The EU’s European Investment Bank (EIB) recently opened a credit line of EUR 6 million (USD 6.8 million) – usable in synthetic Georgian lari – for Terabank Georgia, which is owned by the UAE-based Abu Dhabi Group. Terabank, which focuses on retail customers as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), seeks to use the credit line to help
Category: Eastern Europe and Central Asia
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Agents for Impact Disburses $1.5m from IIV to FINCA Bank Kyrgyzstan for Microfinance
Agents for Impact (AFI), a Germany-based impact investing company, recently informed MicroCapital that it has issued USD 1.5 million to FINCA Bank Kyrgyzstan, a unit of US-based FINCA Impact Finance, on behalf of Germany-based Invest in Visions (IIV). FINCA Kyrgyzstan serves 155,000 customers – half women – with
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microinvest of Moldova, FINCA Armenia Borrowing $10m from Invest in Visions for Microfinance
Agents for Impact (AFI), a Germany-based impact investing company, recently informed MicroCapital that it is issuing the following loans on behalf of Germany’s Invest in Visions (IIV): EUR 7 million (USD 8 million) in two tranches to Microinvest of Moldova and USD 2.5 million to FINCA Armenia, a unit of US-based FINCA Impact Finance. AFI has disbursed the entire loan to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Dual Return Vision Fund Issues Subordinated Loan to Humo for Microfinance in Tajikistan
C-Quadrat Impact Asset Management (IAM), a member of the Austria-based C-Quadrat Investment Group, recently announced that it has disbursed a subordinated loan through its Dual Return Vision Microfinance fund to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Tagit Developing Mobile App for Advans Microfinance Institutions in Africa, Asia
Advans Group, a Luxembourg-based microfinance organization with operations in nine low- and middle-income countries, recently partnered with Tagit, a Singapore-based mobile technology company, to develop a mobile banking application for Advans customers. The app will be based on
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation Lends $4.6m to Agency for Finance in Kosovo (AFK), Microinvest of Moldova, Monte Credit of Montenegro
The Grameen Credit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, whose head office is in Luxembourg, has informed MicroCapital that it is disbursing loans to: (1) Agency for Finance in Kosovo (AFK) in the amount of EUR 1.5 million (USD 1.8 million); (2) Moldova-based Microinvest in local currency approximately
SPECIAL REPORT: “Financial Inclusion Compass 2021” Reveals a Sector Grappling with the Consequences of COVID-19 – and Trying to Look Beyond It
In
2018, e-MFP launched the first Financial Inclusion Compass, a new annual publication series to collate sector opinions on emerging short-, medium- and long-term trends in the financial inclusion sector. e-MFP is delighted to now publish the English language version of the Financial Inclusion Compass 2021 – the fourth in the series.
The survey on which this paper is based was open in May 2021, with financial services providers (FSPs), investors, donors, researchers and support services providers evaluating and describing the importance of various current Trends, rating future New Areas of Focus, and providing open-comment qualitative input on the expected (and hoped-for) direction of financial inclusion progress.
The survey had two main sections: in Section 1, respondents rated from 1-10 the current importance of a list of 20 Trends and evaluated a list of 16 future New Areas of Focus to rank their highest five in terms of future significance. Optional comments on each were possible. Section 2 had three optional and open-ended questions, with a focus on the impact of the pandemic.
The Compass received 125 responses from 39 countries. A plurality of respondents were FSPs, followed by consultants/support services providers, infrastructure organisations, funders and researchers. On the main geographic focus of respondents’ work, a plurality selected Global, followed by Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Trends
Two new trends, introduced in response to the uniquely challenging context of the pandemic, took the top two spots
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Institution Kreditimi Rural i Kosoves (KRK) Borrows $2.3m from EBRD for Green Housing Loans
Kreditimi Rural i Kosoves (KRK), a microfinance firm in Kosovo, recently accepted an unsecured loan of up to EUR 2 million (USD 2.3 million) from the UK-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD’s) Western Balkans Green Economy Financing Facility II (WB GEFF II). KRK plans to on-lend the funds for
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC Lends $12m to Garanti BBVA Leasing Romania for Microenterprises, SMEs, Including Women-owned Enterprises
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, recently loaned EUR 10 million (USD 12 million) to Garanti BBVA Leasing Romania, which is controlled by Spain’s Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA). The investment is intended to support microenterprises as well as
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD, EU Lending $30m for MSMEs via ProCredit Bank Ukraine, Primarily for Green Technology
ProCredit Bank Ukraine recently agreed to borrow the approximate equivalent of USD 30 million from the UK-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the EU. The funds, which are denominated in a mix of euros and Ukrainian hryvnia, are to be used for on-lending to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The wholesale loan is part of the EU4Business-EBRD Credit Line,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Agricover Credit IFN Borrows $18m from EIB to Expand Financial Access for Small, Medium-sized Farms in Romania
Recently, Agricover Credit IFN, a non-banking financial institution that specializes in financing agribusinesses in Romania, received a loan of EUR 7.5 million (USD 8.9 million) from the European Investment Bank (EIB), an entity of the EU. The agreement is designed to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EIB Lending Banca Intesa Beograd of Serbia $47m for SMEs, Mid-Caps Adjusting to COVID-19 Pandemic
Recently, the European Investment Bank (EIB), an entity of the EU, extended a credit line of EUR 40 million (USD 47 million) to Banca Intesa Beograd (BIB) in an effort to boost the Serbian economy in response to the downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds are for on-lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps to support operations, job retention and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation Loaning $2.6m in Local Currency to Humo of Tajikistan, ACF of Kazakhstan for On-Lending, Mainly to Rural Customers
The Grameen Crédit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, whose head office is in Luxembourg, recently announced it has begun disbursing two loans in local currency to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Central Asia. In Tajikistan, GCA Foundation is disbursing a loan worth approximately
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Loans $2.4m to ProCredit Bank Bosnia and Herzegovina for Energy Efficiency, Homeowners Eligible for EU Grants
The UK-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) recently announced it is lending EUR 2 million (USD 2.37 million) to ProCredit Bank Bosnia and Herzegovina (PCB BiH) to on-lend for residential “investments in insulation, windows, heat pumps, solar panels and other improvements” that reduce energy usage. PCB BiH is a member of Germany’s ProCredit Holding, whose members provide
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IIV Mikrofinanzfonds Loans $2m to FINCA Tajikistan for Microfinance
German investment research firm Agents for Impact recently advised Germany-based Invest in Visions (IIV) on its disbursement of a loan in the amount of USD 2 million to FINCA Tajikistan, a microfinance institution (MFI) affiliated with the US-based for-profit
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EIB Lending Jordan Kuwait Bank $119m for SMEs Adjusting to COVID-19 Pandemic
Recently, the European Investment Bank (EIB), an entity of the EU, extended a credit line of EUR 100 million (USD 119 million) to Jordan Kuwait Bank in an effort to boost the Jordanian economy in response to the downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds are to be used for
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oxus MFIs in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan Borrow $2.1m from Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation for On-Lending, Mostly in Rural Areas
The Grameen Crédit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, whose head office is in Luxembourg, recently announced it is disbursing loans in local currency to two members of the US-based Oxus Group, both for on-lending to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC Places $18m in Equity in BlackPeak Capital to Support SME Growth in Southeast Europe
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, recently issued an equity investment of EUR 15 million (USD 18 million) to BlackPeak Southeast Europe Growth Equity Fund (BlackPeak Fund I), which is