This annual gathering promotes trade between Africa and Europe, North America and Asia. The agenda will include
Category: Women
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ADB Issues $8.5m Bond to Fund On-lending to Women, Agricultural MSMEs in Azerbaijan
The multilateral Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently raised AZN 14.5 million (USD 8.5 million) from UK-based Record Currency Management and Germany-based Capitulum Asset Management to fund inclusive finance for women and agriculture in Azerbaijan. The funding is channeled through
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Women’s World Banking Offering 5-month Leadership Program for Regulators
The Saïd Business School at the UK’s Oxford University and the US-based NGO Women’s World Banking are conducting a program from April to August 2024 intended to improve financial inclusion by boosting the leadership skills of financial regulators. Senior banking and regulatory officials of all genders are invited to attend alongside a “high-potential woman leader from their institution.” Over the course of the program, the two will develop policies that promote financial inclusion for women.
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP UP: “Women Agents for Financial Inclusion: Exploring the Benefits, Constraints and Potential Solutions,” by Emilio Hernandez et al, Published by CGAP
Based on data collected from projects in India, Ghana and Pakistan that aim to improve financial inclusion for rural women, the authors examine the interplay between gender dynamics and the employment of women as agents supplying in cash-in and cash-out (CICO) services. This includes the impact these agents can have on communities, the challenges faced by women in becoming and succeeding as agents, and possible solutions to these challenges.
While training to become CICO agents,
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Gendered Investment Differences Among Smallholder Farmers: Evidence from a Microcredit Programme in Western Kenya,” by Keiji Jindo et al
The authors of this study conducted a client-level analysis to examine differences in the investment behavior of female and male microcredit users in Kenya. The scope included
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Invest Lending $30m to Atlantic Bank in Support of MSMEs in Belize, with a Focus on Women-owned Firms
IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, recently agreed to issue Atlantic Bank Limited of Belize senior loan funds of up to USD 30 million with the aim of fostering the expansion of Atlantic Bank’s financing for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The funding package is divided
MICROFINANCE EVENT: AEMFI 25th Anniversary; November 28 – December 1, 2023; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Themed, “MFIs in a Digital Era: Financial Inclusion for Job Creation and Women Empowerment,” this event offers microfinance institutions multiple opportunities to showcase their products and how they can contribute to reducing poverty. Researchers will also present their findings, and funders and government representatives will attend to collaborate on strategies for growing the industry. The event, whose primary organizer is the 50-member Association of Ethiopian Microfinance Institutions (AEMFI), event is
SPECIAL REPORT: Leveraging Financial Inclusion to Get Food Security Back on the Increase #EMW2023
Global food security had been increasing before the COVID-19 pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. People with low incomes were becoming more able to access – both in terms of cost and distance – a range of foods such as grains and fresh produce on a year-round basis. However, during the first year of COVID-19, 47 million women fell into extreme poverty, reducing their – and their children’s – access to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Loans $21m to BMCI of Morocco as Part of Women in Business (WiB) Program
The multilateral European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) recently agreed to loan up to MAD 220 million (USD 21.5 million) to Banque Marocaine pour le Commerce et l’Industrie (BMCI) in support of the Women in Business (WiB) program, through which EBRD serves women-led micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Liberation Community Finance Expanding Branch Network, Product Lineup for Farmers, Women, Youth in Uganda
Liberation Community Finance (LCF), a microfinance institution (MFI) in Uganda, has several new initiatives:
– a partnership with Uganda’s Agricultural Business Initiative (aBi) to develop environmentally sensitive financial products for LCF’s clients who farm crops such as maize and pumpkins;
– a Women Commander model through which women who borrow in groups can earn commissions for monitoring loan repayments and recruiting additional borrowers; and
– a partnership with Uganda’s
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: OPEC Fund Lending $22m to Raiffeisen Bank for SMEs in Albania
As its first loan to a financial institution in Albania, the Austria-based OPEC Fund for International Development recently channeled EUR 20 million (USD 21.7 million) to the Albanian unit of Raiffeisen Bank to provide loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country. The scheme especially targets
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Opportunity International, UPS Foundation Announce “Unstoppable Women Initiative” to Expand Financial Services in Colombia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria
Two US-based NGOs, Opportunity International and the UPS Foundation, recently partnered to launch the Unstoppable Women Initiative to support female entrepreneurs in underserved communities in Colombia, India, Indonesia and Nigeria. The program includes training, business support and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ABI to Leverage $69m from EIB to Boost SME, Mid-cap Financing in West Africa – Focusing on Women, Youth
Atlantic Business International (ABI), a holding company owned by the Morocco-based Banque Centrale Populaire (BCP) Group, recently entered an agreement with the EU’s European Investment Bank (EIB) whereby EIB will fund half of EUR 130 million (USD 138 million) in funding to be distributed via ABI’s Banque Atlantique institutions in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. The funds are to be directed to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps with the goal of
MICROFINANCE EVENT: MEDA Convention; November 2-5, 2023; Toronto, Canada
This event offers presentations at the primary venue as well as visits to local businesses and tourist sights. Sample session
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Institution PEBCo-Bethesda of Benin Borrows $2m from Incofin via Agricultural Liquidity Fund
Incofin, a Belgium-based investor, recently disbursed a loan of EUR 2 million (USD 2.1 million) to PEBCo-Bethesda, a microfinance institution in Benin, from the Agricultural Liquidity Fund (ALF).
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Abler Nordic Sells Equity Stake in Satin Creditcare, Provider of Microfinance to Low-income Women in India
After first investing in the non-banking financial company – microfinance institution (NBFC-MFI) in 2014, the development finance institution Abler Nordic has now exited its investment in Satin Creditcare, a provider of financial services to underrepresented women in India. Among the initial goals of the partnership was to
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF23); October 11-12, 2023; Amsterdam, the Netherlands
The goal of this event is to champion the use of social enterprise as a catalyst for positive change worldwide. The topics to be discussed include: (1) The Role of Corporates in Social Enterprise Partnerships; and (2) Migration: Entrepreneurial Solutions for Better Lives and Livelihoods.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Global Development Conference on Biodiversity and Sustainable Development; October 31 – November 1, 2023; Quito, Ecuador
Sessions at this event will cover topics such as aligning government policies with environmental science; supporting female entrepreneurs; how biodiversity impacts economies; and understanding the connections among climate change, poverty, and gender inequality.