Two US-based nonprofits, the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) and CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) co-published the “Eastern Europe and Central Asia Microfinance Analysis and Benchmarking Report 2010.” Continue Reading »

Microfinance Opportunities (MFO), a microenterprise resource center based in Washington, DC, has announced a partnership with Opportunity International Bank of Malawi (OIBM), a Malawian microfinance institution (MFI) affiliated with US-based microfinance network Opportunity International, to implement its branchless banking program in Africa. OIBM joins Moble Transactions in Zambia, Financial Information Networks and Operation (FINO) Fintech Foundation in India and Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) in the Philippines as partners in MFO’s program, “Consumer Education for Branchless Banking” (CEBB). Continue Reading »

PlaNet Finance, a French nonprofit, has issued a call for students to submit applications for its third University Meets Microfinance (UMM) Scholarship Programme. Continue Reading »

In association with its 15 partner microfinance institutions (MFIs), Indian social venture firm Dia Vikas Capital, a subsidiary of nonprofit Opportunity International Australia, will distribute a micro-pension scheme that was initiated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) of the Indian government. The program, NPS-Lite, will encourage economically disadvantaged people to save money for when they are over age 60 [1]. The Indian government is reported to have committed to match NPS-Lite contributions up to INR 1,000 (USD 22) per client annually [1] [2]. Continue Reading »

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) in India are reportedly securitizing more of the loans they disburse to women in order to raise capital they would likely have borrowed from banks before the liquidity crunch that has affected the microfinance sector since late 2010. Continue Reading »

Microfinance Information Exchange, a US-based, nonprofit data provider, recently drafted a paper entitled “Microfinance, Financial Crises, and Fluctuations in Food and Fuel Prices” that examines the potential impact of large-scale financial crises on the microfinance sector. Continue Reading »

Mr Ajaz Khan, microfinance adviser for nonprofit organization Care International UK, suggests in an article on the “Poverty matters blog” on the website of the UK’s Guardian newspaper that Islamic microfinance has strong potential to support socioeconomic development. Continue Reading »

International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, is reported to be conducting due diligence on the Nigerian mobile money industry. Mobile Money Africa, a Nigerian-based online mobile financial inclusion news source, reports that IFC is “keen to play a major role in the country’s emerging mobile money ecosystem and was currently evaluati[ng] opportunities [in]…technology acquisition, e-Float management and agency networks” [1]. To address the lack of financial access in the country, the Central Bank of Nigeria has granted licenses to 16 mobile money companies in an effort to encourage growth in this industry. Continue Reading »

SKS Microfinance, an Indian microfinance institution (MFI), has filed a petition with the Supreme Court of India seeking a stay to prevent the enforcement of the Regulation of Microlending Act issued by the government of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Continue Reading »

United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations’ global development network that seeks to connect countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life, organized a session recently to discuss amendments to microfinance regulations in Uzbekistan. Continue Reading »

The government of India, the government of the state of Andhra Pradesh and a consortium of five unnamed private and public banks have submitted an application to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country’s central banking authority, to establish a “microfinance bank” as an alternative to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the state of Andhra Pradesh [1]. Continue Reading »

Water.org, a nonprofit organization promoting access to clean water in Africa, South Asia and Central America has launched WaterCredit.org, an online resource that seeks to educate interested parties about the growing intersection between international microfinance and water and sanitation needs. Continue Reading »

World Vision Tanzania, a branch of US-based, Christian relief organization World Vision, in partnership with MicroEnsure, a subsidiary of US-based microfinance network Opportunity International, has launched a pilot scheme to provide small-scale farmers in Tanzania with agricultural loans bundled with weather index insurance.

Mexican microfinance institutions (MFIs) Credito Real SA and Financiera Independencia SAB have reported gains in bond sales that are double those of the average of bank in Latin America [1].

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The Indian rating agency Credit Rating and Information Services of India Limited (CRISIL) has announced that it expects, “Growth prospects for microfinance institutions (MFIs) will remain subdued over the medium term,” due to microfinance guidelines issued earlier this month by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the nation’s central banking authority. Continue Reading »

Corporation Bank of India (CorpBank), a government-owned bank based in Karnataka, recently opened a microfinance branch in Hyderabad, the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Continue Reading »

MicroEnsure, a subsidiary of US-based microfinance network Opportunity International, and PharmAccess Foundation, a Dutch nonprofit that seeks to strengthen health systems in sub-Saharan Africa, have partnered to launch a health plan serving members of the Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union (KNCU), a group of coffee growers in the Kilimanjaro region of northern Tanzania.

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