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Jun 2007
Credit-poor Madagascans rush to microfinancing
June, 28 2007
Antanarivo, Madagascar - In Madagascar's impoverished capital, the establishment of three new microcredit banks this year alone confirms the huge interest for such lending programmes from small bank-shy entrepreneurs ...
MicroVest Closes US$39 Million CLO
June, 28 2007
Bethesda, United States - MicroVest Capital Management and Lehman Brothers are pleased to announce the successful closing of MicroAccess Trust 2007 (the "Trust"), constituting the first Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLO) for MicroVest ...
Calls for ratings framework amid surge in microfinance
June, 27 2007
London, United Kingdom - Microfinance is quickly becoming a popular corner of the capital markets as more investment banks and investors see the business of providing small loans to low-income individuals in poor countries as potentially profitable as well as a powerful tool for development ...
Calls for ratings framework amid surge in microfinance
June, 27 2007
London, United Kingdom - Microfinance is quickly becoming a popular corner of the capital markets as more investment banks and investors see the business of providing small loans to low-income individuals in poor countries as potentially profitable as well as a powerful tool for development ...
World Bank approves 600 million dollar farmers' assistance package for India
June, 27 2007
New Delhi, India - The World Bank today approved one of its largest support packages to India with a 600 million dollar loan and credit designed to transform access to financial services for India's poorest farmers. ...
Nur Advisors Works On Novel Islamic Micro VC Fund
June, 27 2007
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Between wealth management and microfinance, Islamic banking has left unserved a vast swathe of small Muslim entrepreneurs who urgently need funds to develop their businesses ...
India: StanChart to up microfinance portfolio
June, 27 2007
Mumbai, India - Standard Chartered Bank is planning to scale up its microfinance business in India. The bank which has a microfinance portfolio of around Rs 60 crore is planning to increase it to around Rs 500 crore in the next 18 months. ...
Tunisian NGO compiles directory of Arab microfinance institutions
June, 22 2007
Tunis, Tunisia - The Centre for Arab Women Training and Research (CAWTAR) announced last week that it has developed an information resource that will help women lift themselves and their families out of poverty by helping them gain access to small credits ...
Brazil: IFC invests US$20mn in Fibra, grants US$30mn credit line
June, 21 2007
Washington, United States - IFC announced its first equity investment in the Brazilian banking industry and said it would buy US$20mn in new common shares in Brazilian midsize bank Fibra ...
responsAbility launches ist third microfinance product
June, 21 2007
Zurich, Switzerland - In cooperation with two German banks, Bank im Bistum Essen and Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf, responsAbility has launched its third microfinance fund. ...
World Bank OKs US$100 Million Loan To China For Use In Micro Lending
June, 20 2007
Beijing, China - The World Bank said it has approved a US$100 million loan to China to support credit flows to micro and small businesses ...
S&P: Soaring Investor Interest in Microfinance Drives Need for New Credit Tools, Reports Say
June, 19 2007
New York, United States - Underscoring the substantial growth in the microfinance industry, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, the leading provider of financial market intelligence, today announced the release of a special publication, "Microfinance: Taking Root In The Global Capital Markets." This global initiative helps pave the way for microfinance institutions (MFIs) to gain greater access to global capital markets. ...
The Landscape of Microinsurance in the World's 100 Poorest Countries.
June, 18 2007
Washington D.C., United States - The study estimates that a total of 78 million people in these countries have microinsurance cover ...
India: NHB plans to structure loans
June, 18 2007
India - The home loan market could grow faster, with the National Housing Bank (NHB) working on ways to structure products that will expand the market for housing finance to include urban slums and low-cost rural housing. ...
XacBank receives USD 5 million in loans from IFC
June, 14 2007
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - XacBank is pleased to announce that the International Financial Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private sector investment arm, on 11 June 2007 has signed an agreement with the bank to provide a 7-year USD 5 million new loan to support its growth in microfinance. The loan agreement was signed by Ganhuyag Ch. Hutagt, CEO of XacBank, and by Nina B. Shapiro, Vice President, Finance and Treasurer, International Finance Corporation (World Bank) ...
UN fund backs water projects to help rural poor in Syria and Ethiopia
June, 14 2007
Roma, Italy - The United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has announced the creation of two new programmes designed to improve irrigation for needy Ethiopian families and to overcome water shortages and create jobs in north-eastern Syria ...
Africa: UK Kicks Off Fund for African Business
June, 13 2007
Cape Town, South Africa - The 17th World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa kicked off Wednesday with the leader of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom announcing one of the first donations to a new fund aimed at supporting businesses in Afric ...
Yemen to launch banks for microfinancing SMEs
June, 13 2007
Sana’a, Yemen - While launching the fourth annual conference on microfinancing in Arab nations, known as “Sanabel,” Yemeni Prime Minister Ali Mujawar on Tuesday announced his government’s intention to establish microfinance banks in an effort to help decrease unemployment and alleviate poverty, as well as care for orphans and others with special needs ...
Kenya: Microfinance Act to be effected next month
June, 12 2007
Nairobi, Kenya - The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Wednesday said the Microfinance Act would come into effect on the 1st of July ...
CGAP note analyzes compartamos IPO
June, 12 2007
United States - CGAP has released a draft Focus Note written by Richard Rosenberg. ...
