SPECIAL REPORT: The Impact of Digital Financial Inclusion on Global Development

In September 2015, every UN member country endorsed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which comprises 17 target areas known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

After falling from 10.1 percent in 2015 to 8.6 percent in 2018, the global poverty rate increased to 9.2 percent in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, reversing a long trend of poverty reduction. Other headwinds such as armed conflicts, rising inflation, food in­security, and political and social unrest also are affecting global devel­opment, and the UN estimates that these crises combined to cause an additional 95 million people to live in extreme poverty in 2022.

On the other hand, the digital revolution has made many people’s lives easier with access to mobile phones, the internet and other tools. Digital financial inclusion (DFI) and its innovative business models have had a particularly disruptive effect, bolstering financial inclusion worldwide.

Impact on Sustainable Development Goals
DFI is enabling all types of pathways to advance the achievement of the SDGs, strengthening the link between financial inclusion and de­vel­opment. In 2016, CGAP and

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Kashf Foundation of Pakistan Borrows in Local Currency from SEB Microfinance Funds, Arranged by Symbiotics

Kashf Foundation, a provider of microloans and microinsurance to women in Pakistan, recently secured a local-currency loan of undisclosed size from SEB Microfinance Funds, an offering of

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Accion, Sturgeon Lead $6.4m Equity Round for Trukkr, Fintech Serving Trucking SMEs in Pakistan

Trukkr, a Pakistan-based financial technology (fintech) firm, recently obtained USD 6.4 million in a funding round led by two impact investors, US-based Accion Venture Lab and UK-based Sturgeon Capital, with placements also made by Al Zayani Venture Capital, Haitou Global and Peter Findley. The breakdown

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 3rd CIS Islamic Banking and Finance Forum; March 14-16, 2023; Tashkent, Uzbekistan 

This event offers a one-day summit on March 14 and a two-day workshop on March 15 and 16, all with the aim of promoting Islamic finance in the 10 member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The summit offers sessions titled Islamic Finance and Financial Inclusion; Investment

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: In Pakistan, Microfinance Portfolios Rise 7.5% Quarterly to $2b

According to data attributed to the Pakistan Microfinance Network, microfinance providers in the country grew the number of savers they serve by 2.9 percent to 87 million from March 2022 to June 2022. During that period, however, the aggregate amount saved by those customers fell 8.9 percent to PKR 391 billion (USD 1.8 billion).

Meanwhile, microlending in Pakistan is growing unambiguously, and it is expected to continue its upward trend as new regulations recently

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mobilink Microfinance Bank, CBA to Broaden Range of Digital Financial Services for MSMEs in Pakistan

Two Pakistani companies, Mobilink Microfinance and CBA Digital Distribution Platform, recently partnered to increase access to digital financial services by allowing Mobilink to offer its customers CBA services. CBA enables

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Citibank Pakistan, National Institutional Facilitation Technologies Partner on Digital Financial Services for Retailers in Pakistan

National Institutional Facilitation Technologies (NIFT), a Pakistani payment system operator, and the local arm of US-based financial services provider Citigroup, recently announced a “referral arrangement” under which Citibank Pakistan will refer its clients to NIFT’s infrastructure for processing digital payment services. The deal will allow corporations to

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FINCA Microfinance Bank, Millat Tractors Partner to Serve Farmers in Pakistan

Pakistan-based FINCA Microfinance Bank, a for-profit entity whose name derives from the US-based Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA International), recently announced a partnership with Pakistan-based Millat Tractors to increase the availability of machinery to farmers in the country. Under the new arrangement, customers of FINCA Pakistan are able to

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: SAFCO Transforming into For-profit Entity with Microfinance License from Securities and Exchange Commision of Pakistan

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) recently issued a license to Sustainable Actions to Access Financial Capital Opportunities (SAFCO) Microfinance Company, a unit of the SAFCO Support Foundation, allowing it to offer microfinance services. The announcement comes as SECP is

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Khushali Microfinance Bank, Sindh Graduates Association Partner on Financial, Vocational Education for Women in Rural Pakistan

Pakistan’s Khushali Microfinance Bank recently initiated a collaboration with Sindh Graduates Association (SGA), an organization mobilizing university graduates in the Pakistani province of Sindh, on a program intended to increase women’s living standards. In particular, the programme targets the female population in the Sindh village of Mirpurkhas with training in tailoring and financial topics such as how to use

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mobilink Microfinance Offering Loans to “Home-based Restaurants” Using Foodpanda to Take Online Orders, Offer Delivery in Pakistan

Mobilink Microfinance Bank, a Pakistani digital financial services provider, recently initiated a collaboration with foodpanda home chefs, a division of Singapore-based “online food and grocery delivery platform” foodpanda. The objective is to extend weekly microloans of up to PKR 50,000 (USD 247) to home-based restaurant owners in order to “help resolve supply chain, marketing, and food quality issues” thus “empowering

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: JSIL Initiates JS Microfinance Sector Fund to Lend to MFIs in Pakistan

Pakistan-based JS Investments Limited (JSIL) recently launched the JS Microfinance Sector Fund (JSMFSF) with the goal of providing “the opportunity to tap into the growth potential of Pakistan’s microfinance sector” resulting in “a reasonable rate of return while maintaining high liquidity.” The fund carries a minimum investment of

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Impact Asset Management Disburses $15m from Dual Return Funds to Microfinance Institutions in 7 Countries

Impact Asset Management (I-AM), a member of the Austria-based C-Quadrat Investment Group, recently disbursed loans totaling USD 15 million from the Dual Return Funds to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and three other countries. Neither the names of the MFIs nor

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Louis Dreyfus Company Borrowing $100m from ADB to On-lend to Small-scale Farmers to Boost Climate Resilience, COVID-19 Recovery

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), a multilateral institution based in the Philippines, recently agreed to lend USD 100 million to Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), a Netherlands-based firm active in agriculture, food processing and shipping. LDC plans to use the funds to finance “coffee, cotton and rice inventories” for 50,000 smallholder farmers who supply the firm’s operations in India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam. Among the goals of the project are to

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: CDC Group, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Agree to $50m Risk-sharing Facility to Boost Trade, Supply Chains in South Asia, Africa

CDC Group, a development finance institution backed by the UK government, recently announced a risk-sharing facility valued at USD 50 million in partnership with Habib Bank Limited (HBL) UK, a subsidiary of Pakistan-based HBL. The facility aims to boost HBL UK’s ability to

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