France-based BNP Paribas informed MicroCapital that today it disbursed a loan of INR 350 million (USD 4.9 million) to Fusion Microfinance, which offers microloans in amounts from INR 3,000 (USD 42) to INR 60,000 (USD 840) with terms of five months to
Category: Key Players
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BRAC Founder, Microfinance Leader Sir Fazle Hasan Abed Passes Away in Bangladesh
Fazle Hasan Abed, the founder and a former Chairperson of BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee), the Bangladesh-based NGO dedicated to
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “A Tale of Two Sisters: Microfinance Institutions and PAYGo Solar;” by Waldron, Sotiriou, Winiecki; published by CGAP
By Daniel Waldron, Alexander Sotiriou and Jacob Winiecki; published by CGAP (the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); November 2019; 24 pages; available at https://www.cgap.org/sites/default/files/publications/2019_11_Focus_Note_Paygo_Two_Sisters_2.pdf
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the popularity of acquiring access to solar products in pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) formats is growing. This report assesses options available to microfinance institutions (MFIs) to engage with this market, which is largely dominated by new financial technology (fintech) companies. Devices that use PAYGo technology can be enabled and disabled remotely based on the payments their users make to the financiers of the devices.
The report primarily draws on
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: From Nepal: “Improving Operational Efficiency of MFIs through Tablet Banking,” published by Louis Berger Group
Published by Louis Berger Group, November 2019, 9 pages, available at https://sakchyam.com.np/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Improving-Operational-Efficiency-of-MFIs-through-Tablet-Banking.pdf
The authors argue that “tablet banking” can reduce the operational costs of microfinance institutions (MFIs) while improving the quality of customer service. Through the Sakchyam Access to Finance Program, approximately 2,300 tablets were provided to 10 MFIs in Nepal for use by staff in a total of 486 branches. Based on observations of this rollout, the authors identify three partially overlapping questions
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Rethinking Climate Finance,” published by BlueOrchard
Rethinking Climate Finance; by Maria Teresa Zappia, Veronika Giusti Keller and Stefano Battiston; published by BlueOrchard; 34 pages; available at http://www.blueorchard.com/wp-content/uploads/BlueOrchard-Academy-study_Rethinking-Climate-Finance-1.pdf
In this report, the authors argue for the increased use of “climate finance” to address climate-change risks. Climate finance refers to “financial investments directed toward mitigating climate-change effects
SPECIAL REPORT: MFR Launching Atlas Platform to Unify Data on Financial Performance, Social Performance, Pricing, Client Protection: a Preview at European Microfinance Week
Today, on 
the opening day of European Microfinance Week in Luxembourg, Lucia Spaggiari and Aldo Moauro of MicroFinanza Rating (MFR) described Atlas, a platform for collecting and analyzing data on microfinance. Atlas offers data on financial performance, social performance, pricing and client protection. The data sources include a range of data types from MFR, as well as pricing data from the now-closed NGO MicroFinance Transparency. These cover about 550 financial services providers (FSPs), including microbanks, financial technology (fintech) lenders, and
SPECIAL REPORT: In 1 Day, Over 500 Meetings Between Microfinance Institutions, Funders at SAM Investors’ Fair
In 
a series of “speed-dating” sessions, 120 microfinance institutions (MFIs) and 24 investors met a total of over 500 times to find out whether they might be good matches for one another. This was during the five-day SAM conference that closed October 25 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The MFIs represented 24 countries. About half were for-profit firms, while about half were organized as cooperatives or NGOs.
