The multilateral African Development Bank (AfDB) recently introduced an online service called Mada Business Linkage to facilitate partnerships among companies in Madagascar, including to match firms with suppliers and subcontractors. The Madagascar-based technology company Ingenosya built the platform, which businesses can use for no
Category: Africa
SPECIAL REPORT: Fortune Credit of Kenya, Fundación Génesis Empresarial of Guatemala, Yikri of Burkina Faso Are Finalists for European Microfinance Award 2023 on Inclusive Finance for Food Security & Nutrition
From the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP): On September 19 and September 20, 2023, the Selection Committee for the European Microfinance Award (EMA) 2023 on “Inclusive Finance for Food Security & Nutrition” selected the three finalists that will go on to compete for the prize of EUR 100,000 (USD 105,000): Fortune Credit Limited from Kenya, Fundación Génesis Empresarial from Guatemala and Yikri from Burkina Faso.
The choice of topic for the EMA2023 comes at a
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Money Transfer Firms Suspend Fees for Payments to Libya, Morocco in Response to Disasters
In order to support recovery from the earthquake that damaged many parts of Morocco on September 8 and the flooding that began in Libya on September 11, several money-transfer firms are offering free international transfers to people affected by the disasters.
UAE-based e& Money, the
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: LOLC Buys 28% Equity Stake in Unguka Bank, Provider of Microfinance in Rwanda, from Incofin
Lanka Orix Leasing Company (LOLC) Holdings, a Sri Lankan unit of the Japanese conglomerate Orix, recently paid an undisclosed sum to Belgium’s Incofin Investment Management to acquire 28 percent of the shares of Rwanda’s Unguka Bank. Unguka provides deposit, lending and other services to individuals as well as micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The bank has 15 service locations in the capital and three provinces. It serves 1,700 clients with total assets of USD 29 million. Unguka received its license from the National Bank of Rwanda in 2005.
Geert Peetermans, Co-CEO of Incofin commented: “From the time we
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Okra Solar of Nigeria Raises Equity, Debt Totaling $12m to Expand Mesh Grids in Africa, Americas, Asia
Nigeria-based Okra Solar, whose products serve 14,000 people in Cambodia, Haiti, Nigeria, and the Philippines, recently raised USD 8 million in equity from five investors. The investment package is led by US-based At One Ventures and includes USD 1.5 million from
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Stanbic Bank Uganda, IFAD Seek to Reduce Costs of Remittances via FlexiPay E-wallet, Encourage Adoption via SACCOs
Kampala-based Stanbic Bank Uganda and the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have announced a partnership with the goal of reducing the cost of remittances to Uganda from other countries. In particular, the aim is to
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Concordia Annual Summit; September 18-20, 2023; New York City, USA
This year’s summit of the US-based NGO Concordia is intended to further the organization’s mission of confronting “the world’s most pressing challenges through
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Lipa Later, Mastercard Partner on Buy Now / Pay Later Services in Africa
Lipa Later, a Kenyan financial technology (fintech) firm active in four countries, has partnered with US-based Mastercard to expand its merchant network and technological infrastructure in support of the “buy now-pay later” options that it offers online and in-store consumers. According to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Moniepoint Microfinance Bank Launches Mobile Banking App, Debit Card in Nigeria
Moniepoint Microfinance Bank, a Nigerian subsidiary of UK-based Moniepoint, recently launched a debit card and a mobile app called Moniepoint Personal Banking. The app allows users to: (1) make bill payments, send money to friends and family, and purchase credit for mobile devices; (2) play games that offer
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Fintech Kacha Gets Regulator Approval to Roll Out Mobile Money App in Ethiopia
Kacha Digital Finance Services, an Ethiopian financial technology (fintech) company, recently received approval from the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) to offer services such as remittances, bill payments, airtime purchases and accepting merchant payments through its eponymous mobile app. The firm, which
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Universal Insurance Launches Mobile App, Referral Platform in Nigeria
Nigeria’s Universal Insurance recently launched a mobile app to facilitate its customer service interactions. The app allows users to buy and manage policies as well as to file and receive support on claims. The firm also debuted the Universal Insurance Network, through which customers can
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Agritech and Fintech Providers in East and Southern Africa: A Landscape Assessment;” published by IFAD, SAFIN
The authors of this paper address: (1) the environment that financial institutions in East and Southern Africa (ESA) face when lending to agricultural micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); and (2) how this lending can be increased via agricultural technology (agritech) and financial technology (fintech) firms. The challenges include
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FINCA Ventures Places Equity in Agtech CassVita, Seeking to Boost Incomes from Farming Cassava in Cameroon
FINCA Ventures, an affiliate of the US-based NGO FINCA International, recently invested an undisclosed sum to take a minority stake in CassVita, an agricultural technology (agtech) firm aiding Cameroonian farmers in cultivating cassava as a climate-resilient alternative to other crops. CassVita finances farmers’ inputs, purchases their crops and processes the cassava into flour. This approach curbs spoilage,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Baobab+ Borrows $1.3m from Oikocredit to Boost Household Access to Technology, Solar Energy in Rural Côte d’Ivoire
The Ivorian unit of the France-based renewable energy company Baobab+ recently borrowed EUR 1.2 million (USD 1.3 million) from Dutch cooperative investor Oikocredit. Baobab+ is active in six African countries, primarily selling
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IsDB, La Poste Tunisienne to Replicate Digital Financial Services via Postal Service in Djibouti
Based on their success replicating the digital financial services of Tunisia-based postal service La Poste Tunisienne in Mauritania, the multilateral Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and La Poste Tunisienne recently agreed to partner to expand the financial inclusion
MICROFINANCE EVENT: SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance); October 16-20, 2023; Lomé, Togo
Themed “Inclusive and Sustainable Finance: How to Reconcile the Challenges of Socio-economic Inclusion and the Transition to a Resilient and Ecological Economy,” this sixth edition of SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance, French for African Microfinance Week) includes two days each of conference sessions, an Investor Fair and an “Innovator’s Village,” along with a gala dinner and about 20 associated events on topics such as “agricultural finance, digital finance, microinsurance and social performance.”
The conference portion of the week includes sessions titled: (1) Carbon Markets and Environmental Service Payments: New Opportunities for Local Communities; (2) Beyond Taxonomies: the Role of
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Lends $3.3m to Witti Finances to Support SMEs in Côte d’Ivoire
The Netherlands-based cooperative Oikocredit recently agreed to lend EUR 3 million (USD 3.3 million) to Witti Finances, which is active in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire,
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Driving Digital Financial Services in Africa Through Merchant Acceptance of Digital Payments,” published by Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI)
This paper examines the growth and challenges of digital payment adoption by retailers in Africa, including “contactless payment (QR codes, tap to pay) [and] buy-now-pay-later” services. The authors note four main prerequisites for merchant adoption: