By Michael J. McCord; published by the Microfinance Centre for Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States, the Microinsurance Centre and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); 2012; 124 pages; available at: http://www.ifad.org/ruralfinance/wrmf/manual.pdf

In this manual, Mr. McCord proposes a “systematic new-product development process” for the microinsurance market. Continue Reading »

By Ralitsa Sapundzhieva and Agharazi Babayev, published by Microfinance Information Exchange, January 2013, 27 pages, available at: http://www.themix.org/publications/mix-microfinance-world/2013/01/2012-eastern-europe-and-central-asia-regional-snapshot

This Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) report reviews the performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA). Continue Reading »

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a multilateral development finance institution headquartered in London, has agreed to provide a local-currency loan in an amount equivalent to USD 3 million to Arnur Credit, a microfinance institution (MFI) in Kazakhstan, for on-lending to micro- and small enterprises (MSEs) in rural areas of the country. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, has agreed to loan RUB 900 million (USD 29 million) to Center-Invest Bank, a Russian private bank, to increase lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in southern Russia. Continue Reading »

The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a fund that seeks to foster economic development in southeastern Europe and parts of Central Asia, has made an equity investment of EUR 479,000 (USD 643,000) in Kreditimi Rural I Kosoves LLC (KRK), a microfinance institution based in Kosovo. Continue Reading »

The nonprofit AlHuda Center for Islamic Banking and Economics (CIBE) has signed an agreement with Hamkor Bank, a provider of microfinance services in Uzbekistan, to provide advisory services on Islamic microfinance and human capital development. Continue Reading »

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a multilateral development finance institution headquartered in London, and Raiffeisen Bank Aval, a subsidiary of Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International, have partnered to issue loans to Ukrainian farmers so that they can purchase farming equipment from a third partner in the project, US-based agricultural machinery provider John Deere. Continue Reading »

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), a member of the US-based World Bank Group, reportedly approved a loan of USD 20 million to be disbursed to establish a government-run Microfinance Development Program in Russia, for which the Russian government will budget USD 40 million. Continue Reading »

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a multilateral institution based in London, England, is providing a local-currency loan equivalent to USD 5 million (approximately AMD 2 billion) to Converse Bank CJSC, a closed joint stock company in Armenia. Continue Reading »

The government of Belarus reportedly has issued a draft decree that would regulate microfinance institutions (MFIs). Continue Reading »

The nonprofit AlHuda Center for Islamic Banking and Economics (CIBE) has signed an agreement with VisionFund AzerCredit, a non-bank financial institution in Azerbaijan and subsidiary of US-based NGO VisionFund International, to conduct market research in urban areas of Azerbaijan regarding the demand for Islamic microfinance. Continue Reading »

A new law in Kazakhstan reportedly will tighten regulations and enhance transparency in the microfinance sector. Continue Reading »

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), an international finance institution headquartered in London, has provided a five-year loan of EUR 1 million (USD 1.35 million) Albanian leasing company LandesLease. Continue Reading »

Grameen Crédit Agricole Microfinance Foundation (GCAMF), an organization that offers financial services to microfinance institutions (MFIs) and social business projects in Africa and Eurasia, recently approved a three-year loan to Azerbaijani MFI FinDev in local currency equivalent to USD 666,000. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, has agreed to loan USD 7 million to Kor Standard Bank (KSB), a financial institution in the republic of Georgia, to increase funding for small and medium-sized enterprises. Continue Reading »

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), an international finance institution headquartered in London, has provided a four-year loan of TJS 29 million (USD 6.08 million) to Tajik microfinance institution (MFI) IMON International. Continue Reading »

The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a microfinance investment vehicle (MIV) based in Luxembourg, recently made a loan of USD 4.9 million to Banka Respublika Open Joint Stock Company, a private Azerbaijani bank. Continue Reading »

The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a microfinance investment vehicle based in Luxembourg, recently disbursed approximately EUR 13 million (USD 17 million) to two Romanian financial institutions. Continue Reading »