MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Base of Pyramid Asia (BOPA) Buys 33% Equity Stake in Alliance for Microfinance in Myanmar (AMFIM)

For an undisclosed price, Base of Pyramid Asia (BOPA), a Singapore-based equity investor in small microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Asia, recently purchased a 33-percent stake in the Alliance for Microfinance in Myanmar (AMFIM), a deposit-taking MFI that was launched in Myanmar in 2014.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Myanmar Investments International Announces Joint Venture with Microfinance Institution (MFI) Myanmar Finance

Myanmar Investments Limited (MIL), a subsidiary of British Virgin Islands-based investment company Myanmar Investments International Limited (MIIL), recently entered into a conditional joint venture agreement with Myanmar Finance Company Limited (MFC), a Myanmar-based microfinance institution (MFI), to create Myanmar Finance International Limited (MFIL), which will be based in Myanmar and provide microfinance services in the country.

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Myanmar: Demand, Supply, Policy and Regulation;” by Doubell Chamberlain et al; published by the Centre for Financial Regulation & Inclusion (CENFRI)

“Myanmar: Demand, Supply, Policy and Regulation;” by Doubell Chamberlain, Hennie Bester, Herman Smit, Christiaan Loots, Shirley Mburu, Ahmed Dermish, Lara Gidvani and David Saunders; published as a Making Access Possible (MAP) Study Synthesis Note by the Centre for Financial Regulation & Inclusion (CENFRI); 2014; 41 pages; available at     http://cenfri.org/documents/MAP/2014/MAP%20Myanmar%20Synthesis%20Note.pdf

This document covers an assessment of the retail financial services market in Myanmar as performed by the Making Access Possible (MAP) program, which was developed by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to support global financial inclusion.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: South Korean Hana Bank Establishes Microfinance Institution (MFI) in Myanmar

Hana Bank, a Seoul-based commercial bank that is the primary banking subsidiary of South Korean Hana Financial Group, reportedly has announced the establishment of Hana Microfinance, a microfinance institution (MFI) in Myanmar.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Transfers Microfinance Portfolio in Myanmar to Pact Global Microfinance Fund

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), whose goal is to work toward the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals, reportedly has transferred the portion of its microfinance portfolio that is disbursed in Myanmar to the US-based Pact Global Microfinance Fund (PGMF), which disburses microcredit and offers business training in Myanmar’s rural regions.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Supervisory Committee of Myanmar Caps Microloans at $509, Interest Rates at 2.5% per Month

The Microfinance Supervisory Committee (MSC), the microfinance regulatory body in Myanmar, reportedly set a limit of MMK 500,000 (USD 509) for loans issued by microfinance institutions (MFIs).

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Acleda Bank Plans to Open 12 New Branches in Myanmar, 4 in Laos

Alceda Bank, a microfinance bank based in Cambodia, reportedly plans to expand its operations in Myanmar and in Laos. By the end of 2014, it intends to increase its network of branches from six to 18 in Myanmar and from 41 to 45 branches in Laos.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Myanmar Mobile Money, Mobilemate Telecommunications Launch Mobile Money Services in Myanmar

Myanmar Mobile Money, a Myanmar-based subsidiary of France-based Oberthur Technologies, recently partnered with Mobilemate Telecommunications, a Singapore-based company, to launch mobile money services in Myanmar.

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Magenta Global to Host “5th Annual Mobile Payments & E-Commerce Emerging Markets/Asia Pacific 2014 Summit,” February 13-14, 2014, Yangon, Myanmar

Event Name: 5th Annual Mobile Payments & E-Commerce Emerging Markets/Asia Pacific 2014 Summit

Event Date: February 13 – February 14, 2014

Event Location: Inya Lake Hotel, Yangon, Myanmar

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bagan Capital’s BC Finance Launches Microfinance Services in Myanmar

BC Finance, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-based private equity and advisory group Bagan Capital, recently launched its microfinance operations in Myanmar with the start of lending services in Bago, a region near the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw [1].

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Aeon Financial Service Company Limited Launches Consumer Credit Services Subsidiary Aeon Microfinance (Myanmar) Company

Aeon Financial Service Company Limited (Aeon), a Japanese-based credit and financial services provider, recently announced that it has launched Aeon Microfinance (Myanmar) Company, a consumer credit services subsidiary based in the Myanmar State of Yangon.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Myanmar Licences First Private Insurers

The Myanmar government reportedly has granted operating licenses to five insurance companies in line with its financial reform policy. International Kanbawza Insurance, a subsidiary of Kanbawza Bank (KBZ) is the first insurance company to have started operation in the city of Yangon, providing both standard insurance and microinsurance[1].

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Microfinance in Myanmar Sector Assessment”; by Eric Duflos, Paul Luchtenburg, Li Ren and Li Yan Chen; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), International Finance Corporation

By Eric Duflos, Paul Luchtenburg, Li Ren and Li Yan Chen, published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) and International Finance Corporation, January 2013, 43 pages, available at:  http://www1.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/d87bf8804e5aba9bad7dadfce4951bf6/Microfinance+in+Myanmar+Sector+Assessment-Final.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

This joint CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) report reviews the current state of Myanmar’s microfinance sector and the challenges involved with its future development.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Finance Corporation Paying $2m for Stake in Arm of Cambodia’s ACLEDA Bank Being Established in Myanmar

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-investment arm of the World Bank Group, has agreed to disburse USD 2 million to ACLEDA Bank, a Cambodia-based commercial bank, to set up a microfinance institution (MFI) in Myanmar.

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ACLEDA Bank of Cambodia to Launch Microfinance Operations in Myanmar in January 2013

In Myanmar, which recently lifted restrictions barring wholly foreign-owned direct investments, ACLEDA Bank Public Limited Company (PLC), a Cambodian commercial bank specializing in microfinance, plans to launch microfinance operations by January 2013.