by Nathan Kiplagat -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Pan-Atlantic University’s EDC, Mastercard Foundation Launch “Transforming Nigeria Youths Program” to Create 40k Jobs for Young People, Women

The Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of Nigeria’s Pan-Atlantic University along with the Canada-based Mastercard Foundation recently launched the Transforming Nigerian Youths Program to “create a network of entrepreneurial and managerial changemakers particularly…across the micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises sector in Nigeria.” The goal is to provide 40,000 youth and women with

by Kate Finster -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bank of Abyssinia Launches 5 “Interactive” Teller Machines in Ethiopia, Allowing for Remote Account Opening, Access to Tellers via Video

Bank of Abyssinia, a financial services provider in Ethiopia, recently introduced terminals called “Interactive Teller Machines” (ITMs) that allow customers to open or close accounts, apply for loans, access tellers via video, transfer funds within Ethiopia, and withdraw and deposit cash.

by Eugene DeCosse -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC) Loans $35m in Local Currency to Bank of Georgia for Microfinance, SMEs – Including Women-owned Enterprises

The World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) recently announced it is lending GEL 100 million (USD 35 million) to the Bank of Georgia, a commercial bank owned by the UK-based Bank of Georgia Group, for on-lending to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Facility, which is cosponsored by

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Matching Rules of Thumb with Clients in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Financial Education at EMW

Today European Microfinance Platformat European Microfinance Week (EMW), Ewa Bankowska of the Microfinance Centre (MFC), a Poland-based network of approximately 100 microfinance institutions (MFIs), described her organization’s response to lackluster results from the financial education it has delivered to 200,000 people in 22 countries over 15 years.

Evidence suggests that changes in financial behavior are more likely when learners are given simple “rules of thumb,” such as putting a euro in a jar after every shopping trip. Based on this idea, MFC is developing a system to determine which rules of thumb should be suggested to which clients. The organization has drafted an online tool with 13 questions that categorize users into one of four categories. Based on the person’s category, she is given a

by Nicholas Galimberti -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Canada Donating $29m for Youth, Women’s Entrepreneurship Programs in Palestine to be Run by CARE Canada, CowaterSogema International, Mercy Corps, Save the Children

The government of Canada recently announced it will fund four projects under its program titled Women and Youth Empowerment, Entrepreneurship and Employment in the West Bank & Gaza. More specifically, Global Affairs Canada, the government’s international development and diplomatic relations department,

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROFINANCE PAPER ROUND-UP: Microfinance for Housing; Female Smallholders in Mozambique, Tanzania; Client Protection for Savings Groups That Go Digital

“Microfinance for Housing: Building New Foundations in Housing Microfinance;” by Sam Mendelson, Katarzyna Pawlak, Ewa Bankowska, Gabriela Erice and Daniel Rozas; published by the European Microfinance Platform; April 2018; 40 pages; available at http://www.e-mfp.eu/sites/default/files/resources/2018/04/European%20Dialogue%20no_12_web_0.pdf

This report presents the status, trends and potential of the housing portion of the microfinance sector, including case studies of the 10 semi-finalists for the 2017 European Microfinance Award. In addition to content specific to the eight past European Microfinance Awards, the authors outline the status of low-income housing globally and discuss why housing microfinance has been slow to develop.

To help service providers address the lack of affordable housing worldwide, they identify the following

by Meredith Steih -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Middle East Global Advisors (MEGA) to Host 2nd International Forum on Islamic Finance (IFIF), February 9-10, 2016, Khartoum, Sudan

Event Name: 2nd International Forum on Islamic Finance

Event Dates: February 9-10, 2016

Event Location: Al Salam Rotana Hotel, Khartoum, Sudan

by Meraj Husain -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation (IFC) Capitalization Fund Loans $65m to Bank of Georgia

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) Capitalization Fund, which is managed by US-based IFC Asset Management Company, has disbursed a subordinated loan facility of USD 65 million to the Bank of Georgia, a commercial bank, to expand lending operations in Georgia.

by Sarah Benali -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: First Bank of Nigeria, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) Launch Firstmonie Mobile Money Service

First Bank of Nigeria, a commercial bank based in the Nigerian state Lagos, recently launched Firstmonie Mobile Service in collaboration with Computer Warehouse Group (CWG), a Nigeria-based information technology utility provider.

by Chioma Okwudiafor -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: To Boost Usage, Mobile Money Service Providers in Nigeria Told To Focus on the Unbanked

A representative of the Nigerian arm of Accenture, a consulting firm with its headquarters in Dublin, Ireland reportedly has advised mobile money service providers in Nigeria to re-strategize their operations so as to increase patronage of their services.

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Department of Trade and Industry to Allocate $66.8m for On-Lending via MFIs, Capacity Building for MSMEs in the Philippines

The Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reportedly has released its budget proposal for 2013, which includes a PHP 2 billion (USD 47.8 million) incentive fund for microfinance institutions (MFIs) and a PHP 800 million (USD 19 million) capacity-building program for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation, MasterCard Foundation Plan $37m Effort to Improve Financial Services in Africa

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group that supports private-sector development, and MasterCard Foundation, a Canada-based foundation that focuses on microfinance end education, recently announced a USD 37.4 million partnership to increase access to financial services in Sub-Saharan Africa.

by Kristha Abores -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Tightens CAMELS, Other Requirements for Banks Offering Agricultural Microfinance Loans in the Philippines

The Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the central bank of the Philippines, recently released a circular amending the minimum requirements for banks offering micro-agri loans [1].

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microcredit, Microinsurance Client Numbers Rising in the Philippines

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the central bank of the Philippines, has reportedly announced that the number of microfinance borrowers in the nation rose from 932,622 to 963,717 between September 2010 and June 2011, and the total of outstanding loans increased from PHP 6.53 billion (USD 148 million) to PHP 7.14 billion (USD 164 million) during the same time period.

by Emilia Akonom -

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.