by Aarya Dhru -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Skoll World Forum; April 9-12, 2024; Oxford, United Kingdom

This annual gathering focused on using entrepreneurship to effect change around global challenges such as climate change and healthcare will take place both in-person and online. The detailed agenda has not been released, but the 2023 iteration included sessions including:

by Chee Meng Ng -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 2020 Skoll World Forum; March 31 – April 3, 2020; Oxford, England – CANCELED

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED.

This annual event at the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship of the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford was first held in 2004. Although the 2020 forum agenda has yet to be released, the forum is intended to convene

by Zhishen Zhang -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Skoll World Forum; April 9-12, 2019; Oxford, England

The Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship is intended to advance entrepreneurial solutions to social problems. Although this year’s agenda has not been released, sessions from recent years covered topics such as public-private financing initiatives for investing in underserved markets, financial innovation for inclusive business, and funding impact at scale through market segmentation.

by Aliz Crowley -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Skoll Foundation Awards Microfinance Institution Fundación Capital of Colombia, 6 Others $1.25m Each for Social Entrepreneurship

The Skoll Foundation, an organization that seeks to promote sustainability, peace and prosperity in the developing world by investing in social enterprises, recently honored seven organizations with the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, which is given to social enterprises to fund business initiatives deemed innovative.

by John Howard-Smith -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Saïd Business School of Oxford University to Hold Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, March 30 – April 1, 2011, Oxford, England

Event Name: Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship

Event Date: March 30 – April 1, 2011

Event Location: Oxford, England

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: 40 Funders Commit $75m via World Economic Forum COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurs

The World Economic Forum, a Switzerland-based nonprofit, recently convened the COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurs, through which 40 organizations are aligning their efforts to reduce the economic and other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These 40 organizations support 15,000 entrepreneurs who have served a total of 1.5 billion customers in 190 countries by “protecting livelihoods; mitigating millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide; improving access to health, sanitation, education and energy; [and having] driven social inclusion movements for the disabled, homeless or those with refugee status.”

The alliance members have committed a total of USD 75 million in response to the pandemic. In addition, they are working together to assess needs; increase recovery funding; coordinate legal, technological and

by Anna Gravois -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Angaza, SIMA Launch Distributor Financing Fund for Off-grid Solar Power

Angaza, a provider of “pay-as-you-go” metering technology, and US-based Social Investment Managers and Advisors (SIMA), recently announced the launch of the SIMA Angaza Distributor Financing Fund (DFF), an investment vehicle that will lend to distributors of off-grid solar energy equipment. The partners expect the use of Angaza’s data tools by DFF’s partner distributors to

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Water.org’s WaterEquity Borrows $10.5m from Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to Invest in Clean Water, Sanitation

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the development finance institution of the US government, recently informed MicroCapital that it has loaned USD 10.5 million to WaterCredit Investment Fund 3, which is managed by WaterEquity, a “social impact investment manager” founded by US-based NGO Water.org. WaterEquity, which seeks “to deliver universal access to safe water and sanitation,” was launched in 2016. Since then, it reports having reached 400,000 people via investments in 13 microfinance institutions and

by Michelle Dold -

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Correlations Between Financial, Social MFI Performance; Banking for a Better World; A Case for Partnerships Among Corporations, Social Enterprises

“Where Good Intentions Meet Good Business Practice”; by Meraj Husain and Micol Pistelli; published by the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX); August 2016; 16 pages; available at: https://www.themix.org/sites/default/files/publications/where_good_intentions_meet_good_business_practice_mix_august_2016_final.pdf

Drawing upon Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX)’s database of financial service provider (FSP) performance indicators, the authors examine the relationship between the social and financial performance of 780 FSPs in 98 countries.

by Aliz Crowley -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Technology Provider Orange Offering $80k Via 2014 African Social Venture Prizes, Partner Award

French telephone and internet service provider Orange is accepting applications for its 2014 African Social Venture Prizes and the Partner Award through September 19, 2014, via Orange’s “pan-African web portal,”[1], http://www.starafrica.com.

by Juan Blanco Ramos -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Seven International Lending Institutions Launch Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance (CSAF)

The Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance (CSAF), an alliance focused on creating a sustainable financial market for small agricultural businesses, recently was launched by seven international lending institutions at the 11th Skoll World Forum on social entrepreneurship in Oxford, United Kingdom.

by A'kos Szebeni -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Alleviating Poverty Through Entrepreneurship (APTE) to Host “2014 Alleviating Poverty Through Entrepreneurship Summit,” March 22, 2014, Columbus, Ohio, USA

Event Name: 2014 Alleviating Poverty Through Entrepreneurship (APTE) Summit

Event Date: March 22, 2014

Event Location: Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

by Scott Everett -

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Acumen Fund Invests 2.8 Million into Development and Microfinance Programs in Pakistan

Acumen Fund, a venture capital fund that invests in sustainable development operations, announced four new investments in Pakistan. The investments amount to over USD 2.8 million. Acumen Fund began investing in Pakistan in 2002 with a focus on the housing sector, providing slum-dwellers with affordable legal housing and infrastructure alternatives, as well as financial services that allowed low-income clients to improve their homes and supplement their incomes. Acumen Fund has since expanded its focus to address the broader set of critical issues keeping the majority of the population of 160 million people in poverty.