This 
report offers a review of prior findings on trends and best practices in “digital agriculture” services provided by mobile network operators (MNOs) and dedicated agricultural technology (agritech) companies. Digital agriculture can include a range of online tools for facilitating the usage of various types of information at any point along
Search Results for: covid
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Let’s Eat Bai (LEB), RAFI Micro-finance Boost Access for Food Retailers to Online Sales, Deliveries to Aid in COVID-19 Adjustment
A unit of Philippines-based Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Incorporated (RAFI), RAFI Micro-finance Incorporated (RMF), recently began a partnership with Let’s Eat Bai (LEB), an online delivery and advertising service in the Philippine city of Cebu. RMF has linked the Facebook group it has developed for its clients, Tindahan Ni Nanay (TNN), with LEB to provide
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Kicks Off $15m Program to Promote MSMEs in Belize with Eye to Climate, COVID-19 and Women
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a US-based multilateral institution, recently loaned USD 15 million to Belize to provide “production-oriented capital” to 200 micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The funding is intended to assist MSMEs, particularly those led by women, in
SPECIAL REPORT: “Financial Inclusion Compass 2021” Reveals a Sector Grappling with the Consequences of COVID-19 – and Trying to Look Beyond It
In
2018, e-MFP launched the first Financial Inclusion Compass, a new annual publication series to collate sector opinions on emerging short-, medium- and long-term trends in the financial inclusion sector. e-MFP is delighted to now publish the English language version of the Financial Inclusion Compass 2021 – the fourth in the series.
The survey on which this paper is based was open in May 2021, with financial services providers (FSPs), investors, donors, researchers and support services providers evaluating and describing the importance of various current Trends, rating future New Areas of Focus, and providing open-comment qualitative input on the expected (and hoped-for) direction of financial inclusion progress.
The survey had two main sections: in Section 1, respondents rated from 1-10 the current importance of a list of 20 Trends and evaluated a list of 16 future New Areas of Focus to rank their highest five in terms of future significance. Optional comments on each were possible. Section 2 had three optional and open-ended questions, with a focus on the impact of the pandemic.
The Compass received 125 responses from 39 countries. A plurality of respondents were FSPs, followed by consultants/support services providers, infrastructure organisations, funders and researchers. On the main geographic focus of respondents’ work, a plurality selected Global, followed by Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Trends
Two new trends, introduced in response to the uniquely challenging context of the pandemic, took the top two spots
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BlueOrchard Raises $207m in Equity for COVID-19 Emerging and Frontier Markets MSME Support Fund – Adding IDB, Visa Foundation as Investors
BlueOrchard Impact Investment Managers, a member of the UK-based Schroders Group, recently announced it raised USD 207 million in the second close of its COVID-19 Emerging and Frontier Markets MSME Support Fund, which is intended to counter “the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic” among micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in low- and middle-income countries. The new investors in the funding round include IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “COVID-19: Crisis as an Opportunity for Urban Cash Transfers?”; by Keetie Roelen, Edward Archibald, Christina Lowe; Published by ODI
Urban areas in developing countries were especially hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic due to a range of issues including “overcrowding, poor hygiene and sanitation, and widespread informal employment.” To support urban dwellers and others, many governments across the world implemented cash-transfer programs in response to COVID-19. However, just 16 percent
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IIV Disburses $18m to Khan Bank of Mongolia, Including for On-lending to MSMEs Developing Post-COVID Business Models
Germany’s Invest in Visions (IIV), under the advice of Belgium-based Incofin Investment Management, recently lent USD 18 million to Khan Bank of Mongolia from the fund IIV Mikrofinanzfonds. The proceeds primarily are slated for on-lending to micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), especially
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EIB Lending Banca Intesa Beograd of Serbia $47m for SMEs, Mid-Caps Adjusting to COVID-19 Pandemic
Recently, the European Investment Bank (EIB), an entity of the EU, extended a credit line of EUR 40 million (USD 47 million) to Banca Intesa Beograd (BIB) in an effort to boost the Serbian economy in response to the downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds are for on-lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps to support operations, job retention and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Government of India Revises COVID-19 Guarantee Program for Bank Funding of MFIs, Seeking to Enable 2.5m Microfinance Loans
