As its first product, Tunisia-based startup Kaoun is planning to roll out a mobile banking application called Flouci. The app will let customers use a mobile phone to create a mobile wallet that
SPECIAL REPORT: SAM Facilitates Long-term Relationship Between Agora Microfinance Zambia, Triple Jump
Team members of Triple Jump, an 
impact-focused asset manager with offices in the Netherlands and Kenya, and Agora Microfinance Zambia (AMZ), a microfinance institution dedicated to serving low-income, rural households in Zambia, met for the first time at the Investors’ Fair at the 2017 SAM conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During a speed-dating session, Triple Jump found AMZ to be an interesting prospect because of its
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Green for Growth Fund (GGF) Loans $1.7m to Microfinance Institution Alter Modus to Finance Energy Efficiency in Montenegro
Alter Modus, a microlender in Montenegro, recently agreed to borrow EUR 1.5 million (USD 1.67 million) from the Green for Growth Fund (GGF), a public-private partnership based in Luxembourg, in order to boost Montenegro’s energy efficiency (EE) finance market. GGF also aims to boost Alter Modus’ expertise in EE lending by providing the microfinance institution with
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Opportunity Collaboration; October 13-18, 2019; Cancun, Mexico
This is the 10th annual iteration of this networking event, which is dedicated to fostering relationships among social entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders and funders. The proceedings include
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFIs in 14 Countries Borrow $45m from CQ Dual Return Vision Microfinance Funds
During June and July, 18 microfinance institutions (MFIs) in 14 countries closed on new loans totaling the equivalent of USD 45 million from the Dual Return Vision Microfinance Funds, which are managed by C-Quadrat Asset Management. C-Quadrat, a member of Austria-based CQ Investment Group, tells MicroCapital that the MFIs have “a strong focus on
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: SEEP Network to Hold Annual Conference: Building Resilience through Market Systems; October 21-23, 2019; Arlington, Virginia, USA
The SEEP Annual Conference convenes hundreds of global development professionals who are working to create markets and financial systems that are more inclusive. The 2019 event, which is themed “Building Resilience through Market Systems,” will highlight proven and experimental strategies to harness markets for helping people, enterprises and communities avoid the “shock-stress-shock” cycle. Peer-learning sessions will address strategies within the following technical tracks
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Sa-Dhan National Conference; September 16-17, 2019; New Delhi, India
The 20th annual iteration of this event offers sessions such as “Insurance: the Missing Link in Financial Inclusion;” “Augmenting Good Governance and Promoting Respectable Finance;” “Integrating Digital Finance, Strengthening Cybersecurity;” and “Microfinance and Clean Energy: Untapped Opportunity.” Speakers represent organizations including the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Leveraging Technologies to Improve the Quality and Maximize the Productivity of Agent Models;” published by the Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI) at Accion
By Jacqueline Foelster and Amin Khairy; published by the Center for Financial Inclusion; June 2019; 20 pages; available at https://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/leveraging-technologies-to-improve-the-quality-and-maximize-the-productivity-of-agent-models
As financial services providers (FSPs) seek new ways to meet the needs of underserved customers at a low cost, the authors observe a trend toward the use of agents. Through various agent models, financial institutions “designate authority and responsibility to banking agents to deliver financial products and services” with
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BNP Paribas Disburses 2-year, $7m Loan to Madura Micro Finance of India
BNP Paribas, a France-based bank, recently informed MicroCapital that it has issued a loan to Madura Micro Finance of India for the first time. The bank lent INR 500 million (USD 7 million) to the Chennai-based microfinance institution (MFI), which is scheduled to repay the loan in eight
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Flutterwave, Alibaba Group’s Alipay to Offer Digital Payments Between Africa, China
Flutterwave, a US-based business-to-business (B2B) payments service that focuses on Africa, recently began collaborating with Alipay, a payments unit of the Chinese technology conglomerate Alibaba Group, to provide digital payments from Africa to China and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MCE Social Capital Funding $3.3m Loan from Yoma Bank to Proximity Finance for Microfinance in Myanmar
Myanmar-based Yoma Bank recently agreed to lend MMK 5 billion (USD 3.32 million) to Proximity Finance, a microfinance institution (MFI) operating in Myanmar. MCE Social Capital, a US-based NGO, is funding
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Launches Rural Enterprise Finance Project (REFP) to Expand Mobile Banking, Financial Literacy Training in Mozambique
The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) recently launched the Rural Enterprise Finance Project (REFP), aimed at improving access to national and regional markets for people in rural Mozambique. The project includes elements such as
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Institution Juhudi Kilimo of Kenya Sells Equity Stake to Incofin CVSO for $2.4m
Juhudi Kilimo, a for-profit microfinance institution (MFI) in Kenya, recently sold an ownership stake of unspecified size for EUR 2.2 million (USD 2.4 million) to Incofin CVSO, a cooperative fund managed by Belgium-based Incofin Investment Management. Juhudi, which mainly serves rural areas, intends to use the new funding to
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “The Inclusion Imperative: A Call to Action. Recommendations for Policy Makers and Regulators from FDC’s Inclusive Growth and Development Initiatives;” by Shawn Hunter
By Shawn Hunter; published by FDC; May 2019; 25 pages; available at https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/309bf5_bc2c238a402e45b0aa3125a058f136b6.pdf
Aimed at policy makers and regulators, this report sets out 11 recommendations intended to aid “inclusive growth and development efforts” in the Asia-Pacific region, in line with the financial inclusion priorities
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Schroders Buying Controlling Stake in Microfinance Investor BlueOrchard
Schroders, a UK-based asset manager with GBP 444 billion (USD 538 billion) in assets under management, recently agreed to acquire a majority holding in BlueOrchard Finance, a Switzerland-based firm with USD 3.5 billion in
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Influence of Ownership Type and CEO Power on Residual Loss: Evidence From the Global Microfinance Industry;” by Leif Atle Beisland, Daudi Pascal Ndaki, Roy Mersland
Published by Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly; May 2019; 40 pages; available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333175215_Influence_of_Ownership_Type_and_CEO_Power_on_Residual_Loss_Evidence_From_the_Global_Microfinance_Industry
Based on data from 374 microfinance institutions in 76 countries, the authors seek to identify “whether the agency cost component referred to as ‘residual loss’ differs between non-profit and shareholder-owned microfinance organizations and whether such
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Turkish Mobile-payments Platform ininal Partners with Visa to Offer Cash-out at ATMs
A provider of digital wallets in Turkey, ininal, recently partnered with Visa, a US-based payment technology company, to offer prepaid Visa cards to its 3 million customers. This will allow ininal customers
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Uniglobal Asia Pacific Microfinance Forum; October 22-23, 2019; Singapore
The second annual iteration of this conference will focus on the influence of financial technology (fintech) on the barriers to entry, efficiency and costs of microfinance institutions (MFIs), including how to implement and optimize various technologies. Sessions will cover skills such as