“Designing Disclosure Regimes for Responsible Financial Inclusion,” by Jennifer Chien; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); March 2012; 23 pages; available at:
http://www.cgap.org/gm/document-1.9.57109/FN_78.pdf
Category: Transparency
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: RBI Wants Microfinance Institution Deposit-Taking Cut From Micro Financial Sector Bill
Deputy Governor Anand Sinha of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s central banking authority, reportedly announced in a budget speech that RBI does not support allowing microfinance institutions (MFIs) to take deposits from clients.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Report: “Bosnia’s Microfinance Meltdown” Attributed to Accounting Control Fraud by Microfinance Institution (MFI) Managers
In a recent story on New Economic Perspectives, a website offering policy advice and economic analysis, William K Black comments on David Roodman’s article in the Washington Post, “Microcredit doesn’t end poverty, despite all the hype,” which was published on March 11, 2012.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bank of Ghana (BOG) Pursues Tighter Regulation, Enforcement of Microfinance Sector
The Bank of Ghana (BOG) reportedly has called on microfinance institutions (MFIs) to apply for operational licenses and operate by national bank rules.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bank of Ghana (BOG) Receives 300 Microfinance License Applications
The Bank of Ghana (BOG) reportedly has received approximately 300 applications “from firms seeking to operate under the second tier of the regulated microfinance institutions.”
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “The Challenge of Understanding Pricing of Micro-loans,” by Chuck Waterfield, Published by MicroFinance Transparency
By Chuck Waterfield, Published by MicroFinance Transparency, June 2011, 10 pages, http://www.microfinancegateway.org/gm/document-1.1.9115/The-Challenge-of-Understanding-Pricing-of-Micro-Loans_Jun2011_ENG.pdf.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Rating Agency CRISIL Upgrades Indian Microfinance Institutions Ujjivan, Equitas, Janalakshmi
The Indian rating agency Credit Rating and Information Services of India Limited (CRISIL) has upgraded the ratings of Indian microfinance institutions (MFIs) Equitas Micro Finance India Private Limited and Ujjivan Financial Services from BBB- to BBB, a level that indicates a moderate level of safety [1] [2].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), Pakistan Microfinance Network (PMN) Launch MicroEYE Information Mapping Tool
The Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), a public-private partnership, and the Pakistan Microfinance Network (PMN), a network of 20 microfinance providers in Pakistan, have launched MicroEYE, a tool that maps the competitive landscape of microfinance in Pakistan.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: As Ghanaian Microfinance Grows, Some Express Need for Lower Interest Rates, More Transparency
As the number of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Ghana has grown over the last five years, there have been mixed reviews of the impact of microfinance.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Reserve Bank of India to Issue Guidelines For Interoperability Among Business Correspondents “Shortly”
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is working to enable interoperability among business correspondents (BCs) to promote financial inclusion in rural areas [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Luxembourg Fund Labeling Agency (LuxFLAG) Awards First Microfinance Label to Azure Global Microfinance Fund, responsAbility Financial Inclusion Fund
The Luxembourg Fund Labeling Agency (LuxFLAG), an organization aiming to increase transparency for investors wishing to make responsible investments in the fields of microfinance and the environment, has recently given the LuxFLAG Microfinance Label to two Swiss microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs) for the first time: the Azure Global Microfinance Fund SICAV-SIF and responsAbility SICAV Financial Inclusion Fund.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Center for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA), Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), World Bank Launch Envia Centro America to Promote Transparency in Remittance Activity
The Center for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA in Spanish), a Mexico-based association of Latin American central banks; the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a member of the US-based Inter-American Development Bank Group; and the World Bank recently launched Envía Centro America, a free online tool that allows users to compare the cost and speed of sending remittances from the United States to seven Latin American countries, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic, as well as from Costa Rica to Nicaragua.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mexico, Indonesia, Haiti Use Tiered Savings Account Requirements to Promote Financial Inclusion
Mexico, Indonesia and Haiti are responding to the challenge of balancing financial access with security by creating tiered requirements for savings accounts.
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Global Microscope on the Microfinance Business Environment 2011
By the Economist Intelligence Unit, funded by The Multilateral Investment Fund, Corporación Andina de Fomento and the International Finance Corporation, October 2011, 72 pages, available at: http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=36453519.
This paper examines the microfinance business environments in 55 countries, comparing them across three categories: supporting institutional framework, political stability, and regulatory framework and practices. It is the fifth annual paper in the series, covering the 12-month period through June 2011. The research comprises data collected in 21 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, 11 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, seven of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, seven of East Asia, five of South Asia and four of the Middle East and North Africa.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFTransparency Releases Microfinance Pricing Data for Mozambique
On February 6, 2012, as part of its Transparent Pricing Initiative US-based NGO MFTransparency released microloan pricing data from microlenders in Mozambique.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: European Sustainable Investment Forum’s (EUROSIF’s) European SRI Transparency Code Attracts 350 Signatories
The European SRI Transparency Code, a document outlining guidelines for maintaining the transparency of socially responsible investing (SRI), has attracted approximately 350 signatories.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Credit Bureau Cambodia Launched to Facilitate Information Sharing Among Banks, Microfinance Institutions
The Association of Banks in Cambodia (ABC) and the Cambodian Microfinance Association (CMA), two trade associations with a combined membership of 64 financial institutions, have formed a joint venture with New Zealand-based credit bureau developer Veda Advantage to launch the Credit Bureau (Cambodia) Company Limited (CBC), which will maintain a database of credit information intended to help banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs) in making “accurate loan decisions based on borrower’s positive and negative credit history” [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Development Seed, Key2Flex Offer Geospatial Technology Services to Analyze Availability of Financial Services in Developing Countries
Geospatial mapping is being used to show the geographic distribution of banks, automated teller machines (ATMs) and banking agents in relation to low-income and other population groups, thus giving an indication of the accessibility of financial services to those groups.