By Marulanda Consultores; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); February 2013; 32 pages; available at: http://www.cgap.org/sites/default/files/colombia_agent_subsidy_english.pdf
This report analyzes a set of incentives offered by Banca de las Oportunidades, a government organization in Colombia that aims to increase financial access, to expand networks of “non-banking correspondents” (NBCs) to reach unbanked areas.
ResponsAbility Social Investments, a Swiss investment company, has notified MicroCapital that it recently disbursed loans totaling USD 8 million to Banco Pichincha of Ecuador, a commercial bank that offers financial services to corporations; retailers; and micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises.
The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a member of the US-based IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) Group, recently approved a USD 5 million equity investment and USD 750,000 in technical assistance for Nxtp Labs, an Argentina-based company that provides seed funding for entrepreneurs in Latin America seeking to establish technology-based businesses in exchange for an equity stake worth between two and ten percent.
“State of the Industry: Results from the 2012 Mobile Money Adoption Survey;” by Claire Penicuad; published by Global System for Mobile Communications Association’s (GSMA’s) Mobile Money for the Unbanked program; 2012; 36 pages; available at http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/MMU_State_of_industry.pdf
This report presents the results of the Global Mobile Money Adoption Survey, launched by GSMA’s Mobile Money for the Unbanked program “to allow mobile money service providers to benchmark their performance against their peers in the industry.”
The Peruvian Superintendency of Banking, Insurance and Pension Fund Administrators (known as SBS in Spanish) recently approved the merger of two Peruvian microfinance institutions (MFIs) via the absorption of Caja Rural de Ahorro y Credito (CRAC) Nuestra Gente by Financiera Confianza.
The US-based nonprofit Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) has updated its database on the debt owed by microfinance institutions (MFIs) to include 2011 data from 700 MFIs.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the commercial arm of the US-based World Bank Group, is working with the Central Bank of Belize, the country’s financial regulatory body, to launch a credit-reporting system that will allow financial institutions to exchange credit information.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the US-based World Bank Group, and the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently partnered with Fundacion para el Desarrollo Socioeconomico Rural (FUNDESER), a microfinance institution (MFI) in Nicaragua, to improve its credit risk management system as part of the MFI’s ongoing transition into a regulated financial entity under Nicaragua’s Superintendency of Banks and Other Financial Institutions, known by the Spanish acronym SIBOIF.
“A Simple Poverty Scorecard for Nicaragua;” by Mark Schreiner; January 2013; 189 pages; available at http://www.microfinance.com/English/Papers/Scoring_Poverty_Nicaragua_2009_EN.pdf
This document introduces an “easy-to-use” poverty scorecard based on household expenditure data from Nicaragua’s 2009 Living Standards Measurement Survey.
Microsoft, a US-based software company, has donated software licenses worth a total of USD 2.3 million to Pro Mujer, a US-based nonprofit that provides healthcare, training and financial services to women in Latin America.
Forjadores de Negocios, a Mexican microfinance institution (MFI) majority-held by Peruvian NGO Grupo ACP, recently began operations as Banco Forjadores, having received permission from Mexican banking authorities to convert to a multiservice bank in 2012.
Event Name: Evidence on Innovations in Financial Capability Conference and Matchmaking Event
Event Date: May 29 – June 1, 2013
Event Location: Universidad del Pacifico, Lima, Peru
“Regulatory Options to Curb Debt Stress;” by Gabriel Davel; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); March 2013; 29 pages; available at: http://www.cgap.org/publications/regulatory-options-curb-debt-stress
This report highlights how the dynamics of credit markets can lead to cycles of credit growth and accumulation of consumer debt followed by widespread default and contraction.
Pro Mujer Bolivia, a branch of the US-based nonprofit Pro Mujer, recently secured unspecified support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), the German Agency for Technical Cooperation, to raise awareness of violence against women among Pro Mujer employees.
Published by Global System for Mobile Communications Association’s mWomen Global Development Alliance, Visa and Bankable Frontier Associates; 2013; 40 pages; available at: http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/GSMA-mWomen-Visa_Unlocking-the-Potential_Feb-2013.pdf
This report analyzes connections between mobile financial services and women’s financial inclusion in the developing world.
Brazilian bank Itau Unibanco recently joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA), a multi-organization initiative that seeks to reduce poverty through the private sector in support of the United Nations Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).
“Invisible Giants;” by Lindsay Levin; published by Vala Publishing; March 2013; 176 pages, available for purchase at: http://vala.wazala.com/?page=product_det&id=112381
The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), a state-owned bank, plans to launch a mobile money pilot project in partnership with unspecified microfinance institutions (MFIs) in April 2013.