Citi To Open Microfinance Donor Fund
June, 11 2007
New York, United States - Citigroup Inc. (C) has created a new vehicle to connect wealthy philanthropists with poor entrepreneurs around the globe ...
Microfinance: Latin American Style
June, 11 2007
Spain - The research paper "Acceso a servicios financieros en Latinoamérica. Revisión comparada de prestación de servicios microfinancieros en Ecuador, Colombia y Perú" ("Access to Financial Services in Latin America: A Comparative Review of Better Practices in Microfinance Service Provision in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru") by IESE researcher Francesc Prior looks at how to resolve the lack of access to financial services in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, a factor that clearly impedes economic development in the region ...
Kenya pioneers 'mobile money transfer system' in an African first
June, 11 2007
Kikuyu, Kenya - A mobile money transfer system was recently introduced by Safaricom, Kenya’s leading mobile operator, that enables people with access to a cell phone to send and receive money. ...
India: ministry against cap on interest rates
June, 10 2007
New Delhi, India - The finance ministry has opposed any cap on interest rates for small loans under the microfinance Bill. ...
ABN AMRO overall winner of FT Sustainable Banking Award
June, 08 2007
Sweden - ABN AMRO India Emerging Markets Sustainable Bank of the Year ...
New Enterprise Targeting Arab Microfinance
June, 08 2007
Paris, France - Grameen Foundation & Abdul Latif Jameel Group today announced the launch of the first social business enterprise targeting microfinance in the arab world ...
Islamic Microfinance: development of baseline industries and making dreams come true in Yemen
June, 07 2007
Yemen - Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation AbdulKarim Al-Arhabi has announced that Yemen will establish the first “bank for the poor” under the name Bank Al-Amal – or the Hope Bank by the end of this year ...
Peru: Non-bank microfinance institutions up lending 26% in 12mths to Mar - Peru
June, 06 2007
Santiago, Chile - Peruvian non-bank microfinance institutions saw their combined loan books expand 26.4% to 5.15bn soles (US$1.68bn) at end-March compared to the same time last year, financial sector regulator SBS reported. ...
LuxFLAG launches its website
June, 06 2007
Luxembourg - At the first Annual General Meeting of the Luxembourg Fund Labeling Agency (LuxFLAG), created in July 2006 to grant a distinctive label to microfinance investment funds, the Charter Members were informed of the launch of its new website ...
The Netherlands: SNS Institutional Microfinance Fund collects record breaking amount of € 125 million
June, 06 2007
Amsterdam, The Netherlands - SNS Asset Management has closed its SNS Institutional Microfinance Fund with a record breaking commitment of € 125 million. This success has lead to the decision to reopen the fund until 1 October for a second tranche, to give more institutional investors the opportunity to participate. ...
Vietnam: Micro-finance services remain limited as demand increases
June, 06 2007
Vietnam - Although micro-finance programmes exist in most cities and provinces throughout Vietnam, they have yet to meet all the financial demands of low-income earners, according to a recent seminar in HCM City ...
Ghana: SIF commits 25 billion cedis to micro-finance
June, 05 2007
Accra, Ghana - The Social Investment Fund (SIF) has since its inception some 10 years ago disbursed a total of 25 billion cedis to micro-finance institutions for on-lending to the poor, who are engaged in income generating activities. Out of a total of 14,962 beneficiaries of the loans, 10,632 are females ...
MIX and UBmatrix Launch XBRL Solutions for Microfinance Industry
June, 05 2007
Palo Alto, United States - Industry Information Clearinghouse Standardizes on XBRL Solution for Financial Information Reporting and Exchange; With XBRL, Industry Hopes to Strengthen and Expand Microfinance Lending to the Poor ...
Grameen Foundation makes it easier to set up village phones
June, 05 2007
- The Grameen Foundation has announced a new online assistance center to help microfinance institutions (MFIs) bring the benefits of telecommunications to poor communities around the world ...
India: Temasek plans big on small loans
June, 05 2007
Mumbai, India - Small loans are big business and international investors are cashing in. Temasek, the Singapore government's investment arm is betting big on India's under banked segments through its NBFC arm "Fullerton India" ...
Can Microfinance Reduce Portfolio Volatility?
June, 05 2007
United States of America - This paper from Nicolas A. Krauss and Ingo Walter analyses microfinance's correlation with international and domestic market performance measures ...
India: Micro enterprises get 24% higher credit
June, 05 2007
Kolkata India - Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) seem to have had a better time in 2006-07 in extracting credit from institutional lenders ...
Nabard to launch NBFC for microcredit
June, 03 2007
Hyderabad, India - Targeting the microcredit space, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) is launching a non-banking financial company (NBFC) ...
Equity Bank CEO to address G8 meeting
June, 02 2007
Kenya - Equity Bank Chief Executive Officer, Mr James Mwangi, takes to the global stage once again when he addresses leaders from the Group of Eight (G8) countries in Berlin on Monday.The summit, a meeting of the eight countries that shape the world economy, runs from Monday to Friday next week. ...
Temenos Banker Award
June, 01 2007
- Temenos Group (SWX: TEMN), the provider of integrated core banking systems, today announced that it has won The Banker’s marketing technology of the year award for TEMENOS eMergeTM (eMerge), its pre-configured ‘bank in a box’, specifically designed for microfinance and emerging markets. ...

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