MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Guatemala’s Fundación Génesis Empresarial, Pakistan’s Kashf Foundation, Opportunity Bank of Uganda Named as Finalists for Education Edition of $112k European Microfinance Award

The European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP), a network of European microfinance stakeholders working in developing countries, recently announced that three finalists for the 7th European Microfinance Award have been selected from 30 applicants: (1) Fundación Génesis Empresarial of Guatemala; (2) Kashf Foundation of Pakistan; and (3) Opportunity Bank of Uganda.

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Microinsurance Network: How to Optimise Distribution in the Low-Cost Insurance Environment, September 27-28, 2016, Johannesburg, South Africa

Event Name: Regional Workshop and Field Trip in Johannesburg: How to optimise distribution in the low-cost insurance environment?

Event Date: September 27 – September 28, 2016

Event Location: The Country Club, Napier Road, Auckland Park, Johannesburg

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: 2016 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project Report; by John Villasenor, Darrell West, Robin Lewis

“The 2016 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project Report Advancing Equitable Financial Ecosystems;” by John D. Villasenor, Darrell M. West and Robin J. Lewis; published by the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution; August 2016; 146 pages;

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Toronto International Microfinance Summit to Feature Muhammad Yunus, September 29, 2016, Toronto, Canada

Event Name: Toronto International Microfinance Summit 2016, Muhammad Yunus and Social Business: What is the Opportunity for Indigenous & Underrepresented Communities?

Event Date: September 29, 2016

Event Location: Royal Canadian Military Institute, 426 University Avenue, Toronto, Canada

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroSave Launches Telephone-Based, Online ePaathshala School for Microfinance Institution Staff, Clients

MicroSave, a for-profit consulting company based in India, recently launched ePaathshala, an educational program for both staff and clients of financial institutions.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Australian Government, ANZ Bank, PFIP to Connect Solomon Islands’ Coconut Farmers to Mobile Banking

The Australian government; the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) Bank, a publicly traded commercial bank; and the Pacific Financial Inclusion Program (PFIP), a Fiji-based initiative of the United Nations that attempts to extend financial services to unbanked Pacific Islanders, recently started a program with a budget of SBD 5 million (USD 650,000) to connect rural coconut oil producers, laborers, buyers and transport operators in the Solomon Islands with digital financial services.

MICROFINANCE EVENT: European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) to Host European Microfinance Week, November 16-18, 2016, Luxembourg

Event Name: European Microfinance Week 2016

Event Date: November 16 – November 18, 2016

Event Location: Neimënster, 28 Rue Münster, L-2160 Luxembourg

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Global Symposium on Innovative Financial Inclusion, September 21-22, 2016, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Event Name: Global Symposium on Innovative Financial Inclusion: “Harnessing Innovation for Inclusive Finance”

Event Date: September 21 – September 22, 2016

Event Location: Sasana Kijang, Number 2, Jalan Dato’ Onn, 50480, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Tanzania’s National Microfinance Bank (NMB) Launches AgriBiashara to Bolster Agricultural Value Chains; Wajibu to Increase Financial Literacy, Youth Savings

The National Microfinance Bank (NMB), a microfinance institution (MFI) 51-percent owned by the government of Tanzania, recently announced the launch of two new programs: AgriBiashara, to support agricultural value chains, and Wajibu, a set of youth savings accounts formed through a partnership with Women’s World Banking, a US-based nonprofit that aims to increase access to financial services for low-income women. 

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Progress and Future Direction of Financial Inclusion, October 17, 2016, London, United Kingdom

Event Name: Progress and Future Direction of Financial Inclusion

Event Dates: October 17, 2016

Event Location: European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, London, United Kingdom

Cost: This event is free of charge.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Netherlands’ FMO Appoints Jürgen Rigterink as CEO

Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Dutch development bank, recently announced that Jürgen Rigterink will take over as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as of October 2016, pending approval by the Dutch central bank.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Philippine Government Institutionalizes Steering Committee to Oversee National Strategy for Financial Inclusion

The Philippine government recently issued an executive order institutionalizing a Financial Inclusion Steering Committee (FISC) to oversee implementation of the country’s National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI), which was launched in July 2015 to “raise awareness, appreciation and understanding of financial inclusion and enable coordination among various stakeholders.”

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Sa-Dhan Association to Host National Conference, September 14-15, 2016, New Delhi, India

Event Name: Sa-Dhan National Conference 2016: “Financial Inclusion on Path to Sustainable Development Goals”

Event Date: September 14-15, 2016

Event Location: India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, India 110003

MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Innovations in Building Financial Capability; BBVA Microfinance Foundation Social Performance Report; Growth, Evolving Trends in Financial Inclusion in India

“A Change in Behavior: Innovations in Financial Capability”; published by the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion; April 2016; 47 pages; available at http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/fi2020/roadmap-to-inclusion/innovations-in-financial-capability

This document describes research aimed at identifying effective interventions for building the financial capability of microfinance customers, specifically as administered by three groups: financial service providers, governments and social service providers.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Asian Development Bank (ADB) Announces $50m Credit Facility to China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation for Microfinance in Rural PRC

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), a 67-member development finance institution headquartered in the Philippines, recently issued a credit facility of USD 50 million to CFPA Microfinance Management Company Limited, an investment vehicle of the NGO China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA), to support rural microfinance in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).