The European Commission (EC), the executive body of the European Union (EU), has recently published the “European Code of Good Conduct for Microcredit Provision” that provides guidelines and standards to microcredit stakeholders in the EU to support the sector in “facing the challenges of accessing long-term finance, maintaining and raising the quality of services and moving towards sustainability” [1] [2]. Continue Reading »
Fairkampaign, an initiative of Dutch nonprofit International Legal Alliances Microjustice for All, has announced a call for comments on the contents of a “fair microfinance loan agreement.” Continue Reading »
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria’s banking authority, has released an economic report indicating that microfinance banks (MFBs) have increased their loan distribution volume in the first half of the year by 24 percent to NGN 65.5 billion (USD 411 million) compared to NGN 52.9 billion for the period ending December 2010. Continue Reading »
BlueOrchard, a commercial microfinance investment company based in Switzerland, has released its annual social performance report for 2011, which presents the social impact of its investments in approximately 75 microfinance institutions (MFIs). Continue Reading »
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the business information arm of The Economist Group, has published the Global Microscope on the Microfinance Business Environment 2011. Continue Reading »
The Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), a US-based nonprofit organization that publishes financial and social performance information from microfinance stakeholders, recently announced the launch of a fee-based service that offers the ability to: create a personalized dashboard to track real-time changes in microfinance markets; build virtual microfinance institution portfolios for analysis; access benchmarking and aggregation tools; and access all interim and annual data for approximately 2,000 MFIs in the MIX database [1]. Continue Reading »
US-based asset manager and investment bank Developing World Markets (DWM) has recently announced that it has expanded and redesigned its proprietary social scorecard to align it with the Impact and Reporting Investment Standards (IRIS), an initiative of the US-based nonprofit Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) to create a common framework for defining, tracking and reporting the performance of for-profit investment intended to solve social and environmental problems [1]. Continue Reading »
Three providers of institutional, performance and social ratings of microfinance institutions (MFIs), MicroFinanza Rating of Italy, US-based MicroRate and French Planet Rating, recently signed the Microfinance Rating Agency Code of Conduct. Continue Reading »
The Luxembourg Fund Labeling Agency (LuxFLAG), a microfinance institution vehicle (MIV) certification organization, has recently granted the LuxFLAG Microfinance Label, which reassures investors that MIVs actually invest in the sector, to four MIVs for the first time: Microfinance Enhancement Facility SA SICAV-SIF, Selectum SICAV-SIF, Etimos Fund SICAV-SIF and Dual Return Fund SICAV-SIF Vision Microfinance Local Currency. Continue Reading »
Event Name: African Microfinance Pricing Transparency Leadership Forum
Event Date: October 5 – October 7, 2011
Event Location: Nairobi, Kenya Continue Reading »
In a recent paper, “List Randomization for Sensitive Behavior: An Application for Measuring Use of Loan Proceeds,” researchers Dean Karlan and Jonathan Zinman put forth data indicating that enterprise microloan borrowers tend to underreport the percentage of the loan, if any, that they use for non-business purposes such as household expenses [1] [2]. Continue Reading »
Event Name: The 2011 Investor’s Fair
Event Date: October 13 – October 14, 2011
Event Location: Hotel Alisa, Accra, Ghana
Mr Chuck Waterfield, founder and CEO of MFTransparency (MFT), a US-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) that collects and publishes information on microcredit products and pricing, recently contributed to the CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) blog to suggest ideas for regulations that could encourage more transparent pricing in microfinance [1]. Continue Reading »
MFTransparency, a US-based nongovernmental organization that provides information on credit products and pricing, recently announced plans to expand its Transparent Pricing Initiative to Mozambique with the objective of collecting and publishing pricing data for microfinance products offered in the country and providing financial literacy training to microfinance clients. Continue Reading »
The Social Performance Reporting Awards, instituted in 2009 to recognize microfinance institutions (MFIs) committed to “transparent social performance monitoring and management,” recently announced that this year, in addition to promoting MFIs on the basis on transparency, the award will also recognize “good practices in social performance management” [1]. Continue Reading »
The Social Performance Task Force (SPTF), an initiative set up in 2005 to improve the social performance management of microfinance institutions, released its proposed Universal Standards for Social Performance at its recent annual meeting in the Netherlands. Continue Reading »
The African Development Bank (AfDB), a multilateral financial institution, and the government of Spain have established the Microfinance Capacity Building Fund for Africa in an effort to strengthen the continent’s financial sector. Continue Reading »
Event Name: MFTransparency Uganda Data Launch
Event Date: July 27, 2011, 10:00 am Eastern US Time EDT/5:00 pm Uganda time
Event Location: Online Continue Reading »
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