Written by Anis Chowdhury, Professor of Economics at the University of Western Sydney, Australia and Senior Economic Affairs Officer at United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA); DESA Working Paper No. 89; December 2009; 13 pages, available at www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2009/wp89_2009.pdf
This working paper debates the effectiveness of microfinance as a tool for poverty reduction. Continue Reading »
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and CRG Capital, a financial service firm, launched the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) Special Situations Fund. Continue Reading »
According to a recent article from ABC.AZ, a business information website in Azerbaijan, a poll administered by the Azerbaijan Microfinance Association (AMFA) showed that 28 percent of participants are dissatisfied with the “quality of services upon getting consumer loans.” Continue Reading »
Event Name: Microfinance & Islamic Finance: The Nexus
Event Description: This event is part of the USAID Microfinance After Hours Seminar Series, held by the USAID Microenterprise Development Office. The seminar features Professor Ibrahim Warde from Tufts University, who will discuss the intersection between microfinance and Islamic finance. Continue Reading »
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development recently provided Kyrgyz Investment and Credit Bank (KICB) with a USD 5 million long-term loan for on-lending to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Kyrgyz Republic. Continue Reading »
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has extended its first loan in local Georgian currency, the Lari (GEL), worth about USD 1 million, to Crystal, a local microfinance institution (MFI). Continue Reading »
The Batey Relief Alliance (BRA), a humanitarian aid organization, plans to launch agricultural and human capital development programs in rural regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Continue Reading »
According to a recent article by The Hindu newspaper, self-help groups (SHGs) in Tamil Nadu, India, have achieved greater access to credit due to openings of microfinance branches of private commercial banks, such as Indian Bank and Canara Bank, in rural areas. Continue Reading »
The government of Uganda recently cancelled the Fisheries Development Project (FDP) fund, worth an equivalent of USD 2 million, when local banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs) refused to help finance the project. Continue Reading »
Event Name: Water it Down!: What does clean water have to do with microfinance and ridding the world of poverty?
Event Description: The guest speakers, Gary White and April Rinne, from WaterCredit, a newly launched initiative by Water.org, intends to address the relationship between water sanitation and microfinance in poverty alleviation. WaterCredit program provides microcredit loans to the poor so that they may eventually tackle their own water needs. Continue Reading »
A recent article from Al Jazeera English, an English-language news source based in Qatar, cited critics blaming the decline in the Bosnian microfinance sector on the profit-driven orientation of the country’s microfinance institutions (MFIs). Continue Reading »
Jude Mathias, the President of the caretaker committee for microfinance institutions (MFIs) for the National Association of Microfinance Banks of Nigeria (NAMB), recently made a request for Nigerian farmers to “cooperate” with the sector’s current standards and regulations. Continue Reading »
Microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Uganda are being pursued by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to pay outstanding stamp duty fees on their microfinance loans. Continue Reading »
While launching a management information system (MIS) that intends to strengthen the monitoring process for banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs), Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman urged local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to agree on a single nationwide interest rate in a “transparent” and “logical” manner. Continue Reading »
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has recently extended a medium-term credit line of EUR 2 million, worth about USD 2.9 million, to Union Bank, a private bank in Albania, in order to improve microcredit lending activities, especially to local small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Edmond Leka, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Union Bank said that “while much of the banking world is retrenching lending activities,” this credit line will be essential in allowing Union Bank to increase its on-lending capabilities to its clients. Until now, the ERBD has provided about USD 786 million to various infrastructural, financial, and energy-related projects in Albania. Continue Reading »
Event Name: AITEC Banking & Mobile Money West Africa, 2010
Event Description: The theme of this two-day conference is “Innovating to Survive and Thrive in Hard Times.” It will focus on improving upon practices of technological service provision by suppliers and bankers to better reflect customer preferences. The conference invites bank customers to try out new technologies in an exhibition. In discussion panels, microfinance banks will share their experiences in mobile banking, and regulators, bankers and mobile operators will share their experiences in mobile banking regulation strategies. Continue Reading »
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD) has extended a USD 5 million credit line to HamkorBank, an open joint-stock commercial bank in Uzbekistan, to increase the availability of financial services to micro- and small enterprises (MSEs).
Amidst the turmoil in Nigeria’s microfinance sector, industry players seem to be holding each other responsible for the industry’s failures. Continue Reading »
RSS 1.0
Blogs that Link Here