India’s Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharam, recently unveiled a set of measures intended to boost the nation’s economic recovery following its second wave of COVID-19 infections. One of these is to encourage the distribution of 2.5 million retail microloans by microfinance institutions (MFIs), funded by
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EIB Lending Jordan Kuwait Bank $119m for SMEs Adjusting to COVID-19 Pandemic
Recently, the European Investment Bank (EIB), an entity of the EU, extended a credit line of EUR 100 million (USD 119 million) to Jordan Kuwait Bank in an effort to boost the Jordanian economy in response to the downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds are to be used for
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC Approves $20m Loan to Agrofértil of Paraguay to Support Farming, Gender Equality Amid COVID-19 Downturn
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, recently agreed to loan up to USD 20 million in working capital to Agrofértil, a company that provides credit, crop insurance, agricultural inputs and “agronomic services” to farmers and farmer cooperatives in Paraguay. Through the loan, which may be renewed yearly for five years, IFC aims to support Agrofértil in its work with farmers cultivating small and medium-sized plots including by endeavoring to “promote
MICROFINANCE WRAP-UP: “Resilience: COVID-19 Crisis Through A Migration Lens;” Published by Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD)
This brief provides an overview of recent trends in migration and remittances globally. Overall, remittances to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remained relatively stable through the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, decreasing from USD 548 billion in 2019 to USD 540 billion in 2020. Many countries used “counter-cyclical fiscal policy” to stimulate their economies, which
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EIB Lending CIH Bank of Morocco $73m to Support SMEs, Mid-caps in Adjusting to COVID-19 Pandemic
The European Investment Bank (EIB), an entity of the EU, recently agreed to loan EUR 60 million (USD 73 million) to Crédit Immobilier et Hôtelier (CIH) Bank, which is controlled by the
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO Loans $10m to Bank Respublika to Support Women, Youth, Entrepreneurs Struggling with COVID-19 Pandemic in Azerbaijan
Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a Dutch public-private partnership, recently loaned the equivalent of USD 10 million in local currency as a senior term loan to Bank Respublika, a commercial institution in Azerbaijan. The funds are intended to reduce
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: RAFI Micro-finance Incorporated Expanding Branch Network in 9 Provinces in the Philippines in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
A unit of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Incorporated (RAFI) reportedly is planning to expand its branch network as part of its efforts to help microentrepreneurs in the Philippines adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic. The entity, RAFI Micro-finance Incorporated (RMF), provides loans of up to PHP 300,000 (USD 6,277) as well as
SPECIAL REPORT: Online Event; COVID-19 Surveys: Better Understanding the Impact on MFIs and Their Clients to Better Act; June 9, 2021
Two 
Luxembourg-based NGOs, ADA Microfinance and Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, along with Belgium-based Inpulse Investment Manager will present their analysis of the responses to five surveys they have conducted since 2020 regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting microfinance institutions (MFIs). This event, part of the Midi de la Microfinance series, will offer “lessons learned” from the surveys, with the goal of helping MFIs improve the ways they prepare for and react to crises. Among the speakers will be Jacques Afetor, Director of Togo-based
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Kotak Mahindra Bank Lends $5.5m to Northern Arc for Microenterprises in India Adjusting to the COVID-19 Pandemic; Partially Guaranteed by Dell, Rockefeller Foundations
Northern Arc Capital, an Indian firm that facilitates funding flows between investors and retail lenders, recently borrowed INR 400 million (USD 5.5 million) from Kotak Mahindra Bank, a commercial bank also based in India.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Georgia Seeks to Ease MSMEs’ Adjustment to COVID-19 with World Bank Funding for Fintech, Loan Guarantees, Grants
The World Bank recently approved EUR 85 million (USD 103 million) for a project called “Relief and Recovery for Micro-, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs),” which will support businesses in Georgia that have been affected negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic. The project includes funding to expand Georgia’s financial infrastructure, such as to support online banking, know-your-customer (KYC) protocols and