MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BNP Paribas Loans $9.4m to CreditAccess Grameen of India for Microfinance

BNP Paribas, a bank based in France, recently informed MicroCapital that it has disbursed a two-year loan of INR 700 million (USD 9.4 million) to CreditAccess Grameen, the Indian member of CreditAccess Asia, which operates microfinance institutions (MFIs) in India, Indonesia and the Philippines. CreditAccess Grameen, formerly known as Grameen Koota, offers group microenterprise loans of USD 1,150; individual small business loans of up to

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Invest in Visions’ IIV Mikrofinanzfonds Loans $11m to Microfinance Institution ASA International India

Mikrofinanzfonds, a fund managed by Germany’s Invest In Visions (IIV), recently loaned EUR 10 million (USD 11 million) to ASA International India, a microlending unit of ASA International. ASA India was founded in 2008 and serves

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Fusion Microfinance of India Borrows $4.9m from BNP Paribas

France-based BNP Paribas informed MicroCapital that today it disbursed a loan of INR 350 million (USD 4.9 million) to Fusion Microfinance, which offers microloans in amounts from INR 3,000 (USD 42) to INR 60,000 (USD 840) with terms of five months to

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BNP Paribas Loans $4.2m to Annapurna of India for Microfinance Lending

France-based BNP Paribas recently informed MicroCapital that it has issued a two-year loan of INR 300 million (USD 4.2 million) to Annapurna Finance Private Limited, payable in quarterly installments. Annapurna, a microfinance institution

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFIs in Africa, Asia, Latin America Borrow $42m from C-Quadrat Dual Return Vision Microfinance Fund, Including ASA International’s Institutions in Ghana, Uganda

Two microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the ASA International network, those in Ghana and Uganda, recently accepted local-currency loans from the Dual Return Vision Microfinance-Local Currency sub-fund of Austria-based C-Quadrat Asset Management. That sub-fund, together with the Dual Return Vision Microfinance sub-fund issued a total equivalent to USD 42 million during October. The other borrowing MFIs are located in Cambodia,

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: RBI Raises Caps on Microfinance Loan Size, Microborrower Income

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s central banking authority, recently raised the income limit for households to be eligible for microfinance loans from INR 100,000 (USD 1,400) to INR 125,000 (USD 1,760) in rural areas and from INR 160,000 (USD 2,250) to INR 200,000 (USD 2,800) in urban areas. RBI also increased the

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Maj Places $10.6 in Equity in BASIX Group’s Sub-K, Business Correspondent Providing Microfinance on Behalf of Banks in India

Sub-K, a unit of India’s BASIX Social Enterprise Group, recently secured an equity investment of INR 750 million (USD 10.6 million) from Maj Invest, an asset manager based in Denmark. Sub-K is a financial technology (fintech) company that acts as an intermediary between financial institutions and their individual and microenterprise customers. It delivers lending, saving and payment services by “recruiting, training and equipping local entrepreneurs as Business Correspondent agents who serve as human

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, CA-CIB Loan $6.1m to Fusion Microfinance of India

The Grameen Crédit Agricole (GCA) Foundation and the Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (CA-CIB) recently established a loan guarantee scheme in the amount of EUR 5.5 million (USD 6.1 million) on behalf of Fusion Microfinance Limited, a microfinance institution based in northern India. This agreement is part of a program to secure approximately

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Sa-Dhan National Conference; September 16-17, 2019; New Delhi, India

The 20th annual iteration of this event offers sessions such as “Insurance: the Missing Link in Financial Inclusion;” “Augmenting Good Governance and Promoting Respectable Finance;” “Integrating Digital Finance, Strengthening Cybersecurity;” and “Microfinance and Clean Energy: Untapped Opportunity.” Speakers represent organizations including the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BNP Paribas Disburses 2-year, $7m Loan to Madura Micro Finance of India

BNP Paribas, a France-based bank, recently informed MicroCapital that it has issued a loan to Madura Micro Finance of India for the first time. The bank lent INR 500 million (USD 7 million) to the Chennai-based microfinance institution (MFI), which is scheduled to repay the loan in eight

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: C-Quadrat Dual Return Vision Microfinance Fund Invests in Varthana, Funder of Educational Institutions in India

The Dual Return Vision Microfinance Fund, which is managed by C-Quadrat Asset Management (AM), recently invested an undisclosed amount of funds in Varthana, an India-based lender to “affordable” private schools, with the aim of improving educational access for children whose families have low incomes. C-Quadrat AM is a member of the Austria-based C-Quadrat Investment Group.

Varthana lends to primary and secondary schools for infrastructure, teacher training and working capital. It also offers management and educational consultancy to school owners. As of 2019, Varthana has secured and

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BNP Paribas Lends to Satin Creditcare Network of India for Microfinance

France-based bank BNP Paribas has told MicroCapital that it lent an undisclosed sum today to Satin Creditcare Network, a microfinance institution (MFI) in India, to support the growth of its microcredit portfolio. Satin Creditcare serves 3.5 million customers in 18 states with a loan portfolio of approximately INR 62 billion (USD 900 million).

Established in 1990, Satin Creditcare is based in Delhi and lends to households as well as micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises. Its mission is to “provide financial assistance to a large number of households which are excluded from the ambit of mainstream financial service providers so as to enhance their livelihood and promote a productive environment.” While Satin Creditcare does not accept deposits, it operates

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: Accion Venture Lab Exits from, Maj Invest Buys Equity in Microfinance Institution Aye of India

Accion Venture Lab, the “seed stage investment arm” of US-based NGO Accion, recently sold part of its stake in Aye Finance, an Indian non-banking financial company – microfinance institution (NBFC-MFI). Meanwhile, Maj Invest Group, a Danish asset management company, bought a stake in Aye Finance through its Financial

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: C-Quadrat’s Dual Return Vision Microfinance Fund Lends in 11 Countries, Including for Women in Bolivia, Farmers in China

C-Quadrat Asset Management, a unit of Austria-based C-Quadrat Investment, recently informed MicroCapital that it disbursed loans to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in 11 countries during December 2018. The identities of the MFIs and the amount each borrowed remain confidential.

One of the MFIs is a Bolivian NGO providing health and financial services to women via 70 urban and rural locations. The MFI offers loans, financial education, health education and testing for cervical

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO Buys $30m in Bonds from Satin Creditcare, Supporting Microfinance Institution’s Expansion in Rural India

Indian microfinance institution (MFI) Satin Creditcare Network recently raised USD 30 million through a bond sale to Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO), a development bank controlled by the Dutch government,