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Jul 2007
Tanzania: Bank to Fund SMEs
July, 31 2007
Nairobi, Kenya - A microfinance operator - Access Holding AG of Germany - with the help of the bank and other investors, set up Access Bank of Tanzania to provide financial services to low income earners ...
Total Bank Loans Demand in the Middle East Is Expected to Grow
July, 30 2007
Dublin, Ireland - Research and Markets has announced the addition of Middle East Banking Sector Analysis (2007-2011) to their offering ...
Nigeria: SMEDAN, Micro-finance banks strike partnership
July, 29 2007
Lagos, Nigeria - The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Micro-Finance Banks Association of Nigeria have agreed to work together to smoothen the rough edges in the area of financing micro enterprises in Nigeria. The Agency will soon be certifying prospective beneficiaries of micro-credits ...
Research: Expanding Credit Access: Using Randomized Supply Decisions to Estimate the Impacts
July, 27 2007
United States - Expanding credit access is a key ingredient of development strategies worldwide. Microfinance practitioners, policymakers, and donors have ambitious goals for expanding access, and seek efficient methods for implementing and evaluating expansion. ...
IFC Study on the Microfinance Market in West Bank and Gaza
July, 26 2007
West Bank and Gaza - IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, today launched a microfinance market study of the West Bank and Gaza to highlight the market characteristics and critical issues that need to be addressed to promote a vibrant microfinance sector. These include outreach to clients, product development, and establishing regulations. The study will help address gaps and find ways to advance microlending. ...
Latin America: Microfinance: New turf for banks
July, 26 2007
Santiago, Chile - Microfinance in Latin America in this decade has become so solvent and shown such strong growth potential that it has shed its former image as a weak sister to banking, and blossomed as a mature colleague and even an enticing takeover target for conventional banks. ...
CGAP Announces Winners of the Pro-Poor Innovation Challenge Round IX
July, 25 2007
Washington D.C., United States - CGAP is pleased to announce the 5 winners of this year’s Pro-Poor Innovation Challenge (PPIC). ...
IFC Continues Promoting Microfinance in Mexico by Investing in New Microfinance Bank, Banco Amigo
July, 25 2007
Monterrey, Mexico - IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, today signed an agreement with Banco Amigo S.A., a newly established microfinance bank in Monterrey, Mexico. IFC will provide financing to help the bank expand its products and services to low-income entrepreneurs and women-owned small businesses. ...
IFC, FMO, and Deutsche Bank Invest in Aavishkaar Goodwell to Support Growth of Microfinance in India
July, 25 2007
New Delhi, India - IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, the Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO), and Deutsche Bank today announced their joint investment in the microfinance private equity company Aavishkaar Goodwell. This investment will support the launch of up to 60 greenfield microfinance organizations and the expansion of up to 10 fast-growing microfinance institutions across India. ...
BRAC signs remittance distribution agreement with Citi Bangladesh
July, 25 2007
Singapore - Innovative remittance distribution arrangement opens up new avenue for financial integration of micro-finance institutions ...
Microfinance growing fast in South Asia: World Bank report
July, 23 2007
New Delhi, India - Micro-Finance movement has really taken off in South Asia. According to a recent World Bank report, microfinance today meets around 15 per cent of the overall credit requirements of low-income families. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are leading the movement, while India falls under medium coverage category ...
Sri Lanka an untapped market for micro-insurance: regional experts
July, 22 2007
Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka should focus on giving insurance to the poor, regional experts in micro insurance say, with rural populations a largely untapped market ...
Microfinance Insights Issue 3 Discusses Role of Capital Markets in Microfinance
July, 20 2007
Washington D.C., United States - The third issue of Microfinance Insights explores capital market linkages in the microfinance sector. The cover story discusses the art and science of valuation of MFIs. It looks at the valuation methods and their relevance for fast growing microfinance institutions. ...
United States: GlobeFunder Closes Round of Seed Funding
July, 19 2007
United States - Equity Financing of $1.5 Million for Online Lending Engine for Small Loans ...
3rd African Microfinance Conference
July, 18 2007
Kampala, Uganda - Theme: New Options for Rural and Urban Africa ...
IFC Buys Mibanco Shares in Peru to Strengthen its Position as Major Microfinance Provider
July, 16 2007
Washington D.C., United States - IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, has acquired a 6.5% stake in Mibanco from the Peruvian Group ACP for over $6 million. With this operation, IFC seeks to strengthen Mibanco’s position in the financial markets as one of the major microfinance providers in Peru. ...
Pakistan: The Dynamics of Microfinance Expansion
July, 14 2007
Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistan with an estimated 20 million potential clients is among the largest microfinance markets in the world and a substantial portion of existing microfinance clients are located in Lahore District, reveals a latest research report. ...
