Fundación BBVA Microfinanzas (BBVA Microfinance Foundation), a Spanish nonprofit with operations in six western hemisphere countries, and Autoridad de la Micro, Pequeña y Mediana Empresa (AMPYME), an institution of the Republic of Panama, have signed a public-private alliance to jointly manage microfinance in Panama.
Category: Latin America & Caribbean
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Vision’s Dual Return Fund Loans $6.2m to Microfinance Institutions in Latin America, Africa, Central Asia
Absolute Portfolio Management GmbH, an Austrian investment company, has reported that the Dual Return Fund – Vision Microfinance, a sub-fund of Absolute’s Vision Microfinance, loaned the equivalent of USD 2 million to KazMicroFinance of Khazakstan and the equivalent of USD 4.2 million to unnamed microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Kyrgyzstan, Ecuador, Uruguay and Benin.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Global Partnerships, Linked Foundation, Fonkoze Support Women’s Health in Haiti
Global Partnerships (GP), a nonprofit organization that supports microfinance institutions in Latin America, recently announced that it has teamed up with Haitian microfinance institution (MFI) Fonkoze and US-based Linked Foundation on a project aimed at improving women’s health in Haiti.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance? “The Bahamas Doesn’t Really Have That Yet”
Tomas Miller of the US-based Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) was quoted recently by the Bahamian newspaper The Nassau Gaurdian as saying that, “Based on our definition of a microfinance institution, The Bahamas doesn’t really have that yet.” The interview was precipitated by the Third Caribbean Microfinance Forum, which was held recently in the Bahamas by the Caribbean Microfinance Capacity-building project, which is funded by MIF, the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank and the EU’s European Commission.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC) Mobilizes $40m to Support Peruvian Microfinance Institution Mibanco
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, has recently arranged a syndicated debt deal that will mobilize USD 40 million in long-term financing from IFC and other unnamed participants to support Peruvian microfinance financial institution Banco de la Microempresa SA (Mibanco) in increasing access to financial services for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and low-income households in Peru.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Triple Jump Makes Equity Investments For ASN-Novib Microkreditfonds in Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Tanzania, Zambia, Panama
Triple Jump, a Dutch microfinance investment manager and advisor, has made equity investments on behalf of ASN-Novib Microkreditfonds, a Dutch microfinance investment vehicle, in unnamed microfinance institutions (MFIs) based in Tanzania, Zambia and Panama.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: responsAbility Lends $4.3m to Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) Banco Solidario of Ecuador, Interactuar of Colombia
Swiss company responsAbility Social Investments AG (responsAbility) recently reported to MicroCapital that it has made loans to Latin American microfinance institutions (MFIs) Banco Solidario of Ecuador and Interactuar of Colombia.
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Microinsurance: What Do We Know? Microfinance and Microinsurance: Learnings from Market Studies in Latin America and Africa; by Sabrina Régent, Sophie Chauliac, Benoit Rigollet; Published by PlaNet Finance, PlaNet Guarantee
By Sabrina Régent, Sophie Chauliac and Benoit Rigollet; published by PlaNet Finance and PlaNet Guarantee; 2011; 119 pages; available at:
http://admin.planetfinancegroup.org/upload/medias/fr/pfgroup-market_study_microinsurance_2011.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Women’s World Banking, Microfinance Institution Asociación Dominicana para el Desarrollo de la Mujer (Banco ADOPEM) Use Television Soap Opera to Teach Savings
Women’s World Banking (WWB), a US-based microfinance network, and Asociación Dominicana para el Desarrollo de la Mujer (Banco ADOPEM), a microfinance institution (MFI) based in the Dominican Republic, recently launched a television series intended to teach women how to manage their money and build savings.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Bank Compartamos of Mexico Seeking Acquisitions in Microinsurance, Mobile Banking Arenas
Mr Fernando Alvarez Toca, chief executive officer of the Mexican microfinance bank Compartamos Banco, reportedly has said that the bank is seeking to venture into “alternative products” such as microinsurance and mobile banking during 2012 either “through acquisitions in different countries or through organic growth” [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), Nordic Development Fund (NDF) Launch $7m Green Microfinance Program in Latin America, Caribbean
The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a member of the US-based Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, has partnered with the Nordic Development Fund (NDF), a Finland-based international finance institution, to launch a USD 7 million “green microfinance” program known as Ecomicro.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: responsAbility Ventures I Invests in Healthcare Provider Por Ti, Familia of Peru
responsAbility Social Investments AG, an investment company based in Switzerland, recently announced that it is investing an undisclosed amount in private healthcare provider Por Ti, Familia (PTF) of Peru.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group’s Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) to Loan $7m to Root Capital and Microfinance Institutions FIDERPAC of Costa Rica, ASDIR of Guatemala; Announces $7m Equity Investment in CoreCo Central America I Fund; Rolls Out Psychometric Risk Assessment Tool
The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a member of the US-based Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, recently announced it will lend USD 4.9 million to US-based Root Capital, provides capital, financial education and market connections to small and growing businesses in Latin America and Africa [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Peru Tops 2011 Global Microscope Index on Microfinance Business Environment
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the business information arm of The Economist Group, has published the Global Microscope on the Microfinance Business Environment 2011.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Global Partnerships Lends $1.2m to Microfinance Institutions Pro Mujer, Café y Desarrollo of Mexico, Fundación Campo of El Salvador
Global Partnerships (GP), a US-based nonprofit organization that supports microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Latin America, recently announced that it will make loans totaling the equivalent of USD 1.2 million in three microfinance institutions (MFIs): Pro Mujer, for its Mexican operations; Café y Desarrollo of Mexico; and Fundación Campo of El Salvador [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Global Partnerships Lends $3.7m to Microfinance Institutions FINCA Ecuador, Credito con Educacion Rural (CRECER) of Bolivia, Crediflorida of Peru
Global Partnerships (GP), a US-based nonprofit organization that supports microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Latin America, recently announced that it will lend a total of USD 3.7 million to three microfinance institutions: USD 2 million to FINCA Ecuador, USD 1 million to Credito con Educacion Rural (CRECER) of Bolivia and USD 750,000 of Crediflorida of Peru [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund Lends $2.3m to Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) Coopronaranjo of Costa Rica, Fundación Amanecer of Colombia, COAC Esperanza y Progreso Del Valle of Ecuador
Swiss company responsAbility Social Investments AG (responsAbility) recently reported to MicroCapital that it has made loans to three Latin American microfinance institutions (MFIs): USD 1.5 million to Coopronaranjo of Costa Rica, USD 500,000 to Cooperativa de Ahorro y Credito Esperanza y Progreso del Valle (COAC Progreso) of Ecuador and the local currency equivalent of USD 374,000 to Fundación Amanecer of Colombia.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Triodos Invests in Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) Semilla Solidaria of Mexico; COMIXMUL of Honduras; CACMU of Ecuador; Sembrar Sartawi, IDEPRO of Bolivia
Triodos Investment Management, a Netherlands-based manager of four microfinance investment funds, recently reported to MicroCapital that it has invested an undisclosed amount of funds in five Latin American microfinance institutions (MFIs): Semilla Solidaria (SemiSol) of Mexico, Cooperativa Mixta Mujeres Unidas Limitada (COMIXMUL) of Honduras, Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito Mujeres Unidas (CACMU) of Ecuador and Institución Financiera de Desarollo (IFD) Sembrar Sartawi and Instituto para el Desarrollo de la Pequeña Unidad Productiva (IDEPRO) both of Bolivia [1].