This forum will cover a variety of microfinance topics in the context of shifting economic and regulatory environments. Sessions will focus on managing foreign exchange risk, corporate governance, client protection, agro-insurance and agro-finance. In advance of the event,
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Results of the Fintech Benchmarks Proof-of-Concept: Toward Data Standards for Inclusive Fintech,” Published by MIX
This is a summary of a paper published by the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), January 2020, 45 pages, available at https://www.themix.org/s/MIX_Toward-Data-Standards-for-Inclusive-Fintech_January2020.pdf
To test its Data Standards for Inclusive Fintech, MIX asks, “What can we learn about fintechs as businesses and how they address challenges of inclusion?” Based on information from 45 fintechs, the majority of which are based in Sub-Saharan Africa, this exercise produced
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Banco Central de Brasil Launching Instant Payment Platform Pix for Merchant, P2P, G2P Payments
By November 2020, Banco Central de Brasil aims to roll out an instant payment platform called Pix, which will use images known as
MEDIA OF THE MONTH: Video Summary of SAM 2019, also Known as African Microfinance Week, in Burkina Faso
This five-minute video gives you a taste of what happened when 900 participants from 50 countries met for the 2019 SAM conference in Ouagadougou.
This post is part of a monthly series from MicroCapital pointing you to great media on microfinance and other forms of impact investing. Enjoy!
MicroCapital coverage of the last three SAM conferences, including vignettes demonstrating its value to participants, appears at http://www.microcapital.org/category/semaine-africaine-de-la-microfinance-sam/.
Do you know that MicroCapital publishes the MicroCapital Monitor newspaper each month? Find out more at http://www.microcapital.org/products-page/.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: SG2020: The Future of Savings Groups; POSTPONED; Durban, South Africa
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. NEW DATES HAVE NOT BEEN ANNOUNCED. The event had been scheduled to take place March 10-12, 2020.
This conference will focus on increasing the support, sustainability and number of savings groups worldwide. The organizer defines savings groups as being “comprised of 15 to 25 self-selected individuals who save together and take small loans from those savings.” The event, which is the fifth in a series that began in 2011, includes
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Banca Transilvania Acquiring Microinvest, Microfinance Institution in Moldova
Pending government approval, Romania’s Banca Transilvania (BT) Financial Group is slated to acquire 100 percent of the equity in Microinvest, a Moldovan microfinance institution, for an undisclosed price. The MFI is being sold by a group of European and US-based entities, led by the
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Invest In Visions’ IIV Mikrofinanzfonds Refinances Alliance Myanmar with $3m Loan for Rural Microfinance
Germany-based Invest in Visions (IIV) recently disbursed a loan of USD 3 million from its fund IIV Mikrofinanzfonds to Alliance Myanmar, a microfinance institution in Myanmar. Alliance Myanmar is using the funds to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: AlphaCredit Raises $125m in Equity for Fintech Lending in Mexico, Colombia from SoftBank Innovation Fund, Other Investors
AlphaCredit, a non-banking financial technology (fintech) firm based in Mexico City, recently raised USD 125 million from a group of investors led by the SoftBank Innovation Fund, a vehicle of the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank that focuses on Latin America. AlphaCredit provides loans to individuals in Mexico and Colombia;
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Kafo Jiginew of Mali Borrowing $11m for 7 Years from EIB for Microfinance for Groups Including Farmers, Women, Artisans, Rural Entrepreneurs
Kafo Jiginew, a credit union in Mali, today agreed to accept a loan equivalent to EUR 10 million (USD 10.8 million) in local currency from the EU’s European Investment Bank (EIB). EIB will support the investment with technical assistance for Kafo Jiginew staff regarding risk management. The loan carries a term of 7 years, with a grace period of 18 months.
The funding is expected to enable 60,000
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IFC Lends $16m to BT Mic for MSEs in Romania, With a Focus on Female-owned Enterprises
The World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) recently loaned USD 16 million to BT Mic, a lender to small businesses that is controlled by Romania’s Transilvania Bank Group. The funding is intended to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: A91 Partners Buys Equity Stake in Fintech Lender Aye Finance, Completing Accion Exit
Accion Venture Lab, the seed-stage investment initiative of US-based NGO Accion, recently sold its stake in Aye Finance, an India-based lender, to A91 Partners, an Indian venture capital fund. Accion Venture Lab bought a 15-percent stake in Aye in 2015 and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD, Green Climate Fund Lend $21.6m to Crédit du Maroc for SMEs in Morocco to Improve Energy Efficiency, Value Chains
Crédit du Maroc, the local member of the France-based Crédit Agricole Group, recently gained access to loan funding of up to EUR 20 million (USD 21.6 million) from the UK-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to on-lend to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Morocco. EBRD sourced
SPECIAL REPORT: In Democratic Republic of Congo, Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) Notch Profitable Year After 2017 Losses, but Concerns Remain that SACCOs “May Disappear” from DRC
According to data from the Central Bank of Congo, the microfinance sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) includes 102 microfinance institutions (MFIs), of which 82 are savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs) and 20 are organized as for-profit firms, such as limited liability companies. These institutions
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ProCredit Bank Bulgaria Borrows $16m from European Investment Bank (EIB) to Support SMEs, 40% to Address Climate Change
The European Investment Bank, the EU’s long-term lending institution, recently lent ProCredit Bank Bulgaria, one of 13 members of Germany’s ProCredit Group, EUR 15 million (USD 16.3 million). ProCredit Bank Bulgaria will on-lend the funds to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Bulgaria, with 40 percent of the total to be directed to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bangladesh Capping Interest Rates at 9%, Observers Warn Microfinance Lending Would Become “Unviable Overnight”
As of April 1, all lending in Bangladesh is to occur at a cost of no more than 9 percent per year. The only exception is for loans via credit card. In advance of the deadline, the average lending rate for cottage, micro- and small enterprises (CMSEs) reportedly stands at 16 percent. Economist Zahid Hussain argued, “The 9 per cent interest rate cap will
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: El Salvador to Borrow $20m from IDB to Benefit 2k Micro-, Small Businesses; Including 20% Owned by Women
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a multilateral institution whose membership comprises 26 countries, recently approved a loan of USD 20 million to El Salvador to provide 2,000 micro- and small enterprises (MSEs) with “access to credit under better term[s].” Banco de Fomento Agropecuario de El Salvador (BFA),
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Central Bank of Sudan Issues Monetary Policy Promoting Financial Inclusion, Competition Among Financial Institutions; Sets $30k MSE Loan Ceiling
Governor 
Badr Ibrahim (pictured) of the Central Bank of Sudan (CBOS) recently announced a new monetary policy intended to reduce inflation, stabilize exchange rates, finance goods produced for export, strengthen financial safety nets, boost financial inclusion and increase competition among financial services providers.
Elkhidir Elamin Mohammed, the managing director of Al-Fal MSE Finance, tells MicroCapital that, “This announcement is motivating financial institutions to innovate and link their investment activities with
MICROFINANCE EVENT: ICT4D (Information Communications Technology for Development) Conference; January 12, 2021; Virtual – NEW DATES AND FORMAT
The event had been scheduled to take place in Abuja, Nigeria, from April 21-23, 2020.
This conference will bring together approximately 900 delegates to explore the use of digital innovations to adapt to global challenges, such as providing humanitarian relief and building infrastructure to increase access to technology for poor people. Specific topics