Event Name: Transformational Microfinance LATAM

Event Date: May 17 – May 19, 2011

Event Location: Mexico City, Mexico Continue Reading »

Event Name: Canadian Responsible Investment Conference 2011

Event Date: June 20 – June 22, 2011

Event Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Continue Reading »

Event Name: Sankalp 2011: Social Enterprise & Investment Forum

Event Date: May 5 – May 6, 2011

Event Location: Mumbai, India Continue Reading »

Event Name: Investors’ Summit on Social Investing and Social Enterprise in Africa – Incorporating Sukuma Afrika Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Awards

Event Date: May 3, 2011

Event Location: Capetown, South Africa Continue Reading »

The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a microfinance investment fund incorporated in Luxembourg, recently loaned USD 21.2 million in two segments to ProCredit Bank Bulgaria, a microfinance institution (MFI) that provides financing to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises. Continue Reading »

European development finance institutions, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG), have subscribed to convertible bonds issued by Unibank, a private commercial bank in Azerbaijan that provides microfinance and other services. EBRD has purchased USD 17.5 million in convertible bonds and DEG has committed to purchasing bonds worth USD 7.5 million [1]. The convertible bond facility was designed to support Unibank’s capital base as well as to provide long-term liquidity for continued lending to small and medium-sized enterprises and retail customers. The terms of the convertible bonds have not been reported. Continue Reading »

AccessBank, a microfinance institution (MFI) based in Azerbaijan, has received the first tranche of USD 10 million as part of a USD 20 million syndicated loan from Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO), a Dutch public-private partnership that aims to promote developing economies, and Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank AG (OeEB), the development bank of Austria. The three-year syndicated loan was organized by FMO with participation from OeEB, with each institution contributing USD 10 million. The loan will be directed to financing micro- and small businesses in Azerbaijan. Continue Reading »

The European Progress Microfinance Facility, which seeks to enable microfinance institutions (MFIs) within the European Union (EU) to increase lending to entrepreneurs by issuing guarantees, loans and equity financing to MFIs, has signed an agreement to supply Bulgarian MFI Mikrofond AD with an undisclosed amount of funding [1]. Mikrofond AD was established in 1999 with the goal of financing Bulgarian entrepreneurs who do not have access to the traditional banking system. As of 2010, Mikrofond reports 10 branches and having disbursed 9,000 loans with a total value of BGN 57 million (USD 41.3 million). Continue Reading »

BlueOrchard Private Equity Fund (BOPE Fund), an investment vehicle of Switzerland-based, commercial microfinance intermediary Blue Orchard, has announced its first distribution to investors. The USD 7.5 million distribution comes three years after the fund’s first close and includes proceeds from a partial exit from indirect shareholding in TenGer Financial Group, the single owner of XacBank, a Mongolian community development bank and microfinance institution (MFI). BOPE Fund remains a direct shareholder of TenGer Financial Group which reported total assets of MNT 322 billion (USD 256 million). Continue Reading »

Incofin Investment Management, a firm based in Belgium, recently made loans totaling the equivalent of USD 3.5 million to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Russia and Bolivia. Continue Reading »

The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a microfinance investment fund incorporated in Luxembourg, recently loaned the equivalent EUR 7 million (USD 9.86 million) to Romanian microfinance institution (MFI) Patria Credit, for on-lending to micro- and small enterprises (MSEs) in rural Romania. Continue Reading »

International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is acquiring an 18 percent stake in the National Rural Support Programme Microfinance Bank (NRSP MF Bank), a Pakistani microfinance institution (MFI), in an effort to increase access to finance for farmers [1]. The investment will support the bank in its efforts to provide farmers with the access to crop and livestock loans and develop deposit products [1]. Continue Reading »

Oikocredit, a Netherlands-based, ecumenical, co-operative financial institution, has announced its financial and social returns. Continue Reading »

Grameen Foundation, a US-based nonprofit, has announced that it will increase its efforts to improve human capital management strategies at socially-focused microfinance institutions (MFIs) in India with USD 550,000 in funding from Citi Foundation, the charitable arm of global financial services provider Citigroup; The McGraw-Hill Companies, a US-based owner of rating agency Standard and Poor’s; and The Capital Group, a US-based group of investment management companies [1]. Continue Reading »

responsAbility Social Investments AG, an investment company based in Switzerland, recently reported to MicroCapital that it has made loans totaling USD 4.7 million to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Tajikistan. Continue Reading »

Daiwa Securities Group Incorporated, a Tokyo-based financial services holding company, recently announced the opening of an investment trust fund in Japan that will invest directly in microfinance institutions (MFIs) in developing countries. Continue Reading »

responsAbility Social Investments AG, an investment company based in Switzerland, recently reported to MicroCapital that it has made local currency loans totaling the equivalent of USD 2 million to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Senegal and Jordan. Continue Reading »

The European Investment Fund (EIF), a European Union agency that finances small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), recently made its first direct equity investment in a microfinance institution (MFI), thus acquiring 20.4 percent of the shares in PerMicro, an Italian MFI for EUR 1 million (USD 1.3 million) [1]. The investment is intended to facilitate the offering of loans of up to EUR 25,000 (USD 34,400) from PerMicro to microentrepreneurs to start or expand businesses. Continue Reading »