India’s finance ministry reportedly has cleared the draft of a microfinance bill following its public circulation for comments in July 2011 [1]. Continue Reading »

In 2012, the Financial Education in the Curriculum Development Project in Fiji (FinED Fiji) will be piloted at twelve local primary schools. Continue Reading »

The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited plans to launch a three-year pilot microfinance program in mid-2012. The program would offer three types of loans: (1) micro-business start-up loans, with a maximum amount of HKD 300,000 (USD 38,700); (2) self-employment loans with a maximum amount of HKD 200,000 (USD 25,800); and (3) “self-enhancement” loans for education with a maximum amount of HKD 100,000 (USD 12,900). Continue Reading »

Indian microfinance institution (MFI) Ujjivan Financial Services has raised INR 127.9 crore (USD 25 million) in its fifth round of equity financing. Continue Reading »

In an effort to promote and train entrepreneurs, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a political party in Malaysia, launched a MYR 50 million (USD 16.4 million) microloan fund in January 2012. Continue Reading »

ICRA, an Indian investment information and credit rating agency, has conditionally raised the rating of a pool of pass through certificates (PTCs) for loans provided by Arohan Financial Services Private Limited, an India-based microfinance institution. Continue Reading »

The Association of Banks in Cambodia (ABC) and the Cambodian Microfinance Association (CMA), two trade associations with a combined membership of 64 financial institutions, have formed a joint venture with New Zealand-based credit bureau developer Veda Advantage to launch the Credit Bureau (Cambodia) Company Limited (CBC), which will maintain a database of credit information intended to help banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs) in making “accurate loan decisions based on borrower’s positive and negative credit history” [1]. Continue Reading »

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has signed a four-year agreement to provide a 50-percent guarantee on a loan of up to USD 2.71 million for Cambodian microfinance institution Thaneakea Phum (Cambodia) Limited (TPC). Sok Voeun, TPC’s chief operations officer, reportedly said that USAID “will support us in providing more loans to the agriculture sectors in the four provinces” referring to Kampong Thom, Pursat, Battambang and Siem Reap. Continue Reading »

Geospatial mapping is being used to show the geographic distribution of banks, automated teller machines (ATMs) and banking agents in relation to low-income and other population groups, thus giving an indication of the accessibility of financial services to those groups. Continue Reading »

UK-based relief agency Oxfam International and Swiss for-profit microfinance investment intermediary Symbiotics have jointly launched the Small Enterprise Impact Investment Fund (SEIIF) that will increase access to credit for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Asia and Africa while offering investors both “measurable social impacts and financial returns” [1]. Continue Reading »

Event Name: Invest in Mekong Region Marketplace

Event Date: February 23, 2012

Event Location: Khemara Angkor Hotel, Siem Reap, Cambodia Continue Reading »

“The Answer is ‘Yes’—Cost and Willingness to Pay in India;” by Akhand Tiwari, Akhilesh Singh, Ann-Byrd Platt, Graham A N Wright, Minakshi Ramji and Sachin Bansal; published by MicroSave; 2011; 16 pages; available at http://ami.microsave.org/sites/default/files/research_papers/CWP_Summary… Continue Reading »

The Agence Française de Développement (AFD), a French public development finance institution, has donated EUR 1.8 million (USD 2.4 million) in technical assistance (TA) funding to Incofin Rural Impulse Fund II. Valued at EUR 120 million (USD 173 million), Rural Impulse Fund II is one of two funds managed by Belgium’s Incofin Investment Management that invest in rural microfinance institutions [1].  Continue Reading »

Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), an education and development organization based in Mumbai, India, has found that offering discounted outpatient services to health insurance clients is linked with customer retention. Continue Reading »

Founded in 2011 in India, “SPM in Microfinance 24*7 Helpline” is an online resource that aims to help institutions and individuals worldwide with issues related to social performance management (SPM) in microfinance [1]. Continue Reading »

Cambodian government officials reportedly are looking to negotiate down the interest rates on microfinance loans, arguing that current rates are unsustainable for the country’s rural farming population and that defaults are causing many farmers to become landless. [1] Continue Reading »