During April 2016, Austria’s C-Quadrat Asset Management GmbH issued loans worth the equivalent of USD 9.6 million via its two Dual Return Funds to unspecified microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Bolivia, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Paraguay and Zimbabwe. USD 2 million of this total was invested in an MFI based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which has 181 service points and provides financial services to clients in rural regions of the country. Financial information on the organization is not available.
Category: South Asia, East Asia and Pacific
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Fairassets, Owner of Indian On-line Peer-to-Peer Lender Faircent, Sells Equity Stakes to Investors Including JM Financial, Aarin Capital, M&S Partners
JM Financial Limited, a financial services firm based in India, recently announced that it has acquired, through its subsidiary, JM Financial Products Limited, a 9.84-percent equity stake in Fairassets Technologies India Proprietary Limited, a peer-to-peer (P2P) lending company.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) Connects Deposit-taking Microfinance Institutions, Banks Through FAST Transfers; Increases Capital Requirements
The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), the country’s central bank, recently announced various initiatives expected to boost Cambodia’s microfinance industry.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Alibaba’s Ant Financial Raises $4.5b from Investors Including China Life, China Post Group, China Development Bank Capital, Primavera Capital Group to Expand Services in Rural Areas
Ant Financial Services Group, an online lender affiliated with Alibaba Group Holdings Limited, a Chinese e-commerce company, recently completed a Series B equity raise of USD 4.5 billion.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC Invests $7.5m in Debt, Equity in Microfinance Institution Maha Agriculture of Myanmar
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, recently invested USD 6 million in debt and USD 1.5 million in equity in Maha Agriculture Public Company Limited, a microfinance subsidiary of Myanma Awba Group <http://www.awba-group.com/>, an agrochemical fertilizer company in Myanmar.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: India’s Janalakshmi Sells $7.5m in Securitized Microloans to Government-backed MUDRA, Arranged by IFMR Capital
IFMR Capital, an affiliate of the Chennai-based nonprofit Institute of Financial Management and Research (IFMR), recently structured the first capital market transaction for the Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Bank, an Indian public-sector financial institution that provides subsidized loans and other services to microfinance institutions (MFIs) and non-banking financial institutions (NBFCs).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: PPAF, Karandaaz, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) Establish Pakistan Microfinance Investment Company (PMIC)
The Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), a government-backed entity that supports the Pakistani microfinance industry; Karandaaz Pakistan, a Pakistan-based private sector company funded by the UK government; and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), a German development bank, recently signed a shareholders’ agreement to set up the Pakistan Microfinance Investment Company (PMIC).
MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Improving Financial Capability in India, Mexico; Mobile Money Usage; Post-Disaster, Post-Conflict Microfinance
“A Change in Behavior: Innovations in Financial Capability;” by J. Arnold, E. Rhyne; published by the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion, JPMorgan Chase & Co; April 2016; 47 pages; available at: https://centerforfinancialinclusionblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/a-change-in-behavior-final.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mountain Hazelnut Venture Limited of Bhutan Secures $12m in Equity from G20’s GAFSP, ADB, IFC
The Global Agricultural and Food Security Program (GAFSP), a multilateral mechanism established by the G20 group of 20 large economies, has approved an equity investment of USD 6 million in Mountain Hazelnut Venture Limited (Mountain Hazelnuts), a for-profit promoter of the production of hazelnuts in Bhutan.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Indian Microfinance Institution Ujjivan Goes Public, Raising $95m in Association With IPO
Ujjivan Financial Services, an Indian provider of microloans and life insurance, recently conducted its initial public offering (IPO), generating INR 3.6 billion (USD 54 million) from the sale of newly issued shares.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: BWTP, FDC, ADA, UNCDF, ADB to Co-host “Mekong Financial Inclusion Forum”, July 11-14, 2016, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Event Name: Mekong Financial Inclusion Forum
Event Dates: July 11-14, 2016
Event Location: Intercontinental Hotel, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Indian Microfinance Lender Equitas Holdings Goes Public, Raising $330m
Equitas Holdings Limited, an Indian microfinance lender, recently opened its primary market sale.
MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Financial Diaries of Small-Scale Farmers in Mozambique, Pakistan and Tanzania; Rural Finance in India; Questioning Fundamental Assumptions in Financial Inclusion
“Financial Diaries with Smallholder Families;” by J. Anderson, W. Ahmed; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); February 2016; 108 pages; available at http://www.cgap.org/publications/financial-diaries-smallholder-families
This report investigates the financial situations of 270 families in Mozambique, Pakistan and Tanzania and the challenges they faced pertaining to agriculture, finance, health and education. The authors offer the following recommendations: (1) non-commerical smallholders in Mozambique would benefit from improved agricultural production and crop storage methods; (2) Tanzanian households should diversify their savings methods; and (3) Pakistani farmers would benefit from tools that may improve their relationships with middlemen.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Telenor Pakistan Acquires Additional 49% Equity Stake in Tameer Microfinance Bank, Bringing Its Ownership to 100%
Telenor Pakistan, a subsidiary of Norway-based telecom provider Telenor Group, recently bought additional shares of the Tameer Microfinance Bank, a Pakistan-based provider of microfinance services, increasing its stake from 51 percent to 100 percent.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MetLife Foundation, Accion, Chinese Association of Microfinance (CAM) Launch Microfinance Management and Leadership Program in China
Accion, a US-based nonprofit providing microfinance services in Africa, Asia, and the Americas; the MetLife Foundation, the philanthropic arm of US-based insurance company Metlife; and the Chinese Association of Microfinance, a network of 92 microfinance institutions (MFIs) and other members, recently launched the International Microfinance Management and Leadership Program. This nine-month program comprises classroom lectures, monthly webinars and visits to microfinance institutions (MFIs) with the goal of teaching managers of Chinese MFIs how to expand the reach of their financial services.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) to Distribute Funds from Government-Backed Kredit Usaha Rakyat (KUR) Microloan Program via Rural Banking Members of Perbarindo
Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), a state-owned bank in Indonesia, recently signed an agreement with Perbarindo, an Indonesian association of rural banks, to support the government-backed microloan program Kredit Usaha Rakyat (KUR) channeling “subsidized loans” to micro- small and medium-sized enterprises.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to Invest up to $200m in Equity in LeapFrog Investments
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a development finance institution backed by the US government, recently committed to investing up to USD 200 million in equity in Leapfrog Investments, a for-profit private equity fund based in Mauritius.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO Completes $153m Syndicated Loan to Sri Lanka’s Commercial Leasing & Finance (CLC)
Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Dutch development bank, recently served as lead arranger and facility agent to finalize a USD 153 million senior secured syndicated loan for Sri Lanka’s Commercial Leasing & Finance (CLC).