MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Money Transfer Firms Suspend Fees for Payments to Libya, Morocco in Response to Disasters

In order to support recovery from the earthquake that damaged many parts of Morocco on September 8 and the flooding that began in Libya on September 11, several money-transfer firms are offering free international transfers to people affected by the disasters.

UAE-based e& Money, the

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bank of Africa, Sanad Fund Deploying $27m for SME Finance in Morocco

Bank of Africa, which is based in Morocco and serves 32 countries, recently agreed to borrow EUR 25 million (USD 27 million) from the Luxembourg-domiciled Sanad Fund for MSME to on-lend to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Morocco. Sanad is supporting the loan with

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EIB Lending CIH Bank of Morocco $73m to Support SMEs, Mid-caps in Adjusting to COVID-19 Pandemic

The European Investment Bank (EIB), an entity of the EU, recently agreed to loan EUR 60 million (USD 73 million) to Crédit Immobilier et Hôtelier (CIH) Bank, which is controlled by the

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mexico, Morocco Report Increases in Remittances Despite Dire Predictions Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

Residents of Mexico and Morocco received more in remittances from family members living abroad during most of 2020 versus 2019. This despite predictions from sources including the World Bank that the COVID-19 pandemic would cause global remittances to decrease 20 percent “due to a fall in the wages and emplo

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Lends $47m to CaixaBank to Support SMEs in Morocco Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic

CaixaBank, a Spanish retail bank, recently accepted a loan of approximately MAD 430 million (USD 46.8 million) from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based development finance institution that has been investing in Morocco since 2012. CaixaBank is to use the funding to

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Transition Fund Grants $11m to Moroccan Youth Microentrepreneurship Projects

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Transition Fund, a financial intermediary fund established by the US-based World Bank in 2012 that provides grants to help countries implement social reforms, has sponsored a total of USD 11 million in grants for two projects that will aim to assist approximately 5,000 Moroccan youths with starting their own businesses and micro-enterprises [1].