Gemeinschaftsbank für Leihen und Schenken (GLS), a German bank that focuses on investing in socially responsible and ecological projects, recently invested EUR 13 million (USD 14.5 million) in Sanad Fund for MSME (Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise), a Luxembourg-based public-private partnership that provides debt and equity financing in the Middle East and North Africa.
Category: Trends/Challenges
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Green for Growth Fund Southeast Europe (GGF) Signs $2.2m Senior Loan Facility with ICS Total Leasing & Finance of Moldova
The Green for Growth Fund Southeast Europe (GGF), a Germany-based fund that invests in energy efficiency and renewable energy, recently announced that it has agreed to disburse a senior loan of EUR 2 million (USD 2.2 million) to ICS Total Leasing & Finance S.A. (TLF), a Moldova-based non-banking financial institution.
MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: MFI Client Satisfaction and Consumer Protection in Peru; Mobile Microfinance Users Predicted to Triple by 2020; Mobilizing Savings Through Agency Banking
“Voice of the Client: An analysis of client satisfaction and consumer protection across four microfinance institutions in Peru,” by J. Foelster, A. Pierantozzi, M. Pistelli; published by the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) in collaboration with Hivos People Unlimited; February 2016; 31 pages; available at: http://www.themix.org/sites/default/files/Voice%20of%20the%20Client%20Peru_0.pdf
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.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship; April 13-15, 2016; Oxford, United Kingdom
Event Name: The Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship
Event Dates: April 13-15, 2016
Event Location: The University of Oxford’s Said Business School; Oxford, United Kingdom
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: CAF Development Bank of Latin America to Promote Billetera Movil (BIM) of Asociacion de Bancos del Peru (ASBANC)
CAF Development Bank of Latin America, a Venezuela-based multilateral financial institution formerly known as the Corporacion Andina de Fomento, recently announced that it will support the Asociacion de Bancos del Peru (ASBANC) Financial Studies Center, a Peruvian-based trade organization with 23 members, by promoting its Billetera Móvil (BIM) digital payment system through financial education and other services.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: 4th Africa Financial Services Investment Conference (AFSIC); May 4-6, 2016; London, United Kingdom
Event Name: 4th Africa Financial Services Investment Conference (AFSIC)
Event Dates: May 4-6, 2016
Event Location: The Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel; London, United Kingdom
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: SimbaPay Enables Remittances to Kenya, Nigeria from 5 Additional European Countries
SimbaPay, a UK-based digital money transfer service, recently announced it is expanding its money transfer service to France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: GSMA Launching “Connected Women Commitment” to Extend Mobile Money, Internet Usage Among Women
The GSM Association (GSMA), a coordinating group for telecoms operating under the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard, recently announced that it and its members are launching the “Connected Women Commitment” with the goal of lessening the “mobile gender gap” [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Stellar, Oradian Set Up Payment Transfer Network Among Rural Nigerian Microfinance Institutions
Stellar, a US-based nonprofit technology provider, and Oradian, a Croatia-based software developer serving financial organizations in West Africa, are setting up a “payment transfer network” to connect rural Nigerian microfinance institutions (MFIs).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Mobile Phone Service Provider Tigo Tanzania Launching Tigo Nivushe Microlending Product
Tigo Tanzania, a brand of Swedish telecom provider Millicom, recently announced the launch of a “nano-lending product” named Tigo Nivushe.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Luxembourg Fund Labeling Agency (LuxFLAG) Provides Microfinance Label to GLS Alternative Investments-Mikrofinanzfonds (GLSMIKA), Renews Labels for 14 Investment Funds
The Luxembourg Fund Labeling Agency (LuxFLAG), a Luxembourg-based nonprofit organization that certifies the operations of investment vehicles that support microfinance and environmental initiatives, recently announced it granted its Microfinance Label for the first time. The fund is promoted by German bank Gemeinschaftsbank für Leihen und Schenken (GLS).
MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Financing Necessary for SMEs to Grow; Microfinance Challenges in the Arab World; Incofin on MFIs’ Social Performance
“ADB Report: Asia SME Finance Monitor 2014;” by S. Shinozaki, T. Chaiken, S. Jain, K. Dorofev, C. T. Delos Santos and J. Bautista; published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB); September 2015; 318 pages; available at: http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/173205/asia-sme-finance-monitor2014.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) to Loan $5.5m to Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB) d.d. Sarajevo to Increase Housing Finance Access
The European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE), a Luxembourg-based microfinance investment vehicle (MIV), recently announced that it will loan EUR 5 million (USD 5.5 million) to Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB) d.d. Sarajevo, which is controlled by Slovenian finance firm NLB Group, to enable younger and lower-income households in Bosnia and Herzegovina to acquire housing.
MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Trends in International Funding for Financial Inclusion; Inclusive Finance in India; Financial Regulation for Inclusion and Development in Latin America
“Current Trends in International Funding for Financial Inclusion;” by M. Soursourian, E. Dashi and E. Dokle; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); December 2015; 4 pages; available at: http://www.cgap.org/sites/default/files/Brief-Current-Trends-in-International-Funding-Dec-2015.pdf
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) Loans $250m to Bayport Management to Boost Microfinance in Africa, Latin America
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a development finance institution backed by the US government, recently invested USD 250 million through a senior debt facility in Bayport Management Limited, Mauritius-based network of microfinance institutions (MFIs) [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) Extends Microinsurance Compliance Deadline to March 31, 2016
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), the government agency charged with overseeing the country’s insurance market, recently announced that it has extended the deadline for insurance companies to withdraw non-compliant microinsurance products from their portfolios to March 31, 2016.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: “Mifos Tech Days 2016 – Innovation for Innovators” to Examine Implementation of Open Source Microbanking Information System Mifos, March 8-11, 2016, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Event Name: Mifos Tech Days 2016 – “Innovation for Innovators”
Event Dates: March 8-11, 2016
Event Location: Volkshotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands