by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: European Microfinance Week – Online November 17-19, 2021 – Registration Now Open

Despite the pandemic, European Microfinance Platformthe European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) once again presents one of its flagship activities, European Microfinance Week (EMW), online this November. While the detailed agenda has not yet been released, it will include the presentation of the EUR 100,000 European Microfinance Award, as always. Over three days, last year’s EMW included 130 speakers reaching 500 attendees via the internet. Registrations fees vary from EUR 40 to EUR 200. More details appear at https://registration.european-microfinance-week.eu/website/27793/.

This notice is part of a sponsored series on EMW, the next iteration of which will occur online from November 17 through November 19, 2021. This event is held annually by e-MFP, a Luxembourg-based network with approximately 130 members. MicroCapital has been engaged to cover the event each year since 2012.

Additional Resources

European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) information on European Microfinance Week 2020
http://www.e-mfp.eu/european-microfinance-week-2020

MicroCapital coverage since 2012 of European Microfinance Week, including each European Microfinance Award
https://www.microcapital.org/category/european-microfinance-week/

by Divya Deshmukh -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: The SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance); October 18-22, 2021; Kigali, Rwanda

This year’s SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance) includes five days of conference sessions, an investors’ fair, an “Innovators’ Village,” research presentations, training sessions and workshops under the theme “Resilience of the African Inclusive Finance Sector.” The two-day conference portion of SAM includes sessions on topics such as how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected efforts to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals, financing agricultural value chains, risk management, serving youth, digital infrastructure and post-crisis reconstruction. The other days of SAM include workshops on topics such as social performance,

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Building Resilience for Microfinance Clients – the SAM 2021 Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, October 18-22

MicroCapital: How will the theme resilience be addressed during the SAM 2021?

Yombo Odanou: The EU has defined resilience as “the capacity of an individual, household, community, country or region to resist, adapt and recover quickly from crises and shocks.” The dual climate and COVID-19 crises and their effects on the global economy are forcing institutions to find new ways to take advantage of this austere environment.

Christophe Hebting: We believe the discussions at the SAM can build the resilience capacity of all actors in the inclusive finance sector. This includes addressing questions such as: How can resilience be increased through structural change? In the face of climate change? Through technological innovations?

MC: How are you addressing concerns attendees may have regarding the potential transmission of COVID-19 during the event?

YO: Since the beginning of this pandemic, MAIN has initiated actions to enable its members to minimise the risk of infection, allowing them to continue

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: “Financial Inclusion Compass 2021” Reveals a Sector Grappling with the Consequences of COVID-19 – and Trying to Look Beyond It

InEuropean Microfinance Platform 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

by Arin Atluri -

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

by Arin Atluri -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC Approves $250m Loan to HDFC for Housing Finance for Low-, Middle-income Borrowers in India; 25% Earmarked for Green Buildings


The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, recently approved a loan of USD 250 million to Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC), a housing lender based in India. Whereas green housing has “largely been regarded as a luxury market in the country,” one quarter of the loan amount is reserved for

by Teo Lin-Bianco -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company (TMRC) Sells $3.8m in Bonds to Boost Access to Home Ownership

The Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company (TMRC), an institution that refinances the portfolios of housing lenders, recently completed an issue of corporate bonds on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange. The bond listing had a target of

by Teo Lin-Bianco -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: CDC, Futuregrowth Participate in $36m Funding Package for Divercity Urban Property Fund to Build 2,500 Sustainable Housing Units in South Africa

The CDC Group, a development finance institution backed by the UK government, has announced a commitment of ZAR 500 million (USD 36 million) from it and other investors to the Divercity Urban Property Fund, a for-profit entity based in South Africa that invests in high-density urban areas. The funding is designated for

by Harriet Ritchie -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Invest in Visions (IIV) Mikrofinanzfonds Lends $12m to Bayport for Payroll Lending in Colombia

Invest In Visions Mikrofinanzfonds, a fund managed by Germany-based Invest In Visions (IIV), has disbursed a senior loan of EUR 10 million (USD 12.1 million) to Bayport Colombia, one of the nine financial services providers (FSPs) of Mauritius-based microfinance network Bayport Management Limited. Bayport Colombia is using the cash to fund

by Harriet Ritchie -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: DFC to Invest $40m in Housing, Microfinance, SME Lending, Agriculture in Guatemala

