A group of development finance institutions (DFIs), along with the Canada-based Mastercard Foundation, recently announced they will sponsor the 2X Invest2Impact business competition with the aim of supporting “the growth of high-potential, women-owned businesses [in East Africa] to increase their commerciality and impact.” The DFIs co-sponsoring the competition include the following government-backed institutions: CDC Group, a UK-based organization formerly known as the Commonwealth Development Corporation; FinDev Canada; the US government’s
Category: Key Players
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EDFI to Harmonize Measurement of Development Finance Institutions’ Impact Toward UN Sustainable Development Goals
EDFI, a Belgium-based association of 15 European development finance institutions (DFIs), recently announced the launch of an initiative to “deepen cooperation on… impact measurement.” As part of the effort, EDFI aims to work “towards common definitions and methods to measure impact on SDGs (sustainable development goals), with a focus on key impacts to which private sector enterprises contribute, including gender equality, job creation, reduced inequality, and fighting climate change.” The intention
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Investor Forum: “Responsible Finance for Digital Inclusion: Investing for Impact;” April 3 – 4, 2019; Washington DC, USA
This forum is intended to bring together a wide range of investors to share insights on “social performance and impact management,” particularly as related to digital financial services (DFS). This will include discussions of the Guidelines for Investing in Responsible Digital Financial Services, which were established in 2018. These 10 guidelines cover
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit: “The Opportunity Puzzle: Piecing It Together to Help Youth Learn, Earn and Thrive;” October 1 – 4, 2019; Washington, DC, USA
The thirteenth annual iteration of the Global Youth Economic Opportunities (YEO) Summit will focus on
MICROFINANCE EVENT: 15th Consultative Forum on Inclusive Insurance; May 7, 2019; Panama City, Panama
This event will address causes and potential solutions to the exposure that poor and other vulnerable people face to climate change and natural disasters. This includes the potential roles of insurers and policymakers in eliminating the protection gap as well as improving individuals’ resilience in general. The forum will take place
SPECIAL REPORT: European Microfinance Week; November 20 – 22, 2019: Save the Date
The 
European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) will hold the next European Microfinance Week from November 20 through November 22, 2019, at the Abbaye de Neumunster in Luxembourg. This will include the presentation of the European Microfinance Award. Details on how to participate
MICROFINANCE EVENT: MWC (Mobile World Congress) Barcelona; February 25-28, 2019; Barcelona, Spain
MWC Barcelona, formerly known as Mobile World Congress, is themed “Intelligent Connectivity” this year, showcasing innovations in mobile technology, such as 5G connectivity, artificial intelligence, internet of things (IoT), digital commerce and big data. Blockchain, on-the-go payment systems, and
SPECIAL REPORT: Introduction at SAM Leads to Investment in ID Ghana by Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation
Philippe 
Guichandut (pictured), the Head of Inclusive Finance Development at the Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation, has been at all three SAMs. The majority of the foundation’s 76 partners are in sub-Saharan Africa, and Mr Guichandut has found that “SAM is the best place to meet our existing and potential partners.” He adds, “Around the SAM, we always take the opportunity to gather our partners, [which] is the best way to have exchanges of experience among our partners and give them the opportunity to attend some training sessions either organized by ourselves or the SAM.” Leading and attending workshops at SAM has been key for Mr Guichandut’s team “to share our own experience and promote themes that are relevant for us, especially in the fields of agri-microinsurance and
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP UP: “A New Kind of Conglomerate: Bigtech in China,” published by Institute of International Finance
This is a summary of a paper published by the Institute of International Finance, November 2018, 33 pages, available at https://www.iif.com/portals/0/Files/private/chinese_digital_nov_1.pdf
This paper focuses on the five largest technology firms in China – Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, Ping An and JD.com – and their reach into both the daily life and broader economy of China. The number of internet users in China
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Arab #FinTex Symposium; December 12-13, 2018; Abu Dhabi, UAE
The Arab #FinTex Symposium 2018 will address how financial technology (fintech) solutions such as blockchain mechanisms can increase financial inclusion and economic development in the Arab region. This event, presented by the Financial Inclusion for the Arab Region Initiative (FIARI), is co-hosted by the Central Bank of the UAE, the UAE-based Arab Monetary Fund, Germany’s Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the Malaysia-based Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) and the World Bank. The plenary topics include (1) Blockchain & Crypto-assets Benchmarking – Opportunities & Challenges for Financial Inclusion; (2) Digital Identity; (3) The Blockchain – Hype vs. Reality for Digital Financial Transformation?; and (4) RegTech & SupTech Opportunities to
SPECIAL REPORT: Savings Groups Notch Higher Returns When Not Supported by NGOs; Bank Linkages Correlate with Lower Repayment, More Dropouts
At 
Thursday’s session on savings groups at European Microfinance Week, Roy Mersland of the Norway-based Center for Research on Social Enterprises and Microfinance (CERSEM) discussed the preliminary analysis his team made on the SAVIX database when it held information from 200,000 savings groups, drawing on data from 1,200 support projects.
