Oikocredit, a cooperative based in the Netherlands, recently funded a 4-year loan of EUR 9.6 million (USD 13.1 million) in favor of Guatemalan microfinance institution (MFI) Fundación Génesis Empresarial. Génesis CFO Jim López said that the loan will allow the MFI “to support more rural Guatemalans in advancing their development path and improving their quality of life” and
Search Results for: "OIKOCREDIT"
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: African Guarantee Fund to Back Additional $25m in Lending by Oikocredit to Microfinance Institutions; Small, Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs); Women-led Businesses – Including in Agriculture, Renewable Energy Sectors
Oikocredit, a cooperative investor based in the Netherlands, recently signed an agreement valued at USD 25 million with the African Guarantee Fund for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (AGF). The deal increases the parties’ 10-year loan guarantee volume to USD 43 million, allowing Oikocredit to increase its
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Lends $9m to Sidian Bank for SMEs in Kenya
Oikocredit, a cooperative investor based in the Netherlands, recently lent KES 990 million (USD 8.9 million) to Kenya’s Sidian Bank for on-lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Sidian is a commercial institution with 42 branches offering corporate services,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Providing $2.7m Loan, Technical Assistance to Fin’Elle to Support Women-owned SMEs in Côte d’Ivoire
The Netherlands-based cooperative Oikocredit recently lent EUR 2.3 million (USD 2.7 million) to Fin’Elle, a microfinance institution (MFI) that aims to empower female entrepreneurs in Côte d’Ivoire. Fin’Elle is a
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Loans $2.5m to Grace and Mercy Microfinance Institution to Support MSMEs, Women Entrepreneurs in Nigeria
Oikocredit, a Netherlands-based cooperative, recently offered a loan of USD 2.5 million to Grace and Mercy Households Improvement Initiative, a nonprofit microfinance institution in Nigeria. The loan is intended to support the expansion of
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Lends $10m to FCMB to Boost Lending to SMEs, Agricultural Enterprises in Nigeria
Netherlands-based cooperative Oikocredit recently invested USD 10 million in debt in First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited, which has operations in Nigeria and the UK. The investment will finance loans for
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Opens $1.8m Credit Line for Cavica, Cashew Cooperative in Côte d’Ivoire
Netherlands-based cooperative Oikocredit recently agreed to loan up to EUR 1.5 million (USD 1.83 million) to support Côte d’Ivoire-based Coopérative avec Conseil d’Administration de Vivriers et de Cajou (Cavica) in the procurement, sale, storage and transport of cashews. Cavica Board Chair El Hadj Konate Arouna stated,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Dominican Republic-Based Banco Caribe to Receive $2.64m, Technical Assistance from Oikocredit to Support SMEs
Netherlands-based cooperative Oikocredit recently invested DOP 150 million (USD 2.64 million) in Dominican Republic-based Banco Caribe to support the country’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with the hope that the infusion will “further [motivate] responsible investments in the region.” Additionally, Oikocredit will provide Banco Caribe with technical
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Lending up to $8.6m Along Cocoa Value Chain in Côte d’Ivoire
Netherlands-based cooperative investor Oikocredit recently opened credit lines for entities involved in the cocoa industry in Côte d’Ivoire with ceilings of: EUR 3.5 million (USD 4.3 million) for Entreprise Coopérative Kimbe (Ecookim), a union of
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Sempli of Colombia Raises $8m in Equity Round Led by Incofin, Oikocredit
Sempli, a financial technology (fintech) company based in Colombia, recently secured Series A equity totaling USD 8 million via a funding round led by Incofin CVSO, a cooperative fund managed by Belgium-based Incofin Investment Management (IM), and Netherlands-based cooperative investor Oikocredit. Established in 2017, Sempli combines in-house with
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Places $4.7m in Equity in Caravela Coffee to Support “Responsible” Trade in Latin America
