The Indian unit of UK-based commercial financial institution Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) recently notified MicroCapital that it has disbursed a loan of INR 370 million (USD 5.8 million) to Sonata Finance Private Limited, an Indian microfinance institution (MFI) that serves India’s northern states.
Category: South Asia, East Asia and Pacific
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: 9Fbank Raises $110m in Equity to Boost Mobile Finance in China
9Fbank.com, a Chinese online financial services company, recently raised capital totaling USD 110 million, of which USD 90 million was from newly issued shares [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Accion, Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), Triodos to Acquire Myanmar’s Dawn Microfinance for $7m
Accion, a US-based microfinance NGO; Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Dutch public-private partnership that aims to promote growth in developing economies; and Triodos Investment Management, a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Triodos Bank, have announced plans to invest a total of USD 6.85 million in Dawn Microfinance, a Myanmar-based microfinance institution (MFI).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Grants Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) Status to Indian Microfinance Network Sa-Dhan
Sa-Dhan, a microfinance network in India with 251 member organizations, reportedly has been granted status as a self-regulatory organization (SRO) by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central banking authority.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Standard Chartered Bank Loans $14m to Indian Microfinance Institution (MFI) SKS
The Indian unit of UK-based Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) recently notified MicroCapital that it has disbursed a loan of INR 900 million (USD 14 million) to SKS Microfinance, a for-profit Indian microfinance institution (MFI).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Acumen, Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, Unilever Partner to Support Smallholder Farmers through Enhanced Livelihoods Investment Initiative (ELII) in Africa, South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean
The US-based non-profit venture fund Acumen, along with the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, an initiative of US-based Clinton Foundation, and the British-Dutch multinational consumer goods company Unilever recently partnered to launch a three-year, minimum USD 10 million Enhanced Livelihoods Investment Initiative (ELII) that aims to boost the economic development of approximately 300,000 smallholder farmers in Africa, South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC) to Provide Consulting Services to An Binh Joint Stock Commercial Bank (ABBANK) to Finance Small, Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), an arm of the US-based World Bank Group, recently announced that it has signed a “project services agreement” with An Binh Joint Stock Commercial Bank (ABBANK), a Vietnamese commercial bank.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to Loan $20m to India-based Caspian Impact Investment (CII)
Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a government-backed development finance institution based in the US capital of Washington, DC, recently agreed to loan USD 20 million to Caspian Impact Investments (CII), a fund launched in 2013 by Indian investment management and advisory services company Caspian Advisors Private Ltd.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Standard Chartered Bank of India Loans $5m to Indonesian Microfinance Institution (MFI) Mitra Bisnis Keluarga (MBK) Ventura
The Indian unit of UK-based commercial financial institution Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) recently notified MicroCapital that it has disbursed a loan of IDR 60 billion (USD 5 million) to Mitra Bisnis Keluarga (MBK) Ventura, a non-banking microfinance institution (MFI) founded in Indonesia in 2003. Additional information regarding the terms of the loan is not available.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Laku Pandai Branchless Banking to Launch in Indonesia via Bank Central Asia, Bank Mandiri, Bank Rakyat Indonesia and Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional
Four Indonesian financial institutions, Bank Central Asia (BCA), Bank Mandiri, Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) and Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional (BTPN), are collaborating with Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (OJK), an arm of the Indonesian government that regulates financial institutions, to launch a branchless banking program known as Laku Pandai.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional (BTPN) of Indonesia Borrows $300m from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), International Finance Corporation (IFC) for Microenterprise Lending
The International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), a Tokyo-based subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, recently provided a loan of USD 300 million to Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional (BTPN), a commercial bank in Indonesia.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Base of Pyramid Asia (BOPA) Buys 33% Equity Stake in Alliance for Microfinance in Myanmar (AMFIM)
For an undisclosed price, Base of Pyramid Asia (BOPA), a Singapore-based equity investor in small microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Asia, recently purchased a 33-percent stake in the Alliance for Microfinance in Myanmar (AMFIM), a deposit-taking MFI that was launched in Myanmar in 2014.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: India’s West Bengal State Offers MSMEs $8k via Unsecured “Micro Business Credit Cards,” Funded by $32m from State Bank of India
The government of the Indian state of West Bengal recently secured INR 2 billion (USD 32 million) from the government-owned State Bank of India to fund “Micro Business Credit Cards” for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises.
MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Maize Insurance in Burkina Faso, Risks to Microfinance in Pakistan, Claims Analysis in Health Microinsurance
“Loan Protection for Maize Farmers in Burkina Faso;” by Barbara Magnoni and Danielle Sobol; published by The MicroInsurance Centre; 2014; 13 pages; available at http://www.microinsurancecentre.org/resources/documents/milk-brief-35-doing-the-math-loan-protection-for-maize-farmers-in-burkina-faso/download.html
This paper presents the findings of a study focusing on the impact of droughts, specifically the costs to maize farmers in Burkina Faso.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC) Acquires 19.9% Equity Stake in Cambodian Microfinance Institution Amret for $15m
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), member of the World Bank Group, recently acquired a 19.9-percent share of Amret, a microfinance institution in Cambodia, at a price of USD 15 million [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) Increases Presence in Cameroon, Indonesia with $22m Equity Investment in Bank Mayora, Advisory Agreement with Advans Cameroun
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group focused on private sector development, recently made an equity investment of USD 22 million in Indonesia-based Bank Mayora to support its services for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Triple Bottom Line Investing Presents “TBLI Conference Asia 2015;” April 29-30, 2015; Singapore
Event Name: TBLI Conference Asia 2015
Event Date: April 29-30, 2015
Event Location: INSEAD Asia Campus, Singapore
Cost: The standard cost to attend is SGD 795 (USD 716), with discounts offered to investors, NGO representatives and students, as well as to all attendees who register by April 3, 2015.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: $53k Giordano Dell’Amore Microfinance Best Practices International Award Applications Due April 19, 2015
Fondazione Giordano Dell’Amore, an Italian foundation that supports microfinance, has announced that it is accepting applications for its 2015 Giordano Dell’Amore Microfinance Best Practices International Award, which aims to increase the understanding of microfinance and promote the sharing of good practices among industry players.