This event offers presentations at the primary venue as well as visits to local businesses and tourist sights. Sample session
Tag: Youth
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Reefy Microfinance Borrows $6.5m from EBRD for Youth-led MSMEs in Egypt
Reefy Microfinance Enterprise Services, an Egypt-based microfinance institution (MFI), recently agreed to accept a loan of EGP 200 million (USD 6.5 million) from the UK-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The loan is part of EBRD’s
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
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Assessing the State of Youth Financial Inclusion in Developing Contexts,” by Niclas Benni, Published by FAO
Youth in low- and middle-income countries often face significant challenges in accessing the financial services they need. Meanwhile, the lack of public data on youth financial inclusion makes it difficult for practitioners to assess and address the situation in a given context. Among the factors to consider when formulating a plan to increase youth financial inclusion are the
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Silatech, Gojo Partner to Provide Digital Finance to Youth-led Enterprises in Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka
The Qatar-based social enterprise Silatech recently launched a three-year partnership with the Japanese microfinance investor Gojo & Company with the aim of supporting 90,000 youth in Cambodia, India and Sri Lanka with digital financial services to facilitate the founding and expansion of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Among the strategies of the partnership is
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Bank Providing $52m to Lesotho to Boost Financial Access, Resilience of MSMEs – Especially Women-, Youth-owned Enterprises
The World Bank recently issued a USD 45 million loan to the government of the Kingdom of Lesotho, supported by a USD 7.5 million grant from the World Bank’s Global Risk Financing Facility. The purpose of the project is to: (1) provide “business support services and financial products” to 500 micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), of which half are to women-owned and a quarter are to be youth-owned; and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FICO, Círculo de Crédito Deploy Updated Credit Scoring System Seeking to Overcome Customers’ Lack of Credit History in Mexico
Círculo de Crédito, a Mexico-based credit bureau, and FICO, a US-based credit scoring company, recently implemented an updated credit scoring system to help lenders, insurers, automobile dealerships and other firms in Mexico to evaluate their customers. The companies estimate that “FICO Score 4” and “FICO Extended Score 4” will allow their clients to reach 8 million
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Major Development Funders Launch “Alliance for Entrepreneurship in Africa” to Support SMEs – Especially Those Run by Women, Youth
A group of organizations involved in international development recently launched the Alliance for Entrepreneurship in Africa (AforE) with the aim of supporting the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly those owned or operated by youth and female entrepreneurs. The alliance seeks to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Empire, Mosabi, Orange, UNCDF Seek to Boost Financial Inclusion in Sierra Leone with Focus on Financial Literacy, Recruiting Women as Mobile Money Agents
The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) recently embarked on a partnership with France-based Orange Mobile Finance (Orange Money); Mosabi, a US-based digital education and finance platform; and Empire Solutions, a digital microfinance institution in Sierra Leone, in an effort to boost access to finance for low-income people – including women and youth – in Sierra Leone by increasing:
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Opportunity Collaboration; October 13-18, 2019; Cancun, Mexico
This is the 10th annual iteration of this networking event, which is dedicated to fostering relationships among social entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders and funders. The proceedings include
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit: “The Opportunity Puzzle: Piecing It Together to Help Youth Learn, Earn and Thrive;” October 1 – 4, 2019; Washington, DC, USA
The thirteenth annual iteration of the Global Youth Economic Opportunities (YEO) Summit will focus on
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Canada Donating $29m for Youth, Women’s Entrepreneurship Programs in Palestine to be Run by CARE Canada, CowaterSogema International, Mercy Corps, Save the Children
The government of Canada recently announced it will fund four projects under its program titled Women and Youth Empowerment, Entrepreneurship and Employment in the West Bank & Gaza. More specifically, Global Affairs Canada, the government’s international development and diplomatic relations department,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Malawi, IFAD Debut $58m Financial Access for Rural Markets, Smallholders and Enterprise Programme (FARMSE)
The government of Malawi and the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) recently agreed to launch the Financial Access for Rural Markets, Smallholders and Enterprise (FARMSE) Programme, whose primary objective is to address poverty in Malawi by boosting rural households’
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Bank’s IDA Loans $15m to Women and Youth Entrepreneurship Project in Djibouti for MSME Guarantee Fund, Training, Business Plan Competitions, Online Resource Portal
The International Development Association (IDA), a unit of the World Bank, recently issued a credit of USD 15 million to the Women and Youth Entrepreneurship Project to facilitate financial, educational
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) Conference; June 4 – 7, 2018; Singapore
Summary of Event: This sixth iteration of this event centers on maximizing social impact in Asia through investing and philanthropy. The topics are to include “strategic philanthropy,” investing in education and healthcare, investing with a gender lens, government policy implications, and
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: Nicaragua’s Fabretto Acquires Grants Totaling $1.8m for Training Rural Youth from Japan Special Fund for Poverty Reduction, Multilateral Investment Fund
Fabretto, an educational NGO in Nicaragua, recently received grants from two entities managed by the US-based Inter-American Development Bank Group: (1) USD 1 million from the Japan Special Fund for Poverty Reduction (JPO), which is funded the government of Japan and; (2) USD 800,000 from the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), which assists organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Transition Fund Grants $11m to Moroccan Youth Microentrepreneurship Projects
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Transition Fund, a financial intermediary fund established by the US-based World Bank in 2012 that provides grants to help countries implement social reforms, has sponsored a total of USD 11 million in grants for two projects that will aim to assist approximately 5,000 Moroccan youths with starting their own businesses and micro-enterprises [1].