By Valentina Costa, Hala Makhlouf and Perrine Mazaud, published by Microfinance Gateway, February 2010, 14 pages, available at: http://www.ceistorvergata.it/Public/files/mesci/file/ColonnaDX/Women%E2%80%99s%20Empowerment%20through%20Islamic%20Microfinance%
20in%20Egypt%20COSTA%20MAKHLOUF%20MAZAUD.pdf

The article posits that Islamic microfinance helps to eliminate gender discrimination in Egypt. Continue Reading »

The International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), an agency of the United Nations, has allocated a total of USD 8 million – equal parts equity and debt investment – to Al-Amal Microfinance Bank, a microfinance bank established by the Yemeni government in 2002. Yukiko Omura, the vice-president of IFAD, commented on the “importance of partnership between the Fund and the bank to enable the Fund to reach the poor people in rural areas to provide loans to small farmers, fishermen and other groups with low incomes.” Continue Reading »

The nonprofit Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) and Sanabel, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing Arabic microfinance, recently awarded certificates of transparency to 43 microfinance institutions from Arab countries. Continue Reading »

Event Name: 5^th Azerbaijan Microfinance Conference: “Responsible Microfinance in Azerbaijan”

Event Date: October 5 to October 6, 2010

Event Location: Baku, Azerbaijan, International Trade Center

Event Description:

The conference will discuss “governance strategy for microfinance institutions (MFIs) and banks, financial risk management in today’s market, client protection in practice, offering learning opportunities on innovative products in microfinance and provision of broad opportunities to access to private and social capital investors.” Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is loaning USD 3 million to Agricultural Cooperative Bank of Armenia (ACBA) Leasing, which was originally established by IFC. Continue Reading »

The US Agency for International Development (USAID)-Tijara, an economic growth organization with a five-year mandate to promote private sector growth and employment in Iraq, has released a statement announcing the establishment of Iraq’s 100th microfinance branch location. Continue Reading »

Sanabel, a network of microfinance institutions in Arab countries, is holding its seventh annual meeting from June 1 through June 3. The conference, titled “Responsible Growth: Learning from Global Trends and Regional Experiences,” is being held in Damascus, Syria [1]. The conference, which is open to the public, is expected to draw more than 600 people from Arab and other foreign countries as well as a number of international and regional experts. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from panelists and to share individual experience through various lectures and workshops. Continue Reading »

The Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) has partnered up with Sanabel, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing Arab microfinance [1], and CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), an independent policy and research center housed at the World Bank Group [2], to release the Arab Microfinance Analysis and Benchmarking Report for 2009 [3]. Continue Reading »

Lockheed Martin, a global security company based in the US state of Maryland, has given a USD 30,000 grant to support the microfinance efforts of the Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA) [1]. Established in 1984, FINCA is a global microfinance network, which serves approximately 700,000 people through its subsidiaries in 21 countries [2]. The funding from Lockheed Martin will help provide loan capital for FINCA’s clients in Afghanistan and El Salvador and will support FINCA Haiti’s relief fund efforts following the January 12th earthquake. Continue Reading »

In a recent interview on the Microfinance Focus website, Dr John Hatch, founder of FINCA International, a global microfinance network serving 700,000 people, discusses the successes of microfinance and FINCA’s experiences in disaster and conflict zones. Continue Reading »

MCB Mobile, a Karachi, Pakistan-based partnership between MCB Bank and mobile technology developer Fundamo launched in June 2009, has reached 60,000 whom have transacted a total of PKR 1 billion (USD 11.9 million) as of April 2010 [1]. MCB Bank was founded in 1947 as Muslim Commercial Bank, and commands PKR 511 billion (USD 6 billion) as of 2009 [2]. Fundamo, founded in 2000, is a South African developer of mobile financial services software [3]. Continue Reading »

The Pakistani government is currently reviewing applications for microfinance banking licenses from large retailers and mobile network operators. Syed Salim Raza, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, claims that his country is the first in South Asia to issue these kinds of licenses [1]. He elaborated on the scale and evolution of the branchless banking system at the April 17, 2010, Branchless Banking Conference [2]. Continue Reading »

Kashf Foundation, a microfinance institution (MFI) in Pakistan, and Kashf Microfinance Bank, a full-service microfinance bank founded by the Kashf Foundation in 2008, have signed an agreement to begin setting up savings kiosks at Kashf Foundation branches. Continue Reading »

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an federal agency that provides global economic and humanitarian assistance, has announced a USD 4.45 million grant to USAID-Tijara, a microfinance program based in Iraq [1]. USAID founded USAID-Tijara, which means “trade” in Arabic [2], in 2007 as a five-year program intended to combat unemployment [3]. Three years into the program, national unemployment remains at 30 percent. Continue Reading »

Women’s World Banking (WWB), an organization that provides technical and advisory services to its global network of microfinance institutions (MFIs), has partnered with Wharton’s Aresty Institute for Executive Education to host its first advanced leadership course for microfinance professionals in March. Continue Reading »

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Pakistan’s central banking authority, recently launched two programs to increase the supply of credit to small and rural enterprises under its Financial Inclusion Program (FIP). Continue Reading »

Event Name: Money Transfers Dubai (MTD) 2010

Event Date: March 22, 2010

Event Location: Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai

Event Website: http://www.iamtn.org/events/mtd-2010

See Our Comprehensive Event Calendar Here: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events Continue Reading »

The World Savings Bank Institute (WSBI), an international banking association, has issued an open message promoting access to finance as a means to accelerate progress toward the United Nation’s Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). Continue Reading »