MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Echosys, Rgreen Raise $93m for Solar Power for SMEs in Africa via Afrigreen Debt Impact Fund

Two French firms, Echosys Invest and Rgreen Invest, recently announced the first close of their Afrigreen Debt Impact Fund with EUR 88 million (USD 93 million) to finance solar power plants for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The fund will focus on Central and West Africa, and it is to include local-currency financing for projects in

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Copal App to Help Parents, Youth in Egypt to Manage Finances via Mastercard Payment Network

Copal, an Egypt-based financial technology (fintech) firm, recently entered a partnership with US-based payment processing corporation Mastercard to launch an app that helps families in Egypt to make payments and otherwise manage their finances. Plans for the app include

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: WeLight Madagascar Raises $20m from EDFI ElectriFI, EIB, Triodos for Off-Grid Solar Development

WeLight, which operates in Madagascar and Mali, recently raised EUR 19 million (USD 20 million) from the Electrification Financing Initiative (ElectriFI) of Belgium-based European Development Finance Institutions (EDFI), the EU’s European Investment Bank (EIB) and three funds managed by Netherlands-based Triodos Investment Management to build solar mini-grids in Madagascar. These commitments complete the fundraising phase of a EUR 28 million (USD 30 million) project to

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Microfinance, Over-indebtedness and Climate Adaptation: New Evidence from Rural Cambodia;” by Vincent Guermond et al; Published by Royal Holloway, University of London

The authors of this report argue that microfinance loans in Cambodia are leading to over-indebtedness amongst farmers, inhibiting their ability to adapt to climate change. The aggregate

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Incofin Closes India Progress Fund with $77m to Promote Financial Inclusion, Agricultural Value Chains

The Belgium-based investment firm Incofin recently completed the final close of its India Progress Fund with a total of USD 77 million raised to support financial services providers and actors in

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Agricover Credit Raises $9m for Agricultural SMEs in Romania via Symbiotics Bond Issue

Agricover Credit IFN, a non-banking financial institution in Romania that provides agribusinesses with agricultural inputs, technology and finance, recently partnered with Symbiotics Investments, a Switzerland-based investor focused on smaller businesses in low- and middle- income countries, to raise USD 9 million via a bond issue. Symbiotics structured the transaction to be

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

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Yabx Raising Equity to Expand Backoffice Fintech for Financial Inclusion in Nigeria

Verdant Capital, a Mauritius-based corporate finance firm, recently announced that it is raising equity financing for Yabx Technologies, a Netherlands-based provider of software that enables digital lending, to expand its operations in Nigeria. The company helps

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

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: Microfinance Institution 4 de Octubre Borrows $1.5m from Aequitas Fund for Onlending in Ecuador

The Canadian NGO Desjardins International Development (DID) recently disbursed USD 1.5 million from its financial inclusion fund Aequitas to 4 de Octubre, a microfinance institution (MFI) in Ecuador, to support the MFI’s

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EIB Lends Credo Bank $10m for MSMEs in Georgia

The EU’s European Investment Bank (EIB) recently agreed to loan Credo Bank, a commercial bank in Georgia, GEL 28.8 million (USD 10 million) to expand its financing of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The floating-rate loan is synthetic, meaning it is denominated in euros but

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: DID Loaning $2m from Aequitas Fund to Faces Microfinanzas for Microfinance in Ecuador

Aequitas, a financial inclusion fund launched by Desjardins International Development (DID), recently issued a USD 2 million loan to Ecuador-based microfinance institution (MFI) Faces Microfinanzas to

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

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Loans Yellow of Uganda $5m for Off-grid Solar Energy in Africa

Oikocredit, a Netherlands-based cooperative, recently lent USD 5 million to Yellow, a Uganda-based supplier of pay-as-you-go solar electricity products and systems, to expand its operations in sub-Saharan Africa. Pay-as-you-go services are those

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Bank’s IDA Lending $15m to Djibouti for Low-income Housing Finance, Policy Reform

The International Development Association (IDA), a unit of the World Bank, recently agreed to lend USD 15 million to Djibouti for a project intended to: (1) scale up an existing partial guarantee fund to boost