by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: The Business Case for Education Finance #EMW2023

e-MFP logoMany families in low- and middle-income countries send their kids to low-cost private schools because the government is not meeting the need. However, many of these schools are not registered as businesses and don’t keep good records, so it is hard for them to borrow from banks to improve their facilities. Meanwhile, about one in five school-aged children – 260 million worldwide – are not in school.

Varthana is a lender in India that specializes helping schools expand. Its loans are often in the range of USD 20,000 to USD 100,000. The firm has developed a track record and so now is able to

by Hawra Moochhala -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Aflatoun, Fintech Robos to Collaborate on Financial Literacy in Middle East, North Africa

The Dutch NGO Aflatoun International and Bahrain-based financial advisory firm Fintech Robos recently agreed to collaborate on their efforts to expand financial literacy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The partners plan to promote financial education through the development of “curriculum and training materials”

by Ben Barba -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Credit Café Africa, Sterling Bank Partner on $22m in Loans for Providers of Health, Education in Nigeria 

Two Nigeria-based companies, the financial services portal Credit Café Africa and Sterling Bank, recently agreed to collaborate to distribute NGN 10 billion (USD 21.7 million) in loans to health and education facilities. The loans, which will be sized between NGN 100,000 (USD 217) and NGN 20 million (USD 43,400) are to focus on

by Saulius Ramanauskas -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Digital Finance Campaign Replication Guide,” Published by USAID

This paper describes a digital finance education campaign called “Hey Sister! Show Me the Mobile Money,” including efforts to make it easy to replicate from one geographical context to another. The program facilitates low-income women’s access to digital financial services (DFS) by addressing the challenges of

by Zach Deluca -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oikocredit, Opportunity International Commit $100m to Education Finance in Low-income Countries

Opportunity International, a US-based nonprofit providing microfinance and other services in 30 countries, and Oikocredit, a Netherlands-based impact investor, recently announced a three-year partnership valued at USD 100 million. Through increased funding of financial institutions partnered with Opportunity International’s EduFinance program, Opportunity International and Oikocredit aim to

by Harriet Ritchie -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Deetken Impact Invests in Pro Mujer Mexico – Provider of Education, Healthcare, Microfinance – Through Ilu Women’s Empowerment Fund

Canada-based asset management company Deetken Impact and US-based nonprofit women’s development organization Pro Mujer recently announced they are making an investment in Pro Mujer Mexico from the investment vehicle they co-manage, the Ilu Women’s Empowerment Fund. The parties to the transaction wish

by Divya Deshmukh -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Philippines Moving Toward New Effort to Promote Financial Inclusion, Education in Rural Areas

The Committee on Rural Development of the Philippines’ House of Representatives recently approved a bill that would implement a “financial and digital literacy program” to boost access to financial services – including

by Harriet Ritchie -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Invest in Visions (IIV) Mikrofinanzfonds Lends $12m to Bayport for Payroll Lending in Colombia

Invest In Visions Mikrofinanzfonds, a fund managed by Germany-based Invest In Visions (IIV), has disbursed a senior loan of EUR 10 million (USD 12.1 million) to Bayport Colombia, one of the nine financial services providers (FSPs) of Mauritius-based microfinance network Bayport Management Limited. Bayport Colombia is using the cash to fund

by Harriet Ritchie -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Positive Ventures of Brazil Raises $10m for Impact Fund Supporting Cleantech, Education, Fintech, Health

Positive Ventures, a Brazilian venture capital and private equity firm, recently raised USD 10 million for an impact investment fund from its limited partners, including Cândido Bracher, who previously served as Chairman of Brazil-based Itaú Unibanco; Teresa Bracher; and Luis Stuhlberger, who co-founded Brazil-based Verde Asset Management. Positive Ventures invests in companies seeking to “create an economic, social and

by Bradley Shulman -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Financial Literacy Education: Implication on the Economic and Social Life of the Teacher in Ghana,” by Juabin Matey et al, Published by International Research Journal of Multidisciplinary Scope

The authors of this paper investigated “how consumers acquire knowledge of financial numeracy and how it’s applied, especially to their economic and social lives.” Past research has shown both higher borrowing costs and over-spending to be correlated with

by Nicholas Galimberti -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI) Hosting “Getting Inclusion Right;” November 1, 2018; Washington, DC, USA

In recognition of its tenth anniversary, the US-based Center for Financial Inclusion will hold this event to consider how it and its partners will move forward in their work to promote the availability and usage of appropriate financial services. The agenda will include discussion of how increased access to financial services can lead to improved quality of life for customers and what sorts of risks customers need protection against

by Nicholas Galimberti -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Loans $45m to Bank CenterCredit of Kazakhstan, Mostly for Micro-, Small, Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Run by Women Outside Major Cities

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based multilateral institution, recently disbursed three-year loans totaling USD 45 million to Bank CenterCredit, a commercial bank in Kazakhstan.

by Nicholas Galimberti -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: CFI’s Africa Board Fellowship Accepting Applications from Microfinance Providers

The Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI), an affiliate of the US-based nonprofit Accion that promotes universal financial access, is seeking board members and CEOs of organizations that work toward financial inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa to enroll in its Africa Board Fellowship (ABF).

by Nicholas Galimberti -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Government of Sweden Gives $3m for EBRD’s Women in Business Programme for SMEs in Moldova

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based multilateral institution, recently disbursed a grant in the amount of SEK 26 million (USD 3 million) to support its Women in Business Programme in Moldova. The funds, which have been supplied by the Swedish government

by Nicholas Galimberti -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: Asian Development Bank (ADB): “Embracing the E-commerce Revolution in Asia and the Pacific”

This is a summary of a paper published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), June 2018, 101 pages, available at:
https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/430401/embracing-e-commerce-revolution.pdf.

by Nicholas Galimberti -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD, UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Training Farmer Cooperatives in Serbia

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a UK-based development bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an Italy-based organization of the UN dedicated to addressing world hunger, recently have united to support farmer cooperatives in Serbia. With assistance from the Serbian government,

by Nicholas Galimberti -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Holding Company ASA International to Trade on London Stock Exchange, Citigroup Coordinating IPO

ASA International, a microfinance holding company that owns and operates 12 microfinance institutions in Asia and Africa, is scheduled to become a Premium Listed company on the London Stock Exchange on July 13. The firm, which has offices in Bangladesh and the Netherlands, was co-founded by Md Shafiqual Haque Choudhury, the founder and President of ASA. ASA,