The Center for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA in Spanish), a Mexico-based association of Latin American central banks; the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a member of the US-based Inter-American Development Bank Group; and the World Bank recently launched Envía Centro America, a free online tool that allows users to compare the cost and speed of sending remittances from the United States to seven Latin American countries, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic, as well as from Costa Rica to Nicaragua. Continue Reading »

Mexico, Indonesia and Haiti are responding to the challenge of balancing financial access with security by creating tiered requirements for savings accounts. Continue Reading »

By the Economist Intelligence Unit, funded by The Multilateral Investment Fund, Corporación Andina de Fomento and the International Finance Corporation, October 2011, 72 pages, available at: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=36453519.

This paper examines the microfinance business environments in 55 countries, comparing them across three categories: supporting institutional framework, political stability, and regulatory framework and practices. It is the fifth annual paper in the series, covering the 12-month period through June 2011. The research comprises data collected in 21 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, 11 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, seven of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, seven of East Asia, five of South Asia and four of the Middle East and North Africa. Continue Reading »

On February 6, 2012, as part of its Transparent Pricing Initiative US-based NGO MFTransparency released microloan pricing data from microlenders in Mozambique. Continue Reading »

The European SRI Transparency Code, a document outlining guidelines for maintaining the transparency of socially responsible investing (SRI), has attracted approximately 350 signatories. Continue Reading »

The Association of Banks in Cambodia (ABC) and the Cambodian Microfinance Association (CMA), two trade associations with a combined membership of 64 financial institutions, have formed a joint venture with New Zealand-based credit bureau developer Veda Advantage to launch the Credit Bureau (Cambodia) Company Limited (CBC), which will maintain a database of credit information intended to help banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs) in making “accurate loan decisions based on borrower’s positive and negative credit history” [1]. Continue Reading »

Geospatial mapping is being used to show the geographic distribution of banks, automated teller machines (ATMs) and banking agents in relation to low-income and other population groups, thus giving an indication of the accessibility of financial services to those groups. Continue Reading »

On January 27, 2012, as part of its Transparent Pricing Initiatives, US-based NGO MFTransparency released microloan pricing data from Ghana, Zambia and Tanzania. Continue Reading »

A group of eight CEOs of nonprofit microfinance organizations has issued a “Road Map for the Microfinance Industry: Focusing on Responsible and Client-Centered Microfinance.” Continue Reading »

K-Rep Bank, a Kenyan commercial bank focused on providing services to poor people, has spent an estimated KES 50 million (USD 582,000) to upgrade to a software system from Switzerland’s Temenos called “T24 for Microfinance and Community Banking” [1].  Continue Reading »

The Luxembourg Fund Labelling Agency (LuxFLAG), a microfinance investment vehicle (MIV) and environment-related investment vehicle (EIV) certification organization, has launched a request for applications for the second LuxFLAG Environment Label, which is granted to EIVs in an effort to “reassure investor[s] that labeled investment funds actually invest the majority of their assets in environment-related sectors in a responsible manner” [1]. Continue Reading »

MFTransparency, a US-based nongovernmental organization that aims to provide clear information on credit products and pricing, recently released the report from its Transparent Pricing Initiative in Ethiopia which was launched in September 2011 [1]. Continue Reading »

The Tanzania Association of Microfinance Institutions (TAMFI) has announced that 48 of its member microfinance institutions (MFIs) have adopted a code of conduct. Winnie Terry, TAMFI Executive Secretary, was quoted as having said, “With this code of conduct, TAMFI members are expected to take a leading role to deliver high quality and responsible financial services to the community. The code is intended to make Microfinance Institutions become more responsive to the clients they serve.” Continue Reading »

“Making Microfinance Work: Managing Product Diversification” by Cheryl Frankiewicz, Craig Churchill; published by the International Labour Organization (ILO); December 2011; 612 pages; available for a fee at http://www.ilo.org/global/publications/ilo-bookstore/order-online/books/…  Continue Reading »

The Smart Campaign, an initiative to improve accountability regarding client protection in the microfinance industry, has called for public input on its Client Protection Certification Program, which has been under development since June 2010. Continue Reading »