by Renata Samadova -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Technology for Change Asia; March 20-21, 2023; Singapore

The third iteration of this annual event will focus on how technology “can be applied to long-standing social challenges to connect with the consumer.” The event offers virtual sessions on March 20 and in-person sessions on March 21 on topics including: (1) Unlocking the Power of

by Ben Barba -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Ebanx Acquires Payment Initiator License, Accessing Pix to Simplify E-commerce Purchases in Brazil

Ebanx, a Brazil-based payments company with operations in 15 countries, recently received authorization from the Banco Central de Brasil, Brazil’s central bank, to use the bank’s instant payments platform Pix. This follows Ebanx’s acquisition of a Payment Initiation Service Provider (PISP) license from

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Kwara of Kenya Raises $3m in Equity to Boost Technology for SACCOs, Acquires KUSCCO Software Subsidiary

Kwara, a woman-led financial technology (fintech) company serving credit unions in Kenya, the Philippines and South Africa, recently raised USD 3 million from its previous investors DOB Equity, Globivest and Willard Ahdritz plus a group of

by Renata Samadova -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Future of Fintech; TBD; Dubai, UAE – NEW DATES & LOCATION

(This event originally was scheduled to take place starting March 1 in Saudi Arabia; the new dates remain to be determined.) With a focus on “disruptive ideas from across the fintech ecosystem,” this two-day event offers online and in-person sessions including: (1) Evaluating Saudi Arabia’s FinTech [Financial Technology] Venture Activity – Key Drivers and Factors; (2) Offering Financial Flexibility to

by Saulius Ramanauskas -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Digital Finance Campaign Replication Guide,” Published by USAID

This paper describes a digital finance education campaign called “Hey Sister! Show Me the Mobile Money,” including efforts to make it easy to replicate from one geographical context to another. The program facilitates low-income women’s access to digital financial services (DFS) by addressing the challenges of

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Lulalend Raises $4.7m for SMEs in South Africa via Symbiotics Social Bond

Lulalend, a funder of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa, recently partnered with Symbiotics Investments, a Switzerland-based investor focused on smaller businesses in low- and middle- income countries, to issue bonds supplying USD 4.7 million to Lulalend. The bond issue is deemed socially responsible per the

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: CCAF-World Bank Study Finds Regulators in Africa Tops for Increasing Focus on Fintech, Cybersecurity Main Concern Worldwide

A recent survey of 128 financial regulators and supervisors worldwide found that just over half of respondents in low- and middle-income countries have been increasing their focus on financial technology (fintech) firms. The figure is about one out of three in

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: DFC to Support Mastercard Community Pass Program to Expand Access to Digital Services in Africa, India

The International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), which is backed by the US government, recently agreed to collaborate with the US-based financial technology firm Mastercard to strengthen Mastercard’s Community Pass program. Community Pass supports digital connectivity, smartphone penetration and identification systems in rural parts of India, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. DFC has agreed to invest up to USD 50 million in

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Woman-owned Fintech Owoafara Accepts Equity Investment from ShEquity to Expand Financial Inclusion via Apps, Payment Cards in Nigeria

Owoafara, a woman-owned financial inclusion firm in Nigeria, recently sold an equity stake of undisclosed size and price to ShEquity, a Mauritius-based investor in African firms owned and led by women. Owoafara’s services include payment cards, a general-purpose financial services app Fara and a peer-to-peer lending app Rouzo. Fara facilitates savings, payment, lending, insurance and pension services.

Owoafara CEO Tale Alimi noted the firm’s plans to expand in West Africa, adding, “Eighty percent of our current loan book are to

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mintoak of India Rolls Out App for HDFC Bank, Allowing Customers to Accept Electronic Payments

Mintoak, an India-based provider of payment management services for small companies, recently partnered with India’s HDFC Bank to allow the bank’s customers to accept card- and app-based payments via Mintoak’s SmartHub Vyapar app. The service targets

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Fintechs vs MFIs – a Debate at European Microfinance Week

e-MFP logoAt Thursday’s debate on “high-tech” versus “high-touch” financial services at European Microfinance Week, Dorcas Thorpe of Nigeria’s LAPO Microfinance Bank argued that customers in rural areas are more likely to access financial services via high-touch channels such as branches and agents rather than mobile money because they have – on average – lower levels of digital literacy and trust in digital financial services. Gregoire Lecomte of

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Enabling Microinsurance via Technology: RFID Tags Slash Fraud, Costs of Livestock Cover in Rwanda

e-MFP logoAt a well-attended workshop today at European Microfinance Week, Ovia Tuhairwe, the CEO of Radiant Yacu Microinsurance, described her firm’s journey to develop a viable product to insure livestock in Rwanda. On its own, a subsidy of 40 percent from the Rwandan government did not make it easy to insure cattle, pigs and chickens in the country. Before Radiant Yacu moved to its current model in 2019, fraud was rampant, and costs were high at 10 percent of

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: How to Achieve Responsible Digital Financial Services: European Microfinance Week Opens

e-MFP logoAt the opening plenary of European Microfinance Week, where over 500 attendees are gathering now in-person and online, Tidhar Wald of the UN’s Better Than Cash Alliance noted that over 1 billion more people worldwide have achieved financial inclusion over the past decade. While this has helped some to boost their livelihoods, many have accessed financial services via digital services, which carry different risks than in-person services. Data protection is an obvious example, as more client data is being digitized, and fraud is on the rise. Other risks, even though well-known to providers of in-person financial services, require different

by Renata Samadova -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Remote Coaching to Prevent Dormancy Among Low-income Savers,” by Scott Graham et al, Published by WSBI

This report addresses the phenomenon of “dormancy” in the savings accounts of new owners of financial accounts, whereby the newly established accounts go unused after initial deposits are complete. The authors describe the use of coaching – via phone calls and SMS messages – to increase