Compartamos IPO: Microfinance Doing Good, or the Undoing of Microfinance?
July, 13 2007
Washington D.C., United States - On April 20, 2007, the Mexican microfinance institution (MFI) Banco Compartamos completed an initial public offering (IPO) selling 30 percent ownership of the bank. The existing investors received $450 million, valuing the entire institution at some $1.4 billion. An intense discussion, focused largely in the United States, has ensued. In this special edition of the Microcredit Summit e-News Bulletin, we have asked six leaders in the field to share their views on the IPO and its implications for the future of microfinance. Three of the commentators present positive viewpoints about the IPO and its implications and three are negative. We have also included a longer Draft Concept Note written by Richard Rosenberg of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP). ...
India: Development Credit Bank foraying into microfinance
July, 11 2007
India - India’s Development Credit Bank will be expanding their services to include microfinance, in addition to increasing its focus on the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector lending ...
Microfinance in South Asia, Towards Financial Inclusion for the Poor
July, 11 2007
Washington D.C., United States. - During the past 25 years, the microfinance movement has challenged conventional financial sector and government thinking, in the process fundamentally altering the financial landscape. Today, it provides most of the access to financial services available to low-income people in South Asia, but it is still largely a separate part of the financial system ...
Korea: Hana to set up micro-credit fund
July, 10 2007
Seoul, Korea - Hana Bank said yesterday that it will create a 30 billion won ($32.6 million) micro-credit fund to support small businesses and individual entrepreneurs as part of efforts to contribute to society ...
Microinsurance
July, 10 2007
United States - Interesting idea from Jeff Sachs on how to provide crop insurance to farmers in developing countries while avoiding some of the usual problems such as adverse selection and moral hazard: ...
India: JM Financial invests in Spandana
July, 10 2007
Mumbai, India - Private equity fund JM Financial India, co-promoted by JM Financial group and Citigroup’s Old Lane, has invested about Rs 40 crore in Hyderabad-based microfinance company Spandana, which will enable the non-banking finance company to expand its capital base and geographical reach. ...
In Poorer Nations, Cellphones Help Open Up Microfinancing
July, 09 2007
New York, United States - In many developing countries, where bank branches and A.T.M.’s are few or nonexistent in rural areas, cellphones may finally make financial services practical such places, fitting in the palm of one’s hand ...
Alternative Electronic Stock Exchange Platforms AVV to Publicize Creation of Microfinance Capital Market
July, 09 2007
United Kingdom - Software developer AESX Platforms AVV plans to announce the creation of MFDAQ, a capital trading exchange for the share capital of microfinance institutions (MFIs). ...
India: Aviva Life launches Grameen Suraksha
July, 06 2007
- Aviva Life Insurance launched ‘Grameen Suraksha’, a micro-insurance rural term insurance plan for BASIX customers. ...
Ecobank, Accion partnership to open microfinance banks in 20 African countries
July, 06 2007
Lagos, Nigeria - Africa’s regional bank, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, parent of the Ecobank Group, and Accion International, a world pioneer and leader in microfinance, have completed plans to expand microfinance in Africa ...
Vodafone and pals call for banking shakeup
July, 06 2007
- A new regulatory framework is needed to encourage financial transactions via mobile phones and transform access to financial services in developing countries ...
Oikocredit Issues Shares in Local Currencies
July, 06 2007
Amersfoort, The Netherlands - Just around the time of Oikocredit's Annual General Meeting in South Africa, we passed the mark of financing 600 project partners worldwide with over EUR300 million. To be able to continue the upward trend in project financing, Oikocredit is constantly looking for new strategies to attract investors. ...
Microfinance Misses Its Mark
July, 04 2007
Stanford, United States - Despite the hoopla over microfinance, it doesn’t cure poverty. But stable jobs do. If societies are serious about helping the poorest of the poor, they should stop investing in microfinance and start supporting large, labor-intensive industries. At the same time, governments must hold up their end of the deal, for market-based solutions will never be enough ...
India: Microinsurance Conference 2007
July, 04 2007
Germany - From 13 to 15 November 2007, the Microinsurance Conference 2007 will take place in Mumbai, India. This event is the third international Microinsurance Conference and jointly hosted by the CGAP [Consultative Group to Assist the Poor] Working Group on Microinsurance and the Munich Re Foundation with the support of the IRDA ...
India: Nabard to launch NBFC for microcredit
July, 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) ...
Targeting the microcredit space, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) is launching a non-banking financial company (NBFC).
July, 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) ...
Hive of microfinance activity attracts serious attention
July, 02 2007
United Kingdom - Investment banks and institutional fund managers are being persuaded to take microfinance institutions seriously as they show better returns than some other emerging market investment vehicles and prove their stability in the face of external shocks ...

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