Ghana’s National Insurance Commission (NIC), the regulatory authority for the country’s insurance industry, reportedly has announced that a new national insurance law incorporating microinsurance will be passed sometime during 2012. Continue Reading »

Grameen-Jameel Microfinance Limited, a joint venture of the US-based Grameen Foundation and the UK-based Abdul Latif Jameel Foundation, reportedly has provided a loan of USD 1.5 million to the Jordan Micro Credit Company (Tamweelcom), a Jordan-based microfinance institution (MFI). Continue Reading »

By the National Banking and Securities Commission of Mexico and Celina Lee, published by the Alliance for Financial Inclusion, February 2012, 19 pages, available at: http://www.microfinancegateway.org/p/site/m//template.rc/1.1.14613 Continue Reading »

Bangladesh Finance Minister A M A Muhith reportedly has announced that the national government “will form a commission to ensure ‘accountability’ of the Grameen social businesses run by Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus.” Continue Reading »

Event Name: Financial Inclusion: What Really Works for Clients

Event Date: April 25, 2012, 10:00 GMT (in French) and 4:30 GMT (in English); April 26, 2012, 4:00 GMT (in English) and 10:00 GMT (in English)

Event Location: Online Continue Reading »

Waseela Microfinance Bank, a microfinance bank (MFB) in Pakistan, reportedly has been authorized by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the central banking authority of Pakistan, to commence operations and will begin providing financial services nationwide in the upcoming weeks. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, has invested USD 200 million in the Global SME Finance Facility, a program that combines “donor funding with funding from international development institutions to expand lending to small businesses in emerging markets.” Continue Reading »

The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), the regulatory authority for the communications sector in Kenya, has reported that cash deposits held by mobile money transfer providers increased from KES 117 billion (USD 1.41 billion) to KES 176 billion (USD 2.12 billion) during 2011. Continue Reading »

The Selangor state government of Malaysia reportedly has allocated MYR 5 million (USD 1.63 million) for a microcredit scheme for rural women – also known as WALA – that is intended to supplement their household incomes. Continue Reading »

Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Kenya, a trust fund that seeks to develop the capacity of the financial services industry in Kenya, recently released the results of a study on the effects of regulations imposed by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), the country’s central banking authority, on licensed microfinance institutions (MFIs) that aim to convert into deposit-taking institutions. Continue Reading »

The Philippine Prudential Life Insurance Company, a Philippines-based financial services provider, reportedly announced that its payments for microinsurance claims have increased by 784 percent from PHP 2.49 million (USD 58,400) in 2010 to PHP 22 million (USD 516,000) in 2011. Continue Reading »

Bamboo Finance, a Switzerland-based investment firm, and Dr PK Sinha, co-founder of US-based consulting firm ZS Associates, recently invested a total of INR 206 million (USD 4 million) in equity in Greenlight Planet, an Indian company that aims to provide “low-cost” energy products to low-income households in emerging markets. Continue Reading »

Beema Samiti, Nepal’s insurance regulatory authority, reportedly has announced that a microinsurance program is expected to be extended to individuals and microenterprises in Nepal in May 2012 by private insurers. Continue Reading »

TIM Participacoes, the Brazilian subsidiary of Italian telecommunications company Telecom Italia Mobile, reportedly will launch a funeral microinsurance product for low-income individuals that can be enrolled in and paid for via mobile telephones. Continue Reading »

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, a financial institution headquartered in London, recently signed an agreement to loan USD 15 million to AccessBank, a microfinance institution in Azerbaijan. Continue Reading »

The IKEA Foundation, a charitable foundation affiliated with Dutch furniture retailer IKEA, recently committed a donation of EUR 30 million (USD 39 million) to Swaayam, a pilot program that aims to boost the social, political and economic empowerment of poor women in India. Swaayam provides women with financial, literacy and leadership education as well as accessing microloans through self-help groups. Continue Reading »

Bamboo Finance, a Switzerland-based investment firm, recently has invested INR 157 million (USD 3 million) in Vienova Education Private Limited, an Indian education provider. Continue Reading »

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, and Wells Fargo, an American financial services provider, recently teamed up to launch a USD 200 million, five-year risk-sharing facility to support the trade financing needs of banks in emerging countries with the aim to propel economic growth and job creation. Continue Reading »