The government-backed US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) recently agreed to invest USD 40 million in Guatemala in the following segments: (1) a loan of USD 19.5 million to Guatemala-based real estate company Destino Desarrollos to aid in the construction of “approximately 2,000 homes and associated infrastructure” deemed “affordable” in the cities of Coban, Fraijanes and Quetzaltenango; (2) with support from the US Agency for International Development (AID), a loan guarantee of USD 15 million to Guatemala-based bank Interbanco, to cover the local-currency equivalent of USD

by Sophie Fiala -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: UBL of Pakistan to Offer Shariah-compliant Housing Loans to Akhuwat Customers

Pakistan-based organizations United Bank Limited (UBL) and Akhuwat recently signed an agreement under Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar, a government-backed housing program, whereby Akhuwat will recommend certain of its low-income customers to UBL for

by Steffi Ong -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ADB Raises $20m Through Bond Issue in Kazakhstan to Support Otbasy Bank Housing Loans to Women, Mainly in Rural Areas

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), a Philippines-based multilateral institution, recently raised KZT 8.4 billion (USD 20 million) through bond sales to institutional investors in Kazakhstan to finance loans by the Housing and Construction Savings Bank of Kazakhstan, which is also known as Otbasy Bank. The bond has a 10-year maturity with a

by Aakansha Shenoy -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Creation Investments Launches Debt Fund in India to Focus on Microfinance, SMEs, Housing, Education

Creation Investments Capital Management, which is based in the US city of Chicago, recently opened an office in the Indian city of Bengaluru and launched a fund for lending to non-banking financial companies in the country. The target firms are those that

by Sai Bommineni -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Loans $4m to ProCredit Bank Skopje to Boost SMEs’ Quality Standards, Residential Energy Efficiency in North Macedonia

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based multilateral institution, recently provided two loans to ProCredit Bank Skopje, which operates in North Macedonia and is owned by Germany-based ProCredit Holding. One loan, in the amount of EUR 1 million (USD 1.2 million),

by Eha Joshi -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Symbiotics Introduces $10m Bond to Fund Affordable Housing in Colombia via Hipotecaria Compañía de Financiamiento

Symbiotics, a Switzerland-based impact investing platform, recently agreed to issue a 4.5-year, senior, unsecured loan of COP 35.8 billion (USD 10.5 million) to La Hipotecaria Compañía de Financiamiento (HCF), a Panama-based mortgage lender, from the proceeds of a social bond Symbiotics is launching for this purpose. The goal is to increase access to

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Local Market Data, Resilience During Pandemic, Securitization, Land Title Systems Enable Housing Microfinance, Micro-mortgages

During European Microfinance PlatformEuropean Microfinance Week 2020, Maria Claudia Rojas of the Netherlands’ Triple Jump described her firm’s experience managing the MicroBuild Fund it created with US-based Habitat for Humanity in 2012. Compared with Triple Jump’s portfolio as a whole, MicroBuild has maintained higher asset quality, and that margin of superiority has doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lucie Astier Such of the French government’s AFD explained her agency’s role in providing technical assistance, loans and data to support housing finance in developing countries. Part of this effort involves connecting households and microfinance institutions (MFIs) with reputable builders and suppliers of construction materials. One tool for this purpose is

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: e-MFP Publishes Taking Shelter: Housing Finance for the World’s Poor

From European Microfinance Platformthe European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP): While the 2020 European Microfinance Award spotlights the importance of savings, e-MFP takes the opportunity to look back to the 2017 Award and revisit the importance of housing. Even more than savings, housing is one of those parts of microfinance that has been around for decades, yet which remains relegated to niche status. And yet, like savings, housing finance holds out the promise of real-world improvements for millions of poor households while simultaneously expanding the opportunities for financial service providers (FSPs).

That is why, in partnership with Practical Action Publishing, e-MFP is publishing its

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: 40+ Reasons to Attend European Microfinance Week Online This Month

MicroCapitalEuropean Microfinance Platform: European Microfinance Week 2020 (EMW2020) – like so many events nowadays – is going virtual. How will this change the conference? What will the experience be like for attendees?

Christoph Pausch: EMW2020 remains – like in all years – a member-led conference, with the agenda constructed around what members indicate they find most important each year. So that hasn’t changed at all. But there will be clear differences, of course. There still will be a diverse range of sessions over three days (even more than usual in fact, with close to 50 events on the programme). But going online dictates that we be imaginative and innovative in the format and presentation of those sessions. Attendees will experience a huge range of event types – big plenaries and traditional panel discussions, but also fireside chats, keynotes, case study presentations, working sessions, topic lounges and publication launches, including of