The Canadian NGO Desjardins International Development (DID) recently disbursed USD 1.5 million from its financial inclusion fund Aequitas to 4 de Octubre, a microfinance institution (MFI) in Ecuador, to support the MFI’s
Tag: Latin America
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: DID Loaning $2m from Aequitas Fund to Faces Microfinanzas for Microfinance in Ecuador
Aequitas, a financial inclusion fund launched by Desjardins International Development (DID), recently issued a USD 2 million loan to Ecuador-based microfinance institution (MFI) Faces Microfinanzas to
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Financial Inclusion That Works for Women,” by Sam Mendelson, Published by e-MFP
This paper explores model practices in financial inclusion for women through the work of the winner and nine semi-finalists for the European Microfinance Award 2022. Mr Mendelson sorts the lessons learned into three approaches to how financial services providers (FSP) can foster women’s financial inclusion: offering
MICROFINANCE EVENT: X Conferencia Centroamericana y del Caribe de Microfinanzas; March 20-22, 2023; Antigua, Guatemala
The tenth Central American and Caribbean microfinance conference is themed “Resilience and recovery of financial inclusion in the new reality.” The first morning is a forum for showcasing new technologies. The remaining two days will cover themes such as digital transformation, gender equity,
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
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroVest Loans $4.5m to Financiera FAMA for MSMEs in Nicaragua
US-based asset manager MicroVest recently reported disbursing a loan of USD 4.5 million to Financiera FAMA, a microfinance institution (MFI) that was founded as Fundación para el Apoyo a la Microempresa. Established in 1991 and headquartered in the city of Managua, FAMA provides
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Huruma Fund Expands Impact to Mexico, Lending $15m to Mega, ProCredito for Agricultural SMEs
Spain’s Gawa Capital, manager of the public-private Huruma Fund, recently disbursed the fund’s first investments in Mexico, lending EUR 12 million (USD 12 million) to Mega and EUR 3.6 million (USD 3.6 million) to ProCredito, financial services providers whose clients include many agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Both investees are active in lending intended to minimize the effects of
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Kiva Refugee Investment Fund Lending $1.5m to FINCA Guatemala to Support Returning Migrants
FINCA Guatemala, whose name derives from that of the US-based Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA International), recently agreed to borrow USD 1.5 million over two years from the Kiva Refugee Investment Fund, which is managed by Kiva Capital, a unit of the US-based NGO Kiva. The goal is to expand lending to “Guatemalan migrants returning
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grupo Mega Nets $10m for SME Leasing in Mexico via Bond Sale to MicroVest
MicroVest, a debt-focused asset manager owned by US-based DAI Global, recently purchased USD 10 million in bonds from Mexico’s Grupo Mega to support leasing by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which can help SMEs “remain capital-light [in a way] that
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Via InsuResilience Investment Fund II, KfW Seeks to Grow Climate Microinsurance in Africa, Asia, Latin America
German development bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) recently funded the InsuResilience Investment Fund Private Equity II (IIF PE II) to invest in firms helping people in Africa, Asia and Latin America to manage climate risks. In particular, the fund targets
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Gender Lens Investing Forum and Foro Latinoamericano de Inversión de Impacto (FLII); November 7-10, 2022; Antigua, Guatemala
The Gender Lens Investing (GLI) Forum will address advancing investment from a gender perspective in order to promote equality and economic growth. The agenda will address five central areas: (1)
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Accion, BAC Credomatic, Genesis, Mastercard Move to Expand Digital Financial Inclusion as Part of Call to Action for Northern Central America
US-based payment technology firm Mastercard recently announced plans to further financial inclusion in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras through the development of digital financial services that bring “5 million people in northern Central America into the financial system and digitalize 1 million micro- and small businesses,” with a focus on woman-owned businesses. The financial services include
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: C-Quadrat Impact Asset Management (I-AM) Loans $35m in 8 Countries via Dual Return Vision Microfinance Funds
Impact Asset Management (I-AM), a unit of Austria’s C-Quadrat Investment Group, recently announced it has disbursed a total of USD 35 million to microfinance institutions in Armenia, El Salvador, Panama, Uzbekistan and four other countries. While I-AM has not released the names of the latter countries or any of the borrowers, it did announce a recent local-currency loan to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Visa, Davivienda Announce Commitments to Digitize Financial Services in Central America
Visa, a US-based financial services company, recently announced its commitment to further “digital and financial inclusion” in Central America as a response to the US government’s Call to Action for Northern Central America. Visa plans to invest USD 270 million to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Government of Belize, ICDF, IDB Seek to Create Employment, Aid Pandemic Recovery Among MSMEs, Especially Women-led Firms
The multilateral Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) and Belize’s government recently agreed to collaborate on an effort to facilitate job creation and the growth of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Belize. With a focus on female entrepreneurs, the program targets MSMEs with investments to “finance
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Banco Compartamos Borrows $50m from IDB Invest to On-lend to Micro-, Small Enterprises in Mexico, Focusing on Female-run Enterprises
IDB Invest, the private-investment member of the US-based Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, recently announced a local-currency loan totaling the equivalent of USD 50 million to Banco Compartamos, one of the seven units of Mexico-based Gentera. Compartamos provides
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MicroVest Loans $5m to Banco Delta to Boost Post-COVID Economy in Panama via Financial Access for MSMEs
MicroVest, an asset-management subsidiary of US-based Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), recently invested USD 5 million to Panama-based Banco Delta. The loan is meant to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Strategic Impact Advisors (SIA) Launches Campaign to Boost Personal, Business Financial Literacy Among Spanish-speaking Women
US-based Strategic Impact Advisors (SIA) recently released a set of free resources to deliver financial education to women in Latin America, including 22 audio lessons spanning 1 to 4 minutes in length. The lessons mainly cover topics relating to digital financial services, including using