The database has since grown to cover 424,000 savings groups – also known as village savings and loan (VSL) associations – with 9 million members in 75 countries, according to Hugh Allen of VSL Associates, the Germany-based coordinator of SAVIX. He estimates that a total 786,000 savings groups owned by 17 million members have been initiated by NGOs in 76 countries. An unknown number of additional
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Africa Fintech Summit; November 8-9, 2018; Lagos, Nigeria
The Africa Fintech Summit Lagos will include sessions such as: (1) Regulatory Frameworks to Facilitate Innovation; (2) Banks and Fintechs – Models for Partnership; (3) The Outlook for Open Banking in Nigeria; and (4) Artificial Intelligence. Additionally, there is a half-day workshop on blockchain and the
MICROFINANCE EVENT: The Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation’s Week; November 19-22, 2018; Montrouge & Paris, France
Crédit Agricole and the Grameen Crédit Agricole (GCA) Foundation have organized this series of events to mark the 10th anniversary of the Foundation. The first event of the week, called “The Foundation and Social Entrepreneurship,” will be held on November 19 in the campus of Montrouge and will include testimonials from entrepreneurs and experts on the Foundation’s promotion of entrepreneurship with social impact. At this occasion, the Foundation and Crédit Agricole will award a cheque to Entrepreneurs du Monde as a result of “Solidarity Cents,” an operation launched at the canteens of Crédit Agricole to support entrepreneurship projects for refugees, single
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: “FINCA Forward” to Match Fintech Firms, Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) for New Product Testing
The Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA International) recently announced a partnership with the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Partnering to Accelerate Entrepreneurship (PACE) Initiative to launch
SPECIAL REPORT: A Model from Cambodia for Preventing Overheating – Not Just Multiple Lending; to be Presented at European Microfinance Week; November 14-16, 2018
Since 2016, the 95-member Cambodia Microfinance Association (CMA), Incofin, MIMOSA, the Credit Bureau of Cambodia, and several other stakeholders have been developing the CMA Lending Guidelines, under which microfinance institutions (MFIs) are working together to prevent over-indebtedness in Cambodia. The project is funded by Incofin, PROPARCO, BIO, FMO and ADA.
MicroCapital: How long have you been concerned about possible overheating in the Cambodian microfinance market?
Kea Borann: Concerns of the market overheating started at least as early as 2015. Since then, the total outstanding portfolio of the industry has been growing at an average of 25 percent per year, even as the number of loans has remained unchanged at 2.3 million. This seems to mean that the same clients are taking on more debt when their loans are renewed. The average loan size grew from USD 1,691 to
SPECIAL REPORT: Responsible Investment Requires Responsible Exits – Applying a Fitness and Compatibility Review Matrix to Choose an Equity Buyer for AMK Cambodia
In 2012, Incofin’s Rural Impulse Fund II (RIF II) bought a 25-percent stake in AMK, a microfinance institution in Cambodia. Six years later, RIF II exited AMK, selling its stake to Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank (SCSB). Dina Pons, Incofin’s regional director for East Asia, shares some insights on the exit 
process.
IN PHOTO: The last and first meeting of AMK’s board of directors: entering and exiting members ensuring a smooth transition.
MicroCapital: Please tell us a bit about AMK’s social performance and Incofin’s contribution to it.
Dina Pons: Founded in 2003, AMK is one of the largest and most recognised finance institutions operating in rural Cambodia. It serves around 700,000 clients nationwide with a unique set of financial services, including credit, savings, money transfers and insurance. AMK’s strong customer centricity and deep focus on rural clients were among the key attractions for us to invest in the company. Since its inception, AMK’s mission has been “to help large numbers of poor people improve their livelihood options through the delivery of appropriate and viable microfinance services.” Far from being just a theoretical motto, AMK’s social mission is what drives the institution and its staff to perform. For instance, a board-level social performance committee, which I was privileged to chair for three years, was tasked with checking each year whether
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC, Egypt’s Ministry of Investment Connecting African Entrepreneurs, Start-ups with Growth Partners
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and Egypt’s Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation have agreed to identify 100 promising young entrepreneurs to “connect them with business leaders, international investors, financial institutions, and policymakers” in an
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Mulling $17m Loan to Belinvestbank of Belarus for On-lending to Micro-, Small, Medium-sized Enterprises
The UK-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is considering assembling a loan of up to EUR 50 million (USD 58.2 million) for Belinvestbank, a bank in Belarus, for on-lending to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The loan would include at least EUR 15 million (USD 17.4 million)