MoneyGram 
International, a money transfer company based in the US, recently announced partnerships with three companies that facilitate e-wallet services in Africa: InTouch, which is based in Senegal; MFS Africa, which is based in South Africa; and Thunes of Singapore. The partnerships are giving MoneyGram “access to mobile wallets in 28 markets in Africa,” allowing its customers
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO Loans $10m to Bank Respublika to Support Women, Youth, Entrepreneurs Struggling with COVID-19 Pandemic in Azerbaijan
Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Dutch public-private partnership, recently loaned the equivalent of USD 10 million in local currency as a senior term loan to Bank Respublika, a commercial institution in Azerbaijan. The funds are intended to reduce
SPECIAL REPORT: SAM 2021 to Take Place in Kigali, Rwanda, October 18-22; “One Is Not Born Resilient But Becomes Resilient: Fostering Inclusive Finance to Better Overcome Crisis!”
From 
ADA: It’s official! The largest event in inclusive finance on the African continent, the long awaited African Microfinance Week (AMW 2021), will take place in Kigali, in the land of 1,000 hills and mountains: Rwanda. From October 18 to October 22, 2021, the SAM will address the theme of resilience, a concern that is all the more important in these particular times.
This notice is the first in a
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: RAFI Micro-finance Incorporated Expanding Branch Network in 9 Provinces in the Philippines in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
A unit of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Incorporated (RAFI) reportedly is planning to expand its branch network as part of its efforts to help microentrepreneurs in the Philippines adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic. The entity, RAFI Micro-finance Incorporated (RMF), provides loans of up to PHP 300,000 (USD 6,277) as well as
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Lends $10m to FCMB to Boost Lending to SMEs, Agricultural Enterprises in Nigeria
Netherlands-based cooperative Oikocredit recently invested USD 10 million in debt in First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited, which has operations in Nigeria and the UK. The investment will finance loans for
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Kushki Raises $86m in Equity to Grow Fintech Services for Retailers in Latin America
Kushki, a digital payment processor that is active in Latin America, recently raised USD 86 million in its Series B funding round. The investors – not all of which have been named – include Spain-based Conexo Ventures, Mexico-based Dila Capital,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: WorldBusiness Capital Loans $15m to Asirvad Micro Finance to Support Rural Women Entrepreneurs in India, with Backing from DFC
Asirvad Micro Finance Limited, a microlender in India, recently accepted a loan of USD 15 million from WorldBusiness Capital, a US-based finance company. The seven-year loan, which is guaranteed by the government-backed
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Weathering the Storm II: Tales of Survival from Microfinance Crises Past;” by Daniel Rozas; Published by Accion’s Center for Financial Inclusion, e-MFP
Mr Rozas evaluated 16 case studies of microfinance institutions’ (MFIs’) reactions to various crises that arose between 2004 and 2018 as a follow-up to the paper, “Weathering the Storm,” which was published in 2010 as a response to the global financial downturn that began in 2007. The new publication considers “the decade that followed the original paper,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Chipper Cash Raises $100m in Equity to Expand Cryptocurrency, Peer-to-Peer Services, Distribution of Payment Cards in Africa, UK
Chipper Cash, a US-based financial technology (fintech) firm active in Africa, recently raised USD 100 million in a Series C round of funding that it plans to use to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB to Lend $150m to Panama, Targeting MSME Recovery
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a multilateral financial institution that promotes economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean, recently approved a loan of USD 150 million to support micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Panama in adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic “by facilitating access to production-oriented finance.” The funding will be delivered via
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: UBL of Pakistan to Offer Shariah-compliant Housing Loans to Akhuwat Customers
Pakistan-based organizations United Bank Limited (UBL) and Akhuwat recently signed an agreement under Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar, a government-backed housing program, whereby Akhuwat will recommend certain of its low-income customers to UBL for
SPECIAL REPORT: Online Event; COVID-19 Surveys: Better Understanding the Impact on MFIs and Their Clients to Better Act; June 9, 2021
Two 
Luxembourg-based NGOs, ADA Microfinance and Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, along with Belgium-based Inpulse Investment Manager will present their analysis of the responses to five surveys they have conducted since 2020 regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting microfinance institutions (MFIs). This event, part of the Midi de la Microfinance series, will offer “lessons learned” from the surveys, with the goal of helping MFIs improve the ways they prepare for and react to crises. Among the speakers will be Jacques Afetor, Director of Togo-based
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC Commits $1b to MSMEs in Africa Recovering from Pandemic Recession via Risk Sharing, Mezzanine Financing
The International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, recently committed USD 1 billion to finance micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) through risk sharing and mezzanine financing in collaboration with public and private financial institutions. The loan will target MSMEs in sectors considered more likely to create jobs, given the
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDH Farmfit Fund Acquires Equity Stake in LendXS, Provider of Fintech for Microfinance Institutions Serving Smallholder Farmers
The IDH Farmfit Fund, which is facilitated by the Sustainable Trade Initiative, a Netherlands-based NGO known by its Dutch acronym IDH, recently acquired a 21-percent stake in LendXS, a Netherlands-based financial technology (fintech) platform for rural financial institutions. The pricing of the transaction remains
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Opens $1.8m Credit Line for Cavica, Cashew Cooperative in Côte d’Ivoire
Netherlands-based cooperative Oikocredit recently agreed to loan up to EUR 1.5 million (USD 1.83 million) to support Côte d’Ivoire-based Coopérative avec Conseil d’Administration de Vivriers et de Cajou (Cavica) in the procurement, sale, storage and transport of cashews. Cavica Board Chair El Hadj Konate Arouna stated,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Salaam African Bank (SAB) of Djibouti Acquires Uwezo Microfinance Bank of Kenya
Salaam African Bank (SAB) of Djibouti recently acquired Kenya-based Uwezo Microfinance Bank for an undisclosed price. Licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) in 2010, Uwezo is a
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Symbiotics Issues $5m Sustainability Bond to Fund Microfinance Institution Crystal of Georgia
Symbiotics, a Switzerland-based impact investing platform, recently issued a bond whose proceeds are funding a three-year, unsecured loan to Crystal, a microfinance institution (MFI) in Georgia. The proceeds of the bond, Georgian lari equivalent to USD 5 million, are earmarked to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Kotak Mahindra Bank Lends $5.5m to Northern Arc for Microenterprises in India Adjusting to the COVID-19 Pandemic; Partially Guaranteed by Dell, Rockefeller Foundations
Northern Arc Capital, an Indian firm that facilitates funding flows between investors and retail lenders, recently borrowed INR 400 million (USD 5.5 million) from Kotak Mahindra Bank, a commercial bank also based in India.