Altemius Millinga, the Managing Director of Tanzania’s Yetu Microfinance Bank, tells MicroCapital that the Investors’ Fair “was the best part of SAM because
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Microfinance Barometer 2019,” Published by Convergences
Published by Convergences in partnership with the Advans Group, BNP Paribas, the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) and the Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation; October 2019; 16 pages; available at http://www.convergences.org/en/104906-2/
This tenth edition of the “Microfinance Barometer” offers insights into the microfinance sector garnered through interviews, case studies and a review of data from the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX). The publication explores trends in the sector over
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Information Exchange to Discontinue MIX Market, Focus on Financial Technology (Fintech), Agricultural Finance
The US-based nonprofit Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) recently announced that it will focus exclusively on “catalytic data initiatives” in financial technology (fintech), digital finance and agricultural finance. The NGO will stop adding to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Azerbaijan Implements Movable Collateral Registry, Credit Bureau with Technical Assistance from IFC, Funding from SECO
The government of Azerbaijan, with technical assistance from the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), has instituted a series of regulatory reforms to improve financial infrastructure in the country. The Azerbaijan Financial Advisory Services program, which was
MICROFINANCE EVENT: European Microfinance Week; November 20-22, 2019; Luxembourg
This event opens with a day of meetings on various topics, including the Human Capacity Development Action Group and the Green Inclusive & Climate Smart Finance Action Group. The following two days include sessions such as “Strengthening Resilience to Climate Change Through Financial Inclusion,” “Protecting the Working Poor in the 21st Century Through Responsible Finance” and “Responsible
MICROFINANCE EVENT: SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance / African Microfinance Week); October 21 – 25, 2019; Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
The fourth SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance) includes five full days of trainings, conference sessions, an investors’ fair, an innovators’ village and research presentations, all on the theme “Pathways Towards Impact: African Inclusive Finance for the Sustainable Development Goals.” The training presenters are ADA, Amarante Consulting, Arendt, Banca Etica, BNP Paribas, BRS, Caritas Africa, Food and Agriculture Organization, Graine, Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, the Microinsurance Network, MicroSave Consulting, Pamiga,
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Analysis of the Strategy of Microfinance for Financial Inclusion of Refugees,” published by the European Microfinance Network
By Amna Malik, Halil Orhan, Halil Fatih Akgul, Altay Elçin; published by the European Microfinance Network; July 2019; 7 pages; available at https://www.european-microfinance.org/sites/default/files/document/file/6_Analysis%20of%20the%20Strategy%20of%20Microfinance%20for%20Financial%20Inclusion%20of%20Refugees.pdf
Turkey is host to an estimated 4 million refugees, more than are living in any other country. This paper assesses “the feasibility of microfinance as an appropriate strategy for the financial
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: G7 Nations Raise $2.5b for 2X Challenge for Women Entrepreneurs
The Group of Seven (G7) large economies recently announced that they have mobilized a total of USD 2.47 billion in “gender-smart” investments as part of the 2X Challenge, which was initiated in 2018 by the US government’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). The goal of the 2X Challenge is to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Goldman Sachs Launches Sustainable Finance Group to Offer Advisory Services on Impact Investing
US-based investment bank Goldman, Sachs and Company recently announced the formation of an internal Sustainable Finance Group to provide clients with support on investing, financing, risk management and asset management as they relate to solving community and environmental challenges. John Goldstein, a co-founder of US-based sustainable investing firm Imprint Capital, which Goldman Sachs recently acquired, will
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Sa-Dhan National Conference; September 16-17, 2019; New Delhi, India
The 20th annual iteration of this event offers sessions such as “Insurance: the Missing Link in Financial Inclusion;” “Augmenting Good Governance and Promoting Respectable Finance;” “Integrating Digital Finance, Strengthening Cybersecurity;” and “Microfinance and Clean Energy: Untapped Opportunity.” Speakers represent organizations including the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Schroders Buying Controlling Stake in Microfinance Investor BlueOrchard
Schroders, a UK-based asset manager with GBP 444 billion (USD 538 billion) in assets under management, recently agreed to acquire a majority holding in BlueOrchard Finance, a Switzerland-based firm with USD 3.5 billion in
MICROFINANCE EVENT: 9th Annual Uniglobal Central Asian and Caucasus Microfinance Forum; October 3 – 4, 2019; Tbilisi, Georgia
This conference will focus on “transparency, regulations, transformation of [the] microfinance industry, social reporting standards, investment, risk and asset management, and innovation” in the Central and Western Asia. Sessions will cover topics including