Byblos Bank, a Lebanese institution with operations in nine countries, has cited an unspecified report from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) as arguing that the continued growth of the microfinance sector in Lebanon is hindered by inappropriate governmental regulation and a lack of reliable data on borrowers.
Category: Middle East
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Risk Management Develops “Simple Poverty Scorecard for Jordan,” Expanding Range of “Progress Out of Poverty” Index
Microfinance Risk Management Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) recently developed a simple poverty scorecard that can be used to track the poverty level of individual households and hence the poverty rate of communities in Jordan.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Islamic Microfinance Network (IMFN) Launches in Pakistan, Will Serve Shariah Microlenders Worldwide
Islamic Microfinance Network (IMFN) has recently launched in Pakistan with the aim to provide a common platform for Islamic microfinance institutions (MFIs) around the world. Headquartered in Lahore, the network is also looking to establish regional offices in Ghana, Mauritius and the Middle East.
MICROCAPITAL EVENT: Farz Foundation Hosts First National Islamic Microfinance Conference 2011, Lahore, Pakistan, January 29, 2011
Event Name: First National Islamic Microfinance Conference 2011
Event Date: January 29, 2011
Event Location: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Lahore, Pakistan
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Increases Minimum Capital Requirement for Microfinance Banks
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has increased the minimum capital requirements for microfinance banks in Pakistan in an effort to ensure that microfinance banks have adequate financial resources to remain sound over the long term.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sanabel Receives “Microfinance Network of the Year Award” From The Small Enterprise Education and Promotion (SEEP) Network
Sanabel, a network of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Arab countries, was given the “Network of the Year Award” by the Small Enterprise Education and Promotion (SEEP) Network, an organization connecting microfinance practitioners around the world, at its recent annual conference in Arlington, Virginia, USA
MICROCAPITAL EVENT: Mobile Financial Inclusion 2011, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, February 23 – 24, 2011
Event Name: Mobile Financial Inclusion 2011
Event Date: February 23 – February 24, 2011
Event Location: Crowne Plaze Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Aims to Ensure Sustainable Development of Microfinance Industry
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the central bank of the country, recently announced a strategic plan to promote the soundness of the microfinance industry.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Operations in Lebanon Begin to Grow
As microfinance institutions in Lebanon are providing credit to more borrowers that are unserved by commercial banks, Director of Financial Operations at the Central Bank of Lebanon, Youssef Khalil, reports “microfinance is filling – modestly filling – part of this gap.”
MICROFINANCE EVENT: USAID-Tijara to Hold Inclusive Financial Services Stakeholders’ Conference 2010 in Erbil, Iraq, November 28-30, 2010
Event Name: Inclusive Financial Services Stakeholders’ Conference 2010. “Putting the Poor First: Improving the Regulatory Environment, Industry Infrastructure, and Institutional Performance for Greater Impact”
Event Date: November 28-30, 2010
Event Location: Erbil, Iraq
MICROCAPITAL EVENT: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Tijara Provincial Economic Growth Program Sponsors Inclusive Financial Services Stakeholders’ Conference 2010, Dokan – Sulamaniyah, Iraq, December 1 – 3, 2010
Event Name: Inclusive Financial Services Stakeholders’ Conference 2010
Event Date: December 1 – December 3, 2010
Event Location: Dokan-Sulamaniyah, Iraq
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Aga Khan Foundation and First Microfinance Institution (FMFI) Use Microfinance To Alleviate Drought Related Poverty in Syria
Farmers and herders in Syria are being targeted with microfinance in an effort to relieve drought-related poverty.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Floods Cause $31m in Damage to 86 Branches of Pakistan’s Microfinance Institutions
According to participants at a recent roundtable in Islamabad organized by the Pakistan Microfinance Network (PMN), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), last month’s floods in Pakistan caused PKR 2.7 billion (the equivalent of USD 31.4 million) in damage to 86 branches of the country’s microfinance institutions.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Ibdaa Microfinance Bank Launched in Syria as Part of Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development (AGFUND)
The Ibdaa Bank was recently launched in Syria with the support of the Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development (AGFUND), an initiative for alleviating poverty and unemployment.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) Releases Arabic Edition of 2009 Arab Microfinance Report
The Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), a nonprofit organization providing financial and social performance information for microfinance institutions, in association with the Sanabel network of Arab microfinance institutions and CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), an independent policy and research center housed at the World Bank Group, recently released the Arabic edition of its 2009 Arab Microfinance Analysis and Benchmarking Report.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Tijara Microfinance Institution Partner Tal’afar Economic Development Center Launches New Agricultural Loan Product in Ninawa, Iraq
The Tal’afar Economic Development Center (TEDC), a microfinance institution partner of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Tijara, an Iraq-based organization funded by USAID which promotes economic development in Iraq, has launched a new agricultural loan product in the Iraqi province of Ninawa.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Tijara’s Iraqi Youth Initiative to Provide $4.4m in Microfinance Loans, Opens First Office in Anbar
In Anbar province, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Tijara, an Iraq-based organization funded by USAID which promotes economic development in Iraq, opened its first Iraqi Youth Initiative office.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Yemen Microfinance Network (YMN) Holds Official Launch
The Yemen Microfinance Network (YMN), a new network of microfinance institutions in Yemen, recently held its official launch at the Movenpick Hotel in Yemen.