SPECIAL REPORT: Financial Inclusion of Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs), Host Communities Results in Competitive PAR Ratios #EMW2023

e-MFP logoThe Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation recently carried out a pilot project in Uganda engaging financial services providers (FSPs) in serving refugees and their host communities. The goal is to support FSPs in adapting their products to the needs of forcibly displaced persons (FDPs) – “adapting” because new products are not generally needed – and rolling them out to prove the business case for serving these populations. Despite early reluctance from FSPs, their portfolio-at-risk ratios turned out to be under 5 percent – sometimes better than their overall portfolios. As a result, two of the foundation’s FSP partners have

SPECIAL REPORT: Yikri of Burkina Faso Wins $110k European Microfinance Award for Progress Toward Food Security #EMW2023

e-MFP logoFrom the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP): Yikri wins European Microfinance Award 2023 for its commitment to addressing the complex challenges of food security and nutrition in Burkina Faso.

This report is part of

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Loans $21m to BMCI of Morocco as Part of Women in Business (WiB) Program

The multilateral European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) recently agreed to loan up to MAD 220 million (USD 21.5 million) to Banque Marocaine pour le Commerce et l’Industrie (BMCI) in support of the Women in Business (WiB) program, through which EBRD serves women-led micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Consumers International Global Congress; December 6-8, 2023; Nairobi, Kenya

Every four years, this event gathers stakeholders aiming to create a resilient future for the mass market. The agenda covers topics such as: (1) Transforming Consumer Journeys in Mobile Money; (2) The Influence of ChatGPT on Consumer Experiences; (3) Channels of

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Liberation Community Finance Expanding Branch Network, Product Lineup for Farmers, Women, Youth in Uganda

Liberation Community Finance (LCF), a microfinance institution (MFI) in Uganda, has several new initiatives:

– a partnership with Uganda’s Agricultural Business Initiative (aBi) to develop environmentally sensitive financial products for LCF’s clients who farm crops such as maize and pumpkins;

– a Women Commander model through which women who borrow in groups can earn commissions for monitoring loan repayments and recruiting additional borrowers; and

– a partnership with Uganda’s

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Aflatoun, Fintech Robos to Collaborate on Financial Literacy in Middle East, North Africa

The Dutch NGO Aflatoun International and Bahrain-based financial advisory firm Fintech Robos recently agreed to collaborate on their efforts to expand financial literacy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The partners plan to promote financial education through the development of “curriculum and training materials”

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Opportunity International, UPS Foundation Announce “Unstoppable Women Initiative” to Expand Financial Services in Colombia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria

Two US-based NGOs, Opportunity International and the UPS Foundation, recently partnered to launch the Unstoppable Women Initiative to support female entrepreneurs in underserved communities in Colombia, India, Indonesia and Nigeria. The program includes training, business support and

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Online Today in Spanish, November 22 in French – JuST Institute Announcing Mentoring Program for MFIs Embracing Biodiversity, Climate Adaptation

The France-based NGO Just Sustainability Transitions (JuST) Institute is launching a mentoring and training program for financial services providers (FSPs) looking to orient their work toward “climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation.” The program, which is for loan officers and their managers, takes place online over a period of four to six months. Participation can be part of an MFI becoming certified for

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Baobab+, TradeLenda Partner on Solar Energy Solutions for SMEs in Nigeria

Baobab+, a French energy and technology company active in six African countries, recently partnered with TradeLenda, a Nigerian financial services company serving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to expand lending to SMEs to buy solar generators, freezers and refrigerators. SMEs will be able to

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ABI to Leverage $69m from EIB to Boost SME, Mid-cap Financing in West Africa – Focusing on Women, Youth

Atlantic Business International (ABI), a holding company owned by the Morocco-based Banque Centrale Populaire (BCP) Group, recently entered an agreement with the EU’s European Investment Bank (EIB) whereby EIB will fund half of EUR 130 million (USD 138 million) in funding to be distributed via ABI’s Banque Atlantique institutions in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. The funds are to be directed to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps with the goal of

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Mobile Money, Interoperability and Financial Inclusion;” by Markus K Brunnermeier et al; published by National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

In this paper, the authors examined the effects of platform interoperability on competition and financial inclusion in Africa. In particular, they studied interoperability among mobile money operators, a mechanism that allows users to transfer money between different mobile money providers and across mobile networks.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund (EEGF) Raises $125m to Increase Access to Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund (EEGF), an initiative of the UK-based Shell Foundation and Dutch development bank Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), recently closed a fundraising round at USD 125 million. EEGF is intended to increase access to renewable energy in

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Joliba Capital Raises $58m in Equity from FMO, IFC, Proparco to Support SMEs, Mid-caps in Central, West Africa

Joliba Capital of Côte d’Ivoire recently raised EUR 55 million (USD 57.8 million) for its newly launched Joliba Capital Fund. The participants in this first close of the fund are the Dutch development bank Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO); the International Finance Corporation (IFC),

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sama Money Acquires Première Agence de MicroFinance, Entering Microcredit Market in Mali

Sama Money, a provider of mobile money services in Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, recently purchased the Malian microfinance institution Première Agence de MicroFinance (PAMF), after receiving approval from the Central Bank of West African States to operate as an Electronic Money Establishment (EME).

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Rite Water of India Nets $8m in Equity from Incofin via Water Access Acceleration Fund

Incofin, a Belgium-based investor in lower-income countries, recently invested EUR 7.5 million (USD 7.8 million) through its Water Access Acceleration Fund (W2AF) in Rite Water Solutions, a company seeking to improve access to clean drinking water in India. Founded in 2006, Rite Water specializes in

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Institution PEBCo-Bethesda of Benin Borrows $2m from Incofin via Agricultural Liquidity Fund

Incofin, a Belgium-based investor, recently disbursed a loan of EUR 2 million (USD 2.1 million) to PEBCo-Bethesda, a microfinance institution in Benin, from the Agricultural Liquidity Fund (ALF).

MICROFINANCE EVENT: International Conference on Inclusive Insurance (ICII); October 23-27, 2023; Accra, Ghana

The International Conference on Inclusive Insurance 2023 will gather delegates from 50 countries to debate methods for boosting access to insurance for mass markets to support emerging economies’ growth and economic