by Rohan Kumar Agarwal -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Visa, Oxfam to Expand B-READY to Provide Pre-disaster Cash Assistance in Colombia, Kenya, Puerto Rico

Visa, a US-based payments company, and Oxfam America, an anti-poverty NGO, announced during the recent COP28 meetings in the UAE that they plan to scale Oxfam’s Building Resilient, Adaptive and Disaster-ready Communities (B-READY) project to deliver relief payments in advance of storms and flooding in Colombia, Kenya and the US territory of Puerto Rico. B-READY was launched in

by Rohan Kumar Agarwal -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Lipa Later Acquires Fellow E-commerce, DFS, Merchant Services Platform Sky.Garden of Kenya for $1.6m

Lipa Later, a Kenyan financial technology (fintech) firm integrating e-commerce, digital financial services and merchant services in four African countries, recently paid KES 250 million (USD 1.6 million) to acquire Sky.Garden, a Kenyan service that was launched in 2017 but had announced it would close during 2023.

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Gendered Investment Differences Among Smallholder Farmers: Evidence from a Microcredit Programme in Western Kenya,” by Keiji Jindo et al

The authors of this study conducted a client-level analysis to examine differences in the investment behavior of female and male microcredit users in Kenya. The scope included

by Aarya Dhru -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Consumers International Global Congress; December 6-8, 2023; Nairobi, Kenya

Every four years, this event gathers stakeholders aiming to create a resilient future for the mass market. The agenda covers topics such as: (1) Transforming Consumer Journeys in Mobile Money; (2) The Influence of ChatGPT on Consumer Experiences; (3) Channels of

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Fortune Credit of Kenya, Fundación Génesis Empresarial of Guatemala, Yikri of Burkina Faso Are Finalists for European Microfinance Award 2023 on Inclusive Finance for Food Security & Nutrition

e-MFP logoFrom the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP): On September 19 and September 20, 2023, the Selection Committee for the European Microfinance Award (EMA) 2023 on “Inclusive Finance for Food Security & Nutrition” selected the three finalists that will go on to compete for the prize of EUR 100,000 (USD 105,000): Fortune Credit Limited from Kenya, Fundación Génesis Empresarial from Guatemala and Yikri from Burkina Faso.

The choice of topic for the EMA2023 comes at a

by Elva Montelongo -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: 24 Education Technology Startups in Kenya, Nigeria Joining Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship

The Canada-based Mastercard Foundation recently announced that 24 educational technology (edtech) startups in Kenya and Nigeria have joined the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship program, which promotes “technology in learning and teaching to benefit learners, education and edtech innovators across the continent” of Africa. The Kenyan inductees are listed at:

by Anaya Jhaveri -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mogo Kenya Borrowing $7m from Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund to Boost Vehicle Ownership

Mauritius-based Verdant Capital recently announced that it will lend USD 7 million from its Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund to Mogo Kenya, a subsidiary of Latvia-based Eleving Group, to fund two-, three- and four-wheeled vehicles – some powered by electricity – for self-employed taxi and delivery drivers. The loan is structured in two tranches,

by Elva Montelongo -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sun King Raises $130m for Pay-as-you-go Solar in Kenya, Citi is Sole Arranger

With the goal of expanding access to off-grid solar energy in Kenya, the US-based solar products firm Sun King recently won a loan securitization denominated in Kenyan shillings equivalent to USD 130 million. Among the private participants are

by Elva Montelongo -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Credit Bank, FSD Kenya Engaging SACCOs in Effort to Reduce Remittance Costs for Rural Kenyans

The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) recently announced a pair of programs that will operate in Kenya under the EU’s Platform for Remittances, Investments and Migrants’ Entrepreneurship in Africa (PRIME Africa). In particular, IFAD will fund

by Rohit Dayanand -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: KEPFIC Member Pension Funds Invest $61m in Acorn Holdings, Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company (KMRC) to Boost Affordable Housing

Kenya’s Acorn Holdings Africa and the Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company (KMRC) recently won investments from members of the Kenya Pension Funds Investment Consortium (KEPFIC), a group of funds that collaborate to invest in alternative assets. In particular, KEPFIC pension funds placed

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bidhaa Sasa Borrows $500k from Spark+ Africa Fund for Distribution of Efficient Cookstoves in Kenya, Uganda

Bidhaa Sasa, a Kenya-based last-mile distributor of lower-emission cooking and lighting products, recently borrowed USD 500,000 from Spark+ Africa Fund, an investor in “modern energy solutions.” Bidhaa Sasa plans to use the proceeds to

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Kwara of Kenya Raises $3m in Equity to Boost Technology for SACCOs, Acquires KUSCCO Software Subsidiary

Kwara, a woman-led financial technology (fintech) company serving credit unions in Kenya, the Philippines and South Africa, recently raised USD 3 million from its previous investors DOB Equity, Globivest and Willard Ahdritz plus a group of

by Ben Barba -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Loans MyCredit $2.6m for SME Financing in Kenya

Oikocredit, a Netherlands-based cooperative, recently lent MyCredit, a Kenya-based non-bank financial services company, USD 2.6 million for lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). MyCredit CEO George Mbira commented, “The secured funding will support MyCredit’s strategic