AccessBank, a microfinance institution (MFI) based in Azerbaijan, recently received a USD 10 million loan from European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a Luxembourg-based organization focused on economic development in southeastern Europe and parts of Central Asia, to expand its loan portfolio. Continue Reading »

Triodos Investment Management, a subsidiary of Dutch Triodos Bank, recently disbursed loans to the following five microfinance institutions: Caja Rural de Ahorra y Credito Quillabamba (Credinka) of Peru, Ugafode Microfinance Limited of Uganda, Fundación de Apoyo Comunitario y Social del Ecuador (FACES) of Ecuador, Agora Microfinance Zambia and Asociación de Desarrollo Integral Rural (ASDIR) of Guatemala. Continue Reading »

MicroVest GMG Capital Management (MVG), a partnership between MicroVest Capital Management (MicroVest), a US-based private microfinance investment firm, and GMG Investment Advisors (GMG), an emerging markets credit asset management firm, recently took over the investment management of Minlam Microfinance Fund, a local-currency debt fund, from US-based investment manager Minlam Asset Management. Continue Reading »

Bamboo Finance, a commercial investment firm based in Luxembourg, recently acquired Accion Investment Fund, a for-profit equity fund affiliated with the US-based nonprofit organization Accion, for USD 105 million. Continue Reading »

Incofin Investment Management (Incofin IM), a Belgian company that manages six microfinance funds, recently received a EUR 1 million (USD 1.29 million) equity investment from Gimv, a Belgium-based investment company. Continue Reading »

Absolute Portfolio Management GmbH (APM), an Austrian investment company that specializes in asset allocation, analysis and management as well as microfinance, recently disbursed loans to four microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Peru and one in Ecuador. Continue Reading »

Absolute Portfolio Management GmbH (APM), Austrian-based investment and asset management company that offers microfinance institutions (MFIs) financing and investment strategy advisory services, recently disbursed a loan of USD 1 million to KazMicroFinance (KMF), a microfinance institution (MFI) in Kazakhstan, via the Dual Return Fund, a sub-fund of Vision Microfinance created by APM that issues direct loans to MFIs in developing countries. Continue Reading »

Share Microfin Limited and Asmitha Microfin Limited, two microfinance institutions (MFIs) based in Hyderabad, India, reportedly have rekindled efforts to execute a merger. Continue Reading »

Absolute Portfolio Management GmbH (APM), an Austrian investment company that specializes in microfinance and asset management, recently disbursed USD 3.2 million in loans to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina through a microfinance investment vehicle that it manages, the Dual Return-Vision Microfinance Fund. Continue Reading »

Equitas Holdings, a microfinance institution (MFI) based in Chennai, India, raised INR 500 million (USD 9.26 million) from MicroVentures India and India Financial Inclusion Fund, two funds dedicated to supporting the Indian microfinance industry. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private investment arm of the World Bank Group, recently agreed to loan RON 36.6 million (USD 10.3 million) to Patria Credit, a non-banking microfinance institution in Romania, with the goal of enhancing access to finance for micro- and small-scale entrepreneurs in Romania. Continue Reading »

“The State of Microfinance Investment 2012: MicroRate’s 7th Annual Survey and Analysis of MIVs;” published by MicroRate; October 2012; 17 pages; available at: http://www.microrate.com/downloads/78 Continue Reading »

Oxfam UK, a UK-based charity, City of London and Symbiotics, a Swiss microfinance investment intermediary, recently launched a joint initiative known as the Small Enterprise Impact Investing Fund (SEIIF). SEIIF is intended to deliver measurable social as well as financial returns to its stakeholders by investing in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through financial intermediaries operating in developing countries. Continue Reading »

Government Savings Bank (GSB), a government-owned bank providing personal and corporate services in Thailand, reportedly plans to offer new microfinance products and otherwise expand services in advance of the anticipated 2015 launch of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC). Continue Reading »

ResponsAbility Social Investments, a for-profit Swiss fund manager, recently disbursed USD 8 million in debt to Prasac, a microfinance institution (MFI) in Cambodia. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, reportedly has proposed investing INR 1 billion (USD 18.9 million) in Equitas Microfinance India, an Indian microfinance institution (MFI). Continue Reading »