Dr Pokhrel hypothesized that microcredit is a sustainable tool for poverty reduction, based on the idea that access to microcredit can improve household income and employment opportunities, thus leading to increases in household consumption and asset ownership. The study employed data from
Category: Key Players
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Microfinance in India: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities;” by Mohammad Abu Saleh, Zubair Ahmad
Based on a review of existing literature on microfinance in India, the authors of this study seek to: (1) analyze the size and growth of the domestic microfinance market; (2)
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Green Energy Finance and Gender Disparity: The Case of Mountain Areas in Bangladesh,” by Sakib Bin Amin et al, Published by Copenhagen Business School
The authors of this study conducted a household-level analysis to examine the relationships among electricity access, green finance and gender disparity in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh. Although access to electricity can
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Network International Unveils “Networkpay” Tools for SMEs in Egypt to Accept Digital Payments
UAE-based Network International recently rolled out its “networkpay” brand to bring its “direct-to-merchant” payment systems to Egypt. The service menu includes tools allowing retailers to accept point-of-service and
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Unlocking Solar Capital (USC) Africa; May 31 – June 1, 2023; Kampala, Uganda
The fifth iteration of this event will promote partnerships between investors and project developers to work toward universal energy access. The event will include sessions such as: (1) Integrated Energy Planning & Smart Subsidies to Achieve
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Araratbank of Armenia, FMO Ink $10m Risk-sharing Facility to Boost MSMEs
The Armenian bank Araratbank and Dutch development bank Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) recently agreed to expand their risk-sharing facility by USD 10 million. FMO’s portion of the commitment is from its Nasira Fund, which guarantees
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: AFI Invests $5m in Microfinance Institution AFK of Kosovo from Invest in Visions (IIV)
The Germany-based investing company Agents for Impact (AFI) recently informed MicroCapital that it has issued a loan of USD 5 million to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Enabling Qapital Loans $10m to AccessBank for Microfinance, SME Lending in Azerbaijan
Enabling Qapital Limited, a Switzerland-based investment advisory company, recently issued a loan of AZN 17 million (USD 10 million) to AccessBank, which was founded in 2002 to provide credit and other financial services to smaller businesses and low-income families in Azerbaijan. The three-year loan is to be used
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Asia Pacific Microfinance Forum; October 17-18, 2023; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
This event, in its fourth edition, aims to facilitate networking among investors and retail financial institutions. With a focus on market trends, the forum will address topics such as: (1) Recent Developments in Responsible Inclusive Finance; (2) Strategies to Overcome
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Visa Everywhere Initiative 2023 Offering $500k for Fintech Innovation
US-based payment technology firm Visa and TechCrunch, a media company owned by US-based technology firm Yahoo, recently opened the Visa Everywhere Initiative 2023, a contest offering USD 500,000 in prizes to financial technology firms (fintechs) that “deliver innovative payment and commerce solutions.” Applicants apply based
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Agents for Impact Disburses $8m from Invest in Visions (IIV) to Microfinance Institutions Digamber of India, Imon of Tajikistan
Agents for Impact (AFI), a Germany-based investing company, recently informed MicroCapital that it has disbursed a loan of EUR 5 million (USD 5.5 million) to Digamber Capfin Limited, a microfinance institution (MFI) serving rural women in India, on behalf of Invest in Visions (IIV). AFI also
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Luxembourg Invests $25m in First Close of Green Earth Impact Fund, Managed by BlueOrchard, Schroders
The Luxembourg Ministry of Finance, the UK-based Schroders Group and its Switzerland-based unit BlueOrchard Finance recently announced the first closing of the Green Impact Earth Fund (GEIF) with a USD 25 million commitment from the Ministry of Finance. The fund
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oxfam, Goodwell Launch Pepea, $23m Fund to Invest in SMEs in East Africa
Two Netherlands-based organizations, the NGO Oxfam Novib and for-profit Goodwell Investments recently partnered to create Pepea Fund, with EUR 20 million (USD 22.8 million) from Oxfam Novib to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. Goodwell Investments will
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Equity for Tanzania, New Holland to Lease Tractors to Small-scale Farmers
The Italy-based equipment manufacturer New Holland recently collaborated with leasing company Equity for Tanzania (EFTA) to deliver 200 tractors to Tanzania in an effort to enhance mechanization among small-scale farmers, improve agricultural productivity and strengthen food security. The effort includes
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Ilu Women’s Empowerment Fund Invests $1m in Acceso Financiero for Microfinance in Honduras
The managers of the Ilu Women’s Empowerment Fund recently invested USD 1 million from the fund in the Honduran unit of Mexico-based Acceso Financiero, a microfinance institution (MFI) that provides credit to approximately 40,000 low-income clients in rural El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. The investment, which is in the form of “risk adjusted blended finance capital,” is
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Impacts of Microcredit Access on Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Adoption and Rice Yield in Kwara State, Nigeria,” by Adejoke Yewande Bakare et al
Because 70 percent of Nigeria’s population is active in agriculture as a primary occupation, climate change has a direct impact on the livelihoods of most people in the country. Access to microcredit can
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: KosInvest Borrows $650k from Grameen Crédit Agricole for Microfinance in Kosovo
The Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, a Luxembourg-based investor in social businesses, recently issued a two-year loan of EUR 600,000 (USD 660,000) to KosInvest, a Kosovo-based microfinance institution (MFI) affiliated with the US-based Christian NGO World Vision. KosInvest provides microinsurance as well as loans designed for purposes such as
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: DPAM, Korys Buy Equity in Incofin Investment Management to Boost Impact, Including Via Climate, Gender Funds
Belgium-based Incofin Investment Management recently sold fresh equity shares to two Belgian, family-controlled investment firms, Degroof Petercam Asset Management (DPAM) and Korys Investments. Incofin Investment Management remains