Craig Churchill serves as the Chair of the Microinsurance Network and as Senior Technical Officer of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO’s) Social Finance Programme. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group; IBM, a multinational computer corporation based in the United States; and Republic Bank Ltd., a commercial bank in the Caribbean, recently launched a free, online platform that aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) improve their performance. Continue Reading »

he International Finance Corporation (IFC), the lending arm of the World Bank, recently announced that it would provide advisory services and a USD 6 million loan to Fundacion Mundo Mujer (FMM), a Colombian nongovernmental organization (NGO) that offers microcredit services, in order to help FMM transform into a regulated financial institution. Continue Reading »

Event Name: The Second China Microfinance Investor Conference

Event Date: March 25 - March 26, 2010

Event Location: Beijing, China

Event Website: http://www.gtz-china.org/finance/microfinance-investor-conference-2010/

See Our Comprehensive Event Calendar Here: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events

Cost: There is no fee to attend

Summary of Event:

This conference will review the current status of microfinance in China and discuss prospects for its future. Participants will have the opportunity to network with Chinese microfinance institutions and international investors. Continue Reading »

The government of the Malaysian state Selangor recently announced that it would set up a microfinance program in an attempt belp low-income residents increase their earnings. Continue Reading »

Janalakshmi Financial Services (JFS), a microfinance institution (MFI) located in India, has raised INR 45.8 crore, the equivalent of over USD 10 million, in a second round of funding. Continue Reading »

According to a recent press release, AccessBank, a microfinance institution (MFI) located in Azerbaijan, now has a loan portfolio that is over USD 300 million and over 100,000 customers. Continue Reading »

SKS Microfinance Limited, a microfinance institution (MFI) based in India, is expected to file for an initial public offering (IPO) in the next three to four weeks, according to three sources that news provider, Reuters, does not name. Continue Reading »

According to a study by PlaNIS, a PlaNet Finance entity that advises microfinance investment funds, European funds dedicated to microfinance have increased their assets by 16 percent in 2009. Continue Reading »

Aavishkaar Goodwell, a company that provides equity finance for microfinance institutions (MFIs), is attempting to secure commitments to raise USD 100 million for its second fund. Continue Reading »

Standard Chartered, an international commercial bank headquartered in London, has provided an IDR 15 billion loan, the equivalent of over USD 1.6 million, to Mitra Bisnis Keluarga Ventura (MBK), a microfinance institution (MFI) located in Indonesia. Continue Reading »

ACCION International, a nonprofit organization with partner microfinance institutions (MFIs) in over 20 countries, has announced the inauguration of ACCION Microcredit China (AMC), an MFI located in Chifeng Prefecture, Inner Mongolia, China. Continue Reading »

Advans Banque Congo, a microfinance institution (MFI) operated by Luxembourg-based Advans SA, recently met the Congolese central bank’s requirement of a minimum of USD 13 million in capital. The new capital was provided by existing shareholders Advans SA, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the German development bank KfW, and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC). Continue Reading »

The French microlending site, Babyloan, has facilitated EUR 592,000 (USD 807,200) in microloans to finance 2,150 projects since its launch in 2008. Continue Reading »

A study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the business information arm of The Economist Group, the producer of The Economist weekly magazine, has ranked the Philippines as first in the world in terms of its microfinance regulatory framework and third in the world in terms of its microfinance business environment, following Peru and Bolivia. Continue Reading »

In an attempt to increase transparency for microfinance stakeholders, the Pakistan Microfinance Network (PMN) has developed two benchmarking software applications, Pakistan Microfinance Review (PMR) software and Microfinance Connect. Continue Reading »

India’s National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is seeking comments from stakeholders on a draft plan regarding regulation and development in the microfinance industry. Continue Reading »

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has granted a license to Credit Reference Bureau Africa (CRBAfrica) in an effort to provide the banking sector with credit information sharing services. Continue Reading »