The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a USD 4 million loan facility to Turkmenistan for on-lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Continue Reading »

In Kocaeli, Turkey, a “Special Provincial Administration” has reportedly distributed microloans totaling TRY 958,000 (equivalent to USD 629,000) to 993 female entrepreneurs. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, recently announced it is providing a EUR 40 million (USD 52 million) loan to Serbia’s Société Générale Banka Srbija, a member of the Société Générale bank group, to increase financing for agribusiness. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a London-based financial services institution, have jointly raised USD 164 million of debt financing for Transcapitalbank, a Russian bank which primarily supports small and medium-sized enterprises and has total assets of RUB 58 billion (USD 1.9 billion) at December 31, 2009. Continue Reading »

The Russian Finance Ministry recently announced that a supervisory unit of the Finance Ministry may be established due to the expanding microfinance institution (MFI) industry in Russia and in connection with new microfinance regulation recently signed. Continue Reading »

Promoters of Bharatiya Samruddhi Finance Limited (BSFL), the microfinance arm of BASIX Group, have announced that they will buy back a seven percent stake in BSFL, or roughly INR 850 million (USD 18 million), from existing share holders. A report from TheHinduBusinessLine.com quoted Mr Sajeev Viswanathan, Chief Executive Officer at BSFL, as saying, “We are doing this as we wish to have control over the business and to continue our own source of capital.” The promoterss stake of BASIX will go up from 23 percent to 30 percent. The stake would be bought from Indian public charitable trust, ICICI Froundation for Inclusive Growth; microfinance investments vehicle (MIV), International Finance Corporation (IFC); and US financial institution, Shorecap International Limited. ICICI will most likely exit from the company by selling its 2.8 percent stake, while the others may sell just part of their stakes. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is supporting Belarusky Narodny Bank, a commercial bank in Belarus that focus on financing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), by providing it with a USD 5 million loan and purchasing 19.9 percent of the bank’s equity from the Bank of Georgia, a private commercial bank, for an undisclosed sum. The Bank of Georgia will retain 79.99 percent of the shares of Belarusky Narodny. Continue Reading »

responsAbility Social Investment Services, a Swiss-based microfinance investment vehicle (MIV) manager, recently reported to MicroCapital that it has executed debt investments totaling USD 2 million to the microfinance institution (MFI), Eskhata Bank, in Tajikistan. Continue Reading »

Mikrofin Banja Luka, a microfinance institution (MFI) based in Bosnia and Herzegovina with total assets of USD 169 million as of 2008, has reported to MicroCapital that on July 8 it purchased 99 percent of IEFK Banka AD Banja, a bank based in Southeastern Europe which targets economic development. Continue Reading »

European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a Luxemburg-based microfinance investment vehicle (MIV), recently reported to MicroCapital that it has executed debt investments totaling USD 25 million to three microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Southeast Europe. Continue Reading »

In a release from IndiaMicrofinance.com, it is reported that SKS Microfinance, an Indian microfinance institution (MFI) which claimed assets of USD 596 million for 2009, will be able to lower its retail lending rates by 200 basis points to 26.3 percent by lowering its costs of funds through the issuance of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) and commercial paper. Continue Reading »

responsAbility, a Swiss-based microfinance investment vehicle (MIV) manager, recently reported to MicroCapital that it has provided USD 1.5 million in debt financing from two of the funds it manages to three microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Kosovo and Central Asia. Continue Reading »

responsAbility, a Swiss-based microfinance investment vehicle (MIV) manager, recently reported to MicroCapital that it has executed debt investments totaling USD 3.3 million in two microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Armenia. Agricultural Cooperative Bank of Armenia (ACBA) Credit Agricole Bank, a microfinance bank that is partially held by Credit Agricole of France, will receive USD 1 million from responsAbility Mikrofinanz-Fonds and USD 2 million from the responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund. Nor Horizon United Credit Organization (UCO) Limited Liability Company (LLC), a regulated MFI, will receive USD 300,000 from responsAbility Global Microfinance. The investment funds are two of four funds operated by responsAbility, the others being responsAbility Base of the Pyramid and responsAbility Microfinance Leaders. Continue Reading »

responsAbility, a Swiss-based microfinance investment vehicle (MIV) manager, recently reported to MicroCapital that it has executed debt investments totaling USD 2.5 million in two microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Georgia. Joint Stock Company (JSC) Bank Constanta, a microfinance bank in Georgia, will receive USD 375,000 from responsAbility Mikrofinanz-Fonds and USD 1.25 million from the responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund. Limited Liability Company (LLC) Microfiance Organization (MFO) Credo, a non-bank financial institution, will receive USD 400,000 from responsAbility Mikrofinanz-Fonds and USD 600,000 from responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund. The investment funds are two of four funds operated by responsAbility, the others being responsAbility Base of the Pyramid and responsAbility Microfinance Leaders. Continue Reading »

The responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund, a microfinance investment vehicle (MIV) founded in 2003, recently reported to MicroCapital that it has provided debt financing totaling USD 2.5 million to AgroInvest Holding of Montenegro. Continue Reading »

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a London-based international finance institution, committed a debt facility of up to TRY 292 million (USD 185 million equivalent) to Turkish banks for lending to private companies, primarily micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), agricultural businesses and women entrepreneurs. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, with the participation of 11 international banks, has arranged a syndicated loan of EUR 134 million (USD 165 million) for Banco Daycoval, a commercial bank based in Sao Paolo, with the aim of increasing access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises in Brazil. The 11 international banks involved in the transaction are: Itau Europa, Standard Bank, HSBC, Calyon, Citibank, Oberbank, Banco Santander, Standard Chartered, WestLB, Commerzbank and ING. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, has extended a EUR 20 million (USD 24.6 million) loan to ProCredit Bank Serbia, a private, development-oriented, full-service bank established in 2001, in an effort to increase access to loans for small and medium-sized enterprises in the country. According to Giovanni Daniele, IFC’s Resident Representative in Serbia, small and medium-sized enterprises are an important generator of employment in the country. However, the sector was severely hit by the recent global financial crisis, and companies are now experiencing problems in securing new financing. Continue Reading »