Tuesday, February 14, 2012
The Luxembourg Fund Labeling Agency (LuxFLAG), an organization aiming to increase transparency for investors wishing to make responsible investments in the fields of microfinance and the environment, has recently given the LuxFLAG Microfinance Label to two Swiss microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs) for the first time: the Azure Global Microfinance Fund SICAV-SIF and responsAbility SICAV Financial Inclusion Fund. Continue Reading »
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Unitus Labs, a US-based nonprofit that aims to reduce poverty via economic empowerment, has recently launched the Unitus Seed Fund, a venture fund that will invest in start-up enterprises in India. Continue Reading »
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
In an interview with the Myanmar Times newspaper, rural microfinance specialist Dr Hans Dieter Seibel discussed his views on Myanmar’s (Burma’s) financial sector and calls for a liberalized regulatory framework. Continue Reading »
Monday, February 13, 2012
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 »
Monday, February 13, 2012
The Ugandan arm of India’s Airtel launched its mobile money platform on Tuesday, January 31, 2012, allowing its customers to use e-money to pay bills, pay for mobile credit, and receive money via mobile network. Continue Reading »
Monday, February 13, 2012
A branch of Leshan City Commercial Bank in China was established in August 2011 as a “pickle bank,” providing loans to micro- and small pickle enterprises. Continue Reading »
Monday, February 13, 2012
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the central bank of the Philippines, has reportedly announced that the number of microfinance borrowers in the nation rose from 932,622 to 963,717 between September 2010 and June 2011, and the total of outstanding loans increased from PHP 6.53 billion (USD 148 million) to PHP 7.14 billion (USD 164 million) during the same time period. Continue Reading »
Sunday, February 12, 2012
According to data cited by Cambodian newspaper, the Phnom Penh Post, for 28 of the 30 members of the Cambodian Microfinance Association (CMA), outstanding microloans rose 41.5 percent from 2010 to 2011, from USD 648 million to USD 916 million. Continue Reading »
Saturday, February 11, 2012
The government of Bangladesh reportedly is taking steps to assert control over some of the 48 firms affiliated with Grameen Bank, a microfinance institution that was founded in Bangladesh in 1976 by Dr Muhammad Yunus. Continue Reading »
Friday, February 10, 2012
Consistent with news reported by MicroCapital in January 2011, Nigeria’s federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) still plan to create a Microfinance Development Fund (MDF) with the intent of increasing financial inclusion and improving the operations of microfinance institutions. Continue Reading »
Friday, February 10, 2012
Mexico, Indonesia and Haiti are responding to the challenge of balancing financial access with security by creating tiered requirements for savings accounts. Continue Reading »
Friday, February 10, 2012
Lok Capital LLC, an India-based microfinance investment firm, has closed its second venture capital fund, Lok II, at USD 65 million. Continue Reading »
Thursday, February 9, 2012
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 »
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Event Name: “Mobile Money Connected Africa Forum Conference & Expo”
Event Date: May 14 – 17, 2012
Event Location: Johannesburg, South Africa Continue Reading »
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Microfinance institutions (MFIs) Taytay Sa Kauswagan Incorporated (TSKI), Opportunity Kauswagan Bank, CARD Bank, CARD NGO, Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation Incorporated, Ahon Sa Hirap and ASA Philippines signed a memorandum of agreement creating the Microfinance Data Sharing System (MiDAS) in January of this year after an initial pilot phase in 2011 [1]. Continue Reading »
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Event Name: Bonsai People: The Vision of Dr Muhammad Yunus
Event Date: February 10 – February 16, 2012
Event Location:
Laemmle’s Noho 7, 5240 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601 USA
The Quad 34, West 13th Street, New York, New York 10013 USA Continue Reading »
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
India’s finance ministry reportedly has cleared the draft of a microfinance bill following its public circulation for comments in July 2011 [1]. Continue Reading »
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
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 »
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