by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: HR Challenges Within MFIs at European Microfinance Week: “Banking Is People”

MicroCapital: Do you find that microfinance institutions (MFIs) tend to underinvest in human resources (HR)?

Rüdiger Meister: Definitely! Despite the efforts of many consultants in this field, the crucial role of HR management remains under-estimated. Technical assistance interventions, which often accompany investments into MFIs, tend to focus on discrete areas rather than following a holistic and structured approach to capacity building.

There is also a problem of short-term versus long-term thinking. In the short term, the MFI will function even if there are weaknesses in HR management. But in the long term, the MFI will have to pay for mistakes in areas such as

by Aleksandr Marceau -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Loans $2.3m to Kreditimi Rural i Kosoves (KRK) to Support “Green Economy” in Kosovo

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based development finance institution created following the Cold War, recently loaned EUR 2 million (USD 2.3 million) to Kreditimi Rural i Kosoves (KRK), a microfinance institution primarily serving the agriculture sector and low-income individuals in Kosovo. As part of EBRD’s Green Economy Transition (GET) policy, the loan will support

by Aleksandr Marceau -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Green for Growth Fund (GGF) Loans $6m to Halkbank to Finance Energy-efficient Housing in Serbia

The Green for Growth Fund (GGF), which was founded by Germany’s Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and the EU’s European Investment Bank (EIB), recently disbursed EUR 5 million (USD 5.9 million) to Halkbank AD Belgrade, a subsidiary of Turkey’s government-controlled Halk Bank Incorporated. The loan is slated to back mortgages on homes that consume

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: C-Quadrat’s Dual Return Vision Microfinance Funds Lend $31m to MFIs in Asia, Latin America

C-Quadrat Asset Management, an arm of Austrian fund manager C-Quadrat, recently informed MicroCapital that its Dual Return Vision Microfinance funds lent a total approximately equivalent to USD 31 million to unidentified microfinance institutions (MFIs) in five Asian countries, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, as well as three Latin American countries, Ecuador, Mexico and

by Aleksandr Marceau -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Taps Albania Agribusiness Support Facility (AASF) to Back $60m in Loans for Farmers, Related Firms

Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania, a subsidiary of Italy-based Intesa Sanpaolo, recently partnered with the Albania Agribusiness Support Facility (AASF), a funding vehicle established by

by Matthew ONeill -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Akhuwat, AlHuda Center of Islamic Banking and Economics Hosting 7th Global Islamic Microfinance Forum; November 24-25, 2017; Istanbul, Turkey

Event Name: Seventh Global Islamic Microfinance Forum: “Evidence of Impact – Financial Inclusion”

Event Dates: Conference: November 24 – November 25, 2017; Post-conference workshop: November 27 – November 28, 2017

Event Location: Istanbul Lütfi K?rdar International Convention and Exhibition Center; Istanbul, Turkey

Summary of Event: The primary objective of this event is to “create awareness of Islamic microfinance for the benefit of humankind.” Islamic microfinance consists of services conducted according to Shariah law, which includes a prohibition on charging interest in favor of concepts such as the sharing of profit and loss. The event will feature approximately 40 speakers from 30 countries covering topics including: the potential of Islamic microfinance; funding challenges faced by Islamic microfinance institutions (MFIs); the “Qarz-e-Hasan” model of Islamic microfinance; and “Micro Takaful, Waqf and Zakat – Supportive elements for Islamic microfinance.” AlHuda will also host a two day post-conference workshop called “Islamic Agriculture and Rural Finance.”

by Ryan Gauthier -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: The Microfinance Centre’s (MFC’s) Alternative Finance Forum; October 5, 2017; Warsaw, Poland

Event Name: Alternative Finance Forum

Event Location: Copernicus Conference Centre; Warsaw, Poland

Summary of Event: This forum aims to “introduce new forms of financial services” while covering topics including equity-based crowdfunding, social impact bonds, online lenders to small businesses and peer-to-peer lending platforms. The event has support from the European Union and its European Investment Bank Institute.

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroFinanza Rating Issues 13 Institutional, Social, Client-protection Credentials to Microfinance Institutions in Albania, Morocco, Namibia, Asia, Latin America

During July and August, Italy’s MicroFinanza Rating (MFR) issued five microfinance institutional ratings. Morocco’s Attadamoune Micro-Finance was assigned the grade B+ with a stable outlook. Ecuador’s Fundación Espoir and Albania’s FED Invest both earned grades of BB with stable outlooks. Two institutions earned grades of

by Ryan Gauthier -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Telenor Pakistan, Telenor Microfinance Bank, Punjabi Government Creating Connected Agriculture Platform Punjab (CAPP)

Two entities in Pakistan that are controlled by Norwegian conglomerate Telenor recently partnered with two entities of the government of the Pakistani province of Punjab to create the “Connected Agriculture Platform Punjab” (CAPP).

by Jacob O'Driscoll -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bank Eskhata Borrows $1m as Tajikistan Becomes 17th Country to Host EBRD’s “Women in Business” Programme

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based multilateral development institution, recently announced it is expanding its “Women in Business” programme to Tajikistan with an investment of USD 10 million.

by Ryan Gauthier -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Lends $2m to Imon International of Tajikistan for Female-Run MSMEs

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based organization that invests in support of market-oriented economic policies, recently lent the local-currency equivalent of USD 2 million to Imon International, an institution that offers microcredit and deposit services with the aim of improving its clients’ standards of living as well as promoting economic development in Tajikistan.

by Jacob O'Driscoll -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Turkey’s QNB Finansbank Borrows $55m via EBRD’s “Women in Business” Programme, Partially Guaranteed by EBRD, EU, Turkish Government

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based multilateral development institution, recently announced it is extending its partnership with QNB Finansbank, a commercial bank in Turkey, with a five-year loan of USD 55 million under EBRD’s “Women in Business” programme.