foundation Donates $2m to Opportunity International to Support Microfinance, Small-business Lending to Women in Africa

US-based nonprofit microfinance network Opportunity International recently secured a grant of USD 2 million from the Visa Foundation, an affiliate of US-based payments firm Visa. The goal is to facilitate Opportunity in routing an additional USD 14 million via its affiliated financial services providers (FSPs) in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda to micro- and small businesses owned by women. The two-year grant is to fund services for: (1) business owners and farmers, such as training in financial literacy, business management and agricultural practices; and (2) partner FSPs, such as technical assistance in developing gender-oriented policies and financial incentives for serving women, such as guarantees, interest-rate buy-downs and collateral buy-downs. A collateral buy-down – where an FSP might

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Themed “Inclusive Growth in a Digital Era,” Financial Inclusion Week 2022 Offers 180 Virtual Sessions, October 17-20

For the eighth year, the Center for Financial Inclusion, a program of the US-based NGO Accion, is organizing Financial Inclusion Week, an opportunity for all stakeholders to attend virtual sessions – both live and on-demand – at no charge. The theme for 2022 is “Inclusive Growth in a Digital Era,” with sessions covering 14 topics such as Climate Change, Client Protection,

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sonata Borrows $6m from MicroVest for Group Microlending to Women in Rural India

Sonata Finance, a provider of loans and insurance to women in India, recently borrowed USD 6 million from MicroVest, a debt-focused asset manager owned by US-based DAI Global. Founded in 2006, Sonata serves 700,000 borrowers on a cash-free basis via 460 branches. While most of the microfinance institution’s loans are to groups of women conducting rural enterprise, the institution also offers

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation Loans $1.9m to ACF for Microfinance in Kazakhstan

Asian Credit Fund (ACF), a rural microfinance institution (MFI) in Kazakhstan, recently borrowed approximately USD 2 million from the Luxembourg-based Grameen Crédit Agricole (GCA) Foundation. Founded in 1997 by the US-based NGO Mercy Corps, ACF provides

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation Loans $1.9m to Mikra for Microfinance in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Grameen Crédit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, which is headquartered in Luxembourg, has reported issuing a loan of EUR 1.9 million (USD 1.9 million) to the microfinance institution (MFI) Mikra of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mikra, whose head office is in the city of Sarajevo, seeks to

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Christoph Pausch of e-MFP on European Microfinance Week 2022, Luxembourg & Virtual, November 16-18

Christoph Pausch, e-MFPMicroCapital: European Microfinance Week (EMW) 2022 will be in-person for the first time in 3 years. What can we expect?

Christoph Pausch (pictured): We’re very excited to be going back to an in-person conference at the beautiful Abbaye de Neumünster in Luxembourg. For the last two years, EMW has been virtual, and we are very proud of how both editions went, but – as I think everyone agrees – an online conference, however professional and comprehensive, can never entirely substitute for meeting in-person. You cannot fully replicate the richness of dis­cussion within a room or the opportunities for exchange, debate and networking that gathering face-to-face allows.

You’ll see some innovations at EMW2022, as we’re taking much of what worked over the last couple of years and incorporating it into the in-person event. Among other things, that means some sessions will be in a hybrid format, so attendees and speakers who cannot come to Lux­em­bourg can take part. Also this year, the conference proper starts on Wed­nesday at lunchtime, so that our opening will be timezone-suitable for more remote participants.

MC: What range of sessions can attendees choose from?

CP: As always, EMW sessions have been put forward largely by our members and organised across several thematic streams, such as “Financial Inclusion that Works for Women” (the topic of the Euro­pean Microfinance Award), climate-smart finance, digitalisation and

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Crédit Agricole Lends $1.2m to Microfinance Institution Microinvest of Moldova

The Grameen Crédit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, whose head office is in Luxembourg,
has recently announced it has provided a loan of EUR 1.2 million (USD 1.2 million) to Microinvest, a Moldova-based microfinance institution. Established in 2003 and majority-held by the Balkan Financial Sector Equity Fund, Microinvest offers

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Agents for Impact Sustainability Alignment Rating (AFISAR©): Applying a Gender-smart Approach in the Microfinance Sector

UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, “Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls,” is not only a standalone goal but is inextricably linked to the other SDGs. Though moving toward gender equality has long been associated with achieving social or political goals, its proven economic benefits remain under-appreciated. Accord­ing to the World Bank’s 2021 Global Findex Database, more than 1 billion women worldwide still lack access to the financial system. In fact, wo­men make up the largest unbanked population in the world, with more than 70 percent of woman-owned small and medium-sized enterprises estimated to have inadequate or no access to financial services. The financial gap just for women-owned formal small businesses is estimated to be USD 300 billion.

In the absence of financial tools, women face difficulty generating income, boosting savings, growing businesses and improving the living conditions of their families. If the am­bitious targets set within the SDGs are to be achieved, then a concerted effort is required to