Symbiotics Investments, a Switzerland-based investor focused on smaller businesses in low- and middle- income countries, recently disbursed USD 7.5 million to Cambodia’s AMK Microfinance Institution to fund its ongoing lending for electric two- and three-wheeled vehicles as well as new products, such as
Tag: Trends/Challenges
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) Impact Forum; October 4-5, 2023; Copenhagen, Denmark
This event will address sustainable development via impact investing. The agenda offers sessions including: (1) Impact Analytics, Predictive and Optimization tools: What Does “Good” Impact Look Like?; (2) Designing the Future of
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “The Relationship Between Financial and Social Performances in Microfinance: Insights from the Provision of Agricultural Loans in Cambodia,” by Tristan Caballero-Montes
In the context of agricultural lending in Cambodia, Dr Caballero-Montes assesses the extent to which microfinance institutions (MFIs) are able to pursue both financial and social objectives. The author contends that
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: EBRD Loaning $5m to ING Finansal Kiralama for Leasing for Energy Efficiency, Renewables in Turkiye
The multilateral European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) recently agreed to provide an unsecured loan approximately equivalent to USD 5.5 million to the Türkiye-based Internationale Nederlanden Groep (ING) Finansal Kiralama, which is controlled by the Netherlands-based ING Group. Also known as ING Leasing, the company plans to use the proceeds to finance
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
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Financing the Blue Economy;” by Michael Adams et al; Published by Asian Development Bank, UNDP, UNEP
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) describes the “blue economy” as including 16 ocean-related market segments. The authors rank these segments in order of
SPECIAL REPORT: Agents for Impact – We Make Positive Impact Investable!
Founded in 2018, Agents for Impact (AFI) celebrates its fifth anniversary this year. This represents five years of continuous commitment to our mission, which is to build bridges between impact investors and financial services providers in developing markets across the world. Sustainability is central to our vision. We aim to create more investment opportunities by measuring risks (Risk), rendering impact measurable and comparable (Rating), and making sustainability and financial inclusion understandable for investors (Research).
To acknowledge our jubilee, we kick off 2023 by looking back at our achievements and bringing some of our milestones to your attention. Since its inception, AFI has provided investment advice and recommendations on around USD 285 million in impact investing transactions. So far, we have done business in 16 countries across the globe, facilitating debt financing to 32 financial institutions (including one more since the December 2022 figures shown in the graph below!) – each of which was analyzed and selected according to strict standards of sustainability, alignment with a number of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IDB Lab Accepting Applications from Entrepreneurs in Latin America, Caribbean for WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition, Partner of Google for Startups, Through March 31
WeXchange, a program of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group’s IDB Lab, recently started accepting applications from female entrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean for the WeXchange Women STEMpreneurs Competition. The competition targets women whose businesses
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Svasti of India Raises $5m via Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) Women’s Livelihood Bond Issue
India’s Svasti Microfinance recently raised USD 5 million via a bond issue by the Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), a for-profit firm in Singapore, with the goal of catalyzing income generation for low-income women. The funding is provided
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FMO Lends $10m to Latin American Agriculture Development Corporation (LAAD) to Boost Green Investment
The Dutch development bank Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) recently lent USD 10 million to the US-based Latin American Agriculture Development Corporation (LAAD), a funder of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that export agricultural products. The loan is intended to support
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
MICROFINANCE EVENT: 25th MFC Annual Conference: Thriving Together; May 24-25, 2023; Budva, Montenegro
This event is organized with the goal of addressing evolving challenges such as climate change, political instability and the “uncertain future of work.” The agenda includes sessions such as: (1) 25th Anniversary Time Travel: Lessons From the Past That Point to
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Technology for Change Asia; March 20-21, 2023; Singapore
The third iteration of this annual event will focus on how technology “can be applied to long-standing social challenges to connect with the consumer.” The event offers virtual sessions on March 20 and in-person sessions on March 21 on topics including: (1) Unlocking the Power of
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Microfinance, Over-indebtedness and Climate Adaptation: New Evidence from Rural Cambodia;” by Vincent Guermond et al; Published by Royal Holloway, University of London
The authors of this report argue that microfinance loans in Cambodia are leading to over-indebtedness amongst farmers, inhibiting their ability to adapt to climate change. The aggregate
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Arab Women Authority, National Bonds Partner on Financial Inclusion for Women in MENA
The Arab Women Authority, an NGO aimed at empowering Arab women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), recently entered into a strategic partnership with National Bonds, a UAE-based investment company owned by the government of Dubai, with the goal of enhancing women’s economic power. In particular, the entities plan
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Cerise+SPTF Updates Social Performance Indicators (SPI) Online Platform
Cerise+SPTF, the joint venture of the NGOs Comité d’Echange, de Réflexion et sur les Systèmes d’Epargne-Crédit (Cerise) of France and the US-based Social Performance Task Force (SPTF), recently launched
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bidhaa Sasa Borrows $500k from Spark+ Africa Fund for Distribution of Efficient Cookstoves in Kenya, Uganda
Bidhaa Sasa, a Kenya-based last-mile distributor of lower-emission cooking and lighting products, recently borrowed USD 500,000 from Spark+ Africa Fund, an investor in “modern energy solutions.” Bidhaa Sasa plans to use the proceeds to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Yabx Raising Equity to Expand Backoffice Fintech for Financial Inclusion in Nigeria
Verdant Capital, a Mauritius-based corporate finance firm, recently announced that it is raising equity financing for Yabx Technologies, a Netherlands-based provider of software that enables digital lending, to expand its operations in Nigeria. The company helps