MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: G7 Nations Triple OPIC Target, Pledge to Mobilize $3b for 2X Challenge for Women Entrepreneurs

Seven development finance institutions (DFIs) from the G7 group of seven large economies recently pledged to raise an additional USD 2 billion by 2020 for the “2X Challenge: Financing for Women” initiative, which was unveiled by the US-based Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) with a target of USD 1 billion in March 2018.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Nordic Microfinance Initiative (NMI) Raises $105m from DNB, Ferd, IFU, KLP, Norfund for Fund IV for MFIs in Africa, Asia

The Nordic Microfinance Initiative (NMI), a Norway-based public-private partnership that supports microfinance institutions (MFIs) in developing countries, recently debuted its fourth fund with a total of USD 105 million in commitments from the following organizations: Norway’s Den Norske Bank;

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Bank Group’s IBRD Lending $400m to Industrial Development Bank of Turkey (TSKB) for SMEs, “Women-inclusive” Enterprises, Businesses Serving Syrian Refugees

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), a unit of the US-based World Bank, recently approved a 29-year loan of USD 400 million to the Inclusive Access to Finance Project, an initiative sponsored by the Turkish government that is designed

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Africa Innovation Summit (AIS); June 6 – 8, 2018: Kigali, Rwanda

Summary of Event: The theme of this conference is facilitating development in Africa by empowering entrepreneurs across the continent. The topics include Challenges and Opportunities for Innovation in Africa; Building a Resilient and Competitive Economy for Africa’s Future; 21st Century African Cities; Financing and Scaling up

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Government of Canada to Invest $6m in Afghanistan’s Zardozi to Support Women’s Economic Empowerment

The government of Canada recently announced it will donate USD 5.9 million from 2016 to 2020 to Zardozi, an Afghanistan-based NGO supporting women in establishing microenterprises.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: WeConnect, Airbnb, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, HP Make Commitments to Women, Entrepreneurship, Education at 12th, Final Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting

At the recent 12th annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), a program of the US-based nonprofit Clinton Foundation, various organizations made 25 new commitments worth USD 70 million as part of the “Girls, Women and the Global Goals” project, which is intended to “advance women’s economic participation, address violence against girls and women, and promote women’s leadership in the public and private sectors”,

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Rwanda’s New Faces New Voices Raising $20m for Women’s Microfinance Fund, 25% From Selling Shares to Members

New Faces New Voices (NFNV), a group of advocates from 15 African countries focusing on expanding financial inclusion for women, recently announced plans to raise RWF 16 billion (USD 20 million) for a fund to expand women’s access to finance.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDFC Bank Acquires India’s Grama Vidiyal Micro Finance

The Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) Bank, an Indian for-profit private company providing banking and other financial services, recently acquired Grama Vidiyal Micro Finance, a microfinance institution (MFI) headquartered in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, increasing its rural and semi-urban customer base by 1.2 million.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sudan’s Northern Darfur Ministry of Finance Seeking to Improve Women’s Access to Microfinance

According to a statement attributed to Abu Daoud Suleiman, the Minister of Finance, Economy, and Civil Service of the Sudanese state of North Darfur, his state reportedly will seek to increase rural women’s access to funds from microfinance institutions because “women demonstrate commitment to repaying installations on time.”