by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Positioning MFIs to Access Climate Finance – An Interview with Kwashie Agbitor of Accion

A seat next to Kwashie Agbitor (pictured below) was one of the most highly sought-after spots at SAM 2023 in Togo in October. Mr Agbitor has 20 years of experience in Africa and Asia, improving branch oper­ations, credit appraisals, risk management, methodology auditing, prod­uct development, client protection and social performance management.

At SAM 2023, Mr Agbitor moderated a discussion titled “Climate funds, an opportunity for financial in­stitutions to scale up sustainable and inclusive financing.” The panelists rep­resented the Tunisian microfinance insti­tution (MFI) Enda Tamweel, the Belgian im­pact investment firm Incofin, the Ken­yan microlender Juhudi Kilimo and the French impact investor Solidarité Inter­nationale pour le Développement et l’Investissement (SIDI).

Bob Summers: How can financial services providers (FSPs) work with climate funds to expand their green lending portfolios?
Kwashie Agbitor: There are numerous opportunities for financial institutions to build their green portfolios with climate funds. Financial institutions can leverage equity, debt and quasi-equity sources of funding from various types of organiza­tions. Climate funds can be used to devel­op and deploy financial services that support the adoption of green products/solutions and help people recover from climate-re­lated shocks. Given their nature, most climate funders also pro­vide technical support/assistance in addition to funding.

BS: What factors influence whether a climate fund would invest in a particular MFI?
KA: Firstly, the MFI and the investor must

by Elva Montelongo -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bankingly, Woodcore Partner to Help FSPs in Africa to Offer Digital Financial Services

Bankingly, a Uruguay-based company that helps smaller financial services providers (FSPs) implement digital financial services, and Woodcore, a provider of core banking software with offices in Nigeria and the US, recently partnered on an effort to help microfinance institutions and other FSPs in Africa to add

by Elva Montelongo -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oxus Kyrgyzstan Borrowing $1.6m from Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation for Microfinance Lending

Oxus Kyrgyzstan, one of three microfinance institution (MFI) affiliates of the France-based Oxus Development Network, recently borrowed local currency approximately equivalent to USD 1.6 million from Grameen Credit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, which has offices in France and Luxembourg. Like its partner MFIs in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, Oxus Kyrgyzstan seeks to

by Elva Montelongo -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation Loans $760k to Microfinance Institution Oxus Tajikistan

Grameen Credit Agricole (GCA) Foundation, which has offices in France and Luxembourg, recently lent Oxus Tajikistan, one of three microfinance institution (MFI) affiliates of the France-based Oxus Development Network, local currency approximately equivalent to USD 760,000. The purpose is to

by Elva Montelongo -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Reefy Microfinance Borrows $6.5m from EBRD for Youth-led MSMEs in Egypt

Reefy Microfinance Enterprise Services, an Egypt-based microfinance institution (MFI), recently agreed to accept a loan of EGP 200 million (USD 6.5 million) from the UK-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The loan is part of EBRD’s

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Determinants of Choice of Credit Source Among Clients of Microfinance Systems in the Upper West Region of Ghana,” by Paul Bata Domanban et al

The authors of this article examined which groups of people in northwestern Ghana were more and less likely to borrow money from microfinance institutions (MFIs). The authors conducted

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Microfinance in India: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities;” by Mohammad Abu Saleh, Zubair Ahmad

Based on a review of existing literature on microfinance in India, the authors of this study seek to: (1) analyze the size and growth of the domestic microfinance market; (2)

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Financial Inclusion in Niger: Challenges and Opportunities,” by Yoro Diallo et al, Published by IMF

This paper examines the inclusivity of financial services in Niger. The data examined indicate that Niger is behind other countries in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) in terms of access to financial services. Only 14 percent of the adult population of Niger accesses and uses formal financial services, such as those offered by commercial banks, e-money service providers and microfinance institutions (MFIs). The WAEMU country closest to Niger in terms of this metric is Mali, in which 55

by Renata Samadova -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: BIM Borrows $20m from IDB Invest for Locfund Next to Support Lenders to MSMEs in Latin America, Caribbean

Locfund Next, a debt fund managed by Bolivia-based BIM Asset Management, recently accepted a 6-year loan of USD 20 million from IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group. The loan is intended to help funders of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to expand their outreach to

by Vaughn Rajah -

MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “The Impact of Microfinance Institutions on Poverty Alleviation,” by Collin Chikwira et al, Published by Journal of Risk and Financial Management

The authors of this report reviewed evidence of the effects of microfinance institutions (MFIs) on poverty in developing economies. Although a number of

by Nithin Naren -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 18th Annual Global Microfinance Forum; March 16-17, 2023; Prague, Czech Republic

In the context of lingering pandemic-induced caution among investors, this event promises to cover a variety of topics relevant to microfinance investors, practitioners and other stakeholders. In addition to addressing “how MFIs [microfinance institutions] adapt to and run in the new reality [and] complications for micro clients,” sessions will cover

by Nithin Naren -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Committee in Bangladesh Considering Cutting Microcredit Interest Rate Cap Below 24%

The Bangladeshi government recently convened a committee to “analyze cost of the MFIs’ [microfinance institutions’] services and to determine if there is any scope to reduce the charges” with a nationwide cap. The committee, which includes 11 representatives of government, industry and observers, is headed by

by Benjamin Greissman -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: SIDI, Alterfin Announce First Close of FEFISOL II Fund at $23m to Support Rural Microfinance, Smallholder Farmers in Africa

France-based investment firm Solidarité Internationale pour le Développement et l’Investissement (SIDI) and Belgium-based cooperative Alterfin recently announced a new investment vehicle, Fonds Européen de Financement Solidaire (FEFISOL) II, whose first close includes investments totaling EUR 22 million (USD 23 million). The goal of the new fund is to

by Hasnat Aslam -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: JSIL Initiates JS Microfinance Sector Fund to Lend to MFIs in Pakistan

Pakistan-based JS Investments Limited (JSIL) recently launched the JS Microfinance Sector Fund (JSMFSF) with the goal of providing “the opportunity to tap into the growth potential of Pakistan’s microfinance sector” resulting in “a reasonable rate of return while maintaining high liquidity.” The fund carries a minimum investment of

by Arin Atluri -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Dual Return Vision Microfinance Funds Loan $16m to MFIs in Armenia, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Panama, Tajikistan

C-Quadrat Impact Asset Management (IAM), a member of the Austria-based C-Quadrat Investment Group, recently announced that it loaned a total equivalent to USD 16 million to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Bolivia, Armenia, Costa Rica, Panama and Tajikistan from its

by Harriet Ritchie -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: In India, MFIs, State Government Agree on Assam Microfinance Relief, Incentive Scheme for Women Borrowers Struggling with COVID-19 Impacts

The government of the Indian state of Assam recently announced it has reached an agreement with 38 microfinance institutions (MFIs), many of which are members of the self-regulating Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), to launch the Assam Microfinance Incentive and Relief Scheme (AMFIRS). For those who have been late repaying their microloans, the “relief under the scheme shall be extended to…

by Teo Lin-Bianco -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Incofin Loans $2m to Bina Artha for Microfinance, Small Business Loans for Rural Women in Indonesia

Recently, Belgium-based Incofin Investment Management (IM) lent USD 2 million from its Incofin CVSO fund to Bina Artha, a microfinance institution (MFI) in Indonesia. Incofin IM acknowledges that