The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the EU, the Private Sector Foundation of Uganda and the Uganda Development Bank recently launched the Support to Agricultural Revitalization and Transformation (START) program to finance small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) involved in agriculture in northern Uganda. The goals of the program include addressing the
Category: Key Players
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Point-of-sale Service Provider Yoco of South Africa Raises $16m in Equity from Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund, FMO, Paratech
Yoco, a South African point-of-sale payment enabler, recently raised USD 16 million through its Series B funding round, which was led by US-based venture capital firm Paratech.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC to Loan $50m to Itaú Argentina for SMEs, “Green” Lending
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, recently agreed to provide Itaú Argentina, a subsidiary of Brazil-based Itaú Unibanco, with USD 15 million to expand funding for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as USD 35 million for “sustainable” energy projects.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ResponsAbility Buys Equity Stake in C88, Fintech Expanding Access to Lending, Insurance via CekAja.com in Indonesia, eCompareMo.com in the Philippines
A private equity investment vehicle managed by responsAbility Investments AG, a Switzerland-based asset manager specializing in impact investments in developing countries, recently paid an undisclosed sum to buy a minority stake of undisclosed size in Singapore-based C88 Financial Technologies. C88 operates online platforms that help consumers in Indonesia and the Philippines compare and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Gentera’s FiinLab, Oikocredit, Vox Capital Buy Equity Stakes in Fintech Avante, Boosting Mobile Microfinance, POS Service for Microenterprises in Brazil
Brazilian financial technology (fintech) firm Avante recently raised an undisclosed amount of funding from FiinLab, a unit of Mexico’s Gentera Group; Oikocredit, a Dutch cooperative; and Vox Capital, a Brazilian investor in education, health and financial services. The sizes of the stakes taken by each have not been disclosed. Of the three investors, only Vox
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank (SCSB) Buys 80% of AMK of Cambodia from Agora Microfinance, Incofin’s Rural Impulse Fund II, Norfund’s Cambodia-Laos Development Fund, Proparco
Incofin Investment Management, a Belgium-based impact investor, recently announced that its Rural Impulse Fund (RIF) II is among several entities selling a total of 80.01 percent of the shares of Cambodian microfinance institution Angkor Mikroheranhvatho Kampuchea (AMK) to Taiwan-based Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank (SCSB). The other sellers are Agora Microfinance NV, a Dutch holding company; the Cambodia-Laos Development Fund of the Norwegian government’s Norfund; and the French government’s Societe de Promotion et de Participation pour La Coopération Economique (Proparco). While the sizes of the former shareholdings have not been released, each of the investors is exiting AMK completely, except for Agora Microfinance NV. AMK Staff Association,
SPECIAL REPORT: Registration Opens for European Microfinance Week; November 14 – November 16, 2018; Luxembourg
Event Summary: On November 14, the European Microfinance Platform’s (e-MFP’s) ten Action Groups will meet in person to work on their respective topics of focus, such as rural outreach and innovation, investors, and green-inclusive and climate-smart finance.
On November 15 and 16, more than 80 organisations will be represented in over 25 sessions addressing topics including the following: making insurance markets work for the poor, the business case for gender-lens investing, crowdfunding, financial services for refugees, financing clean energy, meeting the financial needs of smallholder farmers, financial education, youth finance, microfinance and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, social performance management, financial inclusion through technology, regulation realting to digital financial services (DFS), and client protection relating to DFS.
Also on November 15, we will learn what organization wins this year’s EUR 100,000 (USD 115,000) European Microfinance Award, which will be for
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: CreditAccess Grameen IPO Raises $164m on Bombay Stock Exchange, National Stock Exchange of India
CreditAccess Grameen Limited, the Indian subsidiary of CreditAccess Asia, recently held its initial public offering (IPO) on India’s Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India. CreditAccess Grameen raised
News from the Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation
Here you may find our collection of news on the Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Futuristic Financial Intelligence Summit; September 28, 2018; Mumbai, India
Event Summary: The first Futuristic Financial Intelligence Summit will address developments in financial technology (fintech) including
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC Issues $2b in Bonds for Climate-focused, Infrastructure, Women-entrepreneurship Projects in Developing Countries
The World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) recently raised USD 2 billion via a bond issue to finance projects in developing countries that are focused on mitigating climate change, developing infrastructure, increasing opportunities for women entrepreneurs, and expanding financial resources
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Developpement International Desjardins (DID): “A Roadmap for Making Inclusive Finance a Driving Force for Rural Development and Food Security”
This is a summary of a paper published by Developpement international Desjardins (DID), February 2018, 24 pages, available at: https://www.did.qc.ca/media/documents/en/positionnements/agricultural-finance-roadmap.pdf.
This report outlines a set of indicators that correlate with how easily the actors in a country’s agricultural sector – ranging from smallholder farmers to commercial producers – can access affordable and reliable services from financial institutions:
1. Producers’ Stage of Development: Financial service providers have more incentive to engage with agricultural producers if the producers have greater operational capacity and productivity, including the ability to demonstrate their ability to yield return on investment. Other qualities that make producers
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Center for Financial Inclusion, Institute of International Finance: “Accelerating Financial Inclusion with New Data;” by Ethan Loufield, Dennis Ferenzy, Tess Johnson
This is a summary of a paper published by the Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI) and the Institute of International Finance (IIF), May 2018, 30 pages, available at: http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/storage/Accelerating_Financial_Inclusion_With_Data_2018.05_Final.pdf.
This report presents the following cases of financial service providers using emerging data analysis techniques to reach underserved markets:
1.WeBank, an online Chinese bank, uses social media data to evaluate loan applicants.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC Issues $9.9m in Local-currency Bonds to Invest in Coopenae for Housing Finance in Costa Rica
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a unit of the World Bank Group, recently issued CRC 5.7 billion (USD 9.9 million) in local-currency bonds to undisclosed buyers in Costa Rica to raise funds to loan to Cooperativa Nacional de Educatores (Coopenae),
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI) Hosting “Getting Inclusion Right;” November 1, 2018; Washington, DC, USA
In recognition of its tenth anniversary, the US-based Center for Financial Inclusion will hold this event to consider how it and its partners will move forward in their work to promote the availability and usage of appropriate financial services. The agenda will include discussion of how increased access to financial services can lead to improved quality of life for customers and what sorts of risks customers need protection against
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Disburses $148m for Energy-efficiency Projects for Small, Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Argentina, El Salvador, Paraguay via UN’s Green Climate Fund
With funds drawn from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a UN-managed investment vehicle for mitigating the effects of climate change, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a member of the US-based IDB Group, recently made three loans totaling USD 140 million to finance energy-efficiency projects undertaken by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Latin America.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: CFI’s Africa Board Fellowship Accepting Applications from Microfinance Providers
The Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI), an affiliate of the US-based nonprofit Accion that promotes universal financial access, is seeking board members and CEOs of organizations that work toward financial inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa to enroll in its Africa Board Fellowship (ABF).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Canada Donating $29m for Youth, Women’s Entrepreneurship Programs in Palestine to be Run by CARE Canada, CowaterSogema International, Mercy Corps, Save the Children
The government of Canada recently announced it will fund four projects under its program titled Women and Youth Empowerment, Entrepreneurship and Employment in the West Bank & Gaza. More specifically, Global Affairs Canada, the government’s international development and diplomatic relations department,