Netherlands-based cooperative investor Oikocredit recently closed an investment of USD 4.7 million in UK-based coffee trader Caravela Coffee. Caravela sources its product from approximately 4,000 coffee producers in eight countries in Latin America while seeking to “ensure the price [paid to] farmers is enough to secure their commitment and investment in quality for long-term production in the face of a changing climate and to demonstrate a successful business model for the next generation.” Based on this work, Caravela earned “Best-for-the-world” recognition from B-Corp, “a worldwide movement of more than 2000 companies that meet strict
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO, Oikocredit Invest $27m in CNG Vehicle Financing Firm Acceso of Peru
The Dutch development bank, which is known by the acronym FMO, recently arranged a local-currency syndicated loan worth USD 27 million in favor of Edpyme Acceso Crediticio, a financier of personal and business vehicles in Peru. The funding, which includes the equivalent of USD 6 million from
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: CNFA, Oikocredit Partner to Support Cocoa Farmers, Cooperatives in Cote d’Ivoire with Capacity Development, Financial Access
Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), an NGO with main offices in Belgium and the US, recently partnered with Dutch cooperative Oikocredit to increase the financial access and diversity of income sources of cocoa producers in Cote d’Ivoire. The program, which is funded by the US Department of Agriculture, includes efforts to help cooperatives improve their governance and financial management; build digital financial services; and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit Buys $3.3m in Equity in Laudex, Education Lender in Mexico
The Netherlands’ Oikocredit recently paid USD 3.3 million to purchase an equity stake of unspecified size in Laudex, a lender to low- and moderate-income Mexican students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees around the world. The institution has an “online approval platform” and a “risk-based pricing model” with a maximum annual interest rate of 29.5
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Incofin Sells Equity Stake in Annapurna Microfinance of India as Asian Development Bank, Bamboo Financial Inclusion Fund, Oikocredit Buy In
Belgium-based Incofin Investment Management recently sold all of its shares in India’s Annapurna Microfinance Private Limited to a group of investors, among whom two have been identified, the Bamboo Financial Inclusion Fund, which is managed by Bamboo Capital Partners, and Dutch cooperative investor Oikocredit. In a separate transaction, the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank paid the rupee-equivalent of
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB’s Financial Innovation Lab, Oikocredit Invest $5.7m in Equity in Sempli of Colombia to Expand Fintech Services for SMEs
The multilateral Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Netherlands-based cooperative investor Oikocredit recently closed an investment of USD 5.7 million in Colombian financial technology (fintech) company Sempli to increase its services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The amount invested by each organization
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Gentera’s FiinLab, Oikocredit, Vox Capital Buy Equity Stakes in Fintech Avante, Boosting Mobile Microfinance, POS Service for Microenterprises in Brazil
Brazilian financial technology (fintech) firm Avante recently raised an undisclosed amount of funding from FiinLab, a unit of Mexico’s Gentera Group; Oikocredit, a Dutch cooperative; and Vox Capital, a Brazilian investor in education, health and financial services. The sizes of the stakes taken by each have not been disclosed. Of the three investors, only Vox
SPECIAL REPORT: How Oikocredit Leveraged SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance) to Expand Its Risk-management Program
Since 
2015, Dutch cooperative investor Oikocredit has offered a risk-management program for microfinance institutions (MFIs). Participating institutions have built action plans around efforts such as: (1) increasing their use of data from credit bureaux to reduce over-indebtedness; (2) adjusting loan officers’ workload and training to improve client service; and (3) surveying clients about product terms. When expanding the program to a new country, Oikocredit holds a workshop that is open to the entire sector to engage potential partners. From this pool of workshop attendees, those who demonstrate the greatest motivation and ability to make progress in risk management receive a package of consulting services lasting 18 to 24 months.
The program first was active in Benin, Ghana and Togo. As a result of Oikocredit’s sponsoring an event at the 2015 SAM in Dakar to increase awareness of its risk-management efforts, several institutions from other countries expressed