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Impact Investors Earn More Than Good Karma
November, 28 2011
Santa Monica, US - The majority of small, social enterprises aimed at doing good in the developing world are profitable, according to a new report by the Global Impact Investing Network. This is impressive given the size and the scope of the GIIN survey, which looked at financial data from nearly 2,400 organizations across the globe. The organizations are mission-driven businesses receiving or seeking impact investment capital.
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Rwanda: Savings and Credit Co-operatives to Offer Loans, Take Deposits
November, 27 2011
Nairobi, Kenya - Rwanda has turned to grassroots savings mobilisation schemes to increase access to financial services. The National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) has licensed 355 of the 416 savings and credit co-operatives (Saccos) operating across the country to offer loans in addition to collecting deposits
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Nepal: Microfinance Institutions Double in Five Years
November, 27 2011
Kathmandu, Nepal - People's access to finance increases‚ MFIs lack funds. The number of microfinance institutions has witnessed almost double growth in the last five years as the wholesale lending by banks provide easy source for funds. Despite the wholesale lending from banks and financial institutions, the microfinance institutions often suffer from lack of funds.
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India: With Bastion in Andhra Pradesh Crumbling, MFIs Turn to Other States
November, 24 2011
New Delhi, India - While south India has been the bastion of MFIs, the north is still a tough terrain. But with the microfinance business coming to a standstill in Andhra Pradesh, their primary market, following the enactment of the MFI Act, the MFIs have begun focusing on northern states
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What the 1 Percent (of Capital Markets) Could Do for Impact Investing
November, 23 2011
Washington, US - Anthony Bugg-Levine and Jed Emerson in their new book Impact Investing: Transforming How We Make Money While Making a Difference discuss how opening just one percent of these assets for impact investing would create "a capital pool four times larger than all current annual official donor flows and almost three times greater than the total of U.S. annual charitable giving.
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Elisabeth Ryhne: Making Consumer Protection a Reality in Microfinance
November, 23 2011
New York, US - Judging from last year's lobbying by the financial sector to block the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, one would think banks are just plain anti-consumer protection regulation, almost by reflex. That's why it is so encouraging to see the global microfinance industry embrace a campaign to promote strong consumer protection
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Giving Value to Migrants' Savings
November, 22 2011
Mumbai, India - In 2010, the World Bank estimated formal money transfers to developing countries at US$ 325 billion. Given the sums involved, there is a need to identify an appropriate strategy to truly leverage these flows, to improve the standards of living for migrants and their families, as well as for their countries of origin.
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India: Lessons from the Commercial Micro-Finance Model in India
November, 21 2011
Mumbai, India - Fresh perspectives and radical (systemic) changes are required for developing an enabling micro-finance regulatory and supervisory mechanism that can really work on the ground for the benefit of large numbers of low income people
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African Banks Waking Up to The Needs of SMEs and The Unbanked
November, 18 2011
Cape Town, South Africa - A recent McKinsey study noted that just 20% of the population of Africa had access to banking services (including South Africa). In Zambia, for example, an estimated 25% of the population has access to a bank whilst in Benin there are just 2.89 commercial bank branches for every 100,000 adults. The comparable ratio in Germany is 18 and for Brazil 14
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Singapore’s First Microloan Scheme Taking Off
November, 17 2011
Singapore - Singapore will soon see its first microloan scheme – to help low-income and unemployed Singaporeans venture into business. DBS Bank will help set it up with $5 million seed funding from the Tote Board.Supported by the Tote Board, SE Hub was set up in March this year to invest in and incubate social enterprises.
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Visa Launches Prepaid Product for Developing Countries
November, 17 2011
Johannesburg, South Africa - Visa has announced a significant step to bringing access to secure financial services and electronic payments to consumers in developing countries by introducing a new product serving the needs of unbanked and under-banked consumers. MTN plans to offer it to Mobile Money customers across its markets
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Microfinance Struggles with UK Growing Pains
November, 14 2011
London, United Kingdom - Microfinance - lending small amounts to poor individuals in the developing world - has been proclaimed as a worthy cause but has struggled to make an impact with big UK investors.However, despite the concept coming under attack, its proponents have not given up trying. Pension funds in the Netherlands, the US and Switzerland have committed capital to the idea, and worldwide the amount invested has grown from $705m to $4.7bn in the past five years.
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India: MFIs May be Allowed to Access Public Money
November, 13 2011
Mumbai, India - Indian microfinance institutions may soon be allowed to collect small deposits, or thrifts, from borrowers once the new national regulation on the crisis-gripped sector comes into play
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Triple Jump with Desjardins in Africa
November, 09 2011
Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Triple Jump established a long-term partnership with Développement international Desjardins (DID) by signing agreements for three equity investments this week. DID is part of theDesjardins Group, Canada's leading cooperative financial group.
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Colombia is Expanding Financial Inclusion
November, 09 2011
Plant City, FL, US - Through its Banca de las Oportunidades program, the Colombian government has invited World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) to replicate its Semilla Cooperativa [cooperative seed] rural outreach model to expand financial inclusion in some of Colombia's most marginalized areas.
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A First Look at How 300 MFIs Measure Up on Client Protection
November, 08 2011
Washington DC - The Smart Campaign today published an unprecedented compilation of third-party assessments of client protection at microfinance institutions. “Implementing Client Protection in Microfinance: The State of the Practice, 2011,” is a first look at how the microfinance industry is doing when it comes to client protection. The short answer is: It’s doing pretty well
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Deutsche Bank Launches £10m Social Investment Fund
November, 07 2011
London, UK - Colin Grassie, CEO of Deutsche Bank UK, said: ‘Deutsche Bank will help to create a new asset class that we hope will attract a wide range of investors and deliver a significant amount of money to social enterprises
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India: SKS Microfinance Reports Rs 384 Crore Loss in Q2
November, 07 2011
New Delhi, India - Country's only listed microfinance institution SKS Microfinance on Monday reported a net loss of Rs 384 crore (77 million USD) for the second quarter ended on September 30, 2011, on account of lower income and higher provisioning
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Yemen: The Microfinance Sector, a Case Study of Al-Amal Microfinance Bank
November, 03 2011
Washington DC, USA - In Yemen, the microfinance sector in 2010 has made significant progress, with the number of active clients increasing by 100% in one year to reach over 60,000 projects, serving approximately 300,000 citizens. MFIs, including Al-Amal Bank, welcomed this progress, and drew up plans for 2011, in order to reach even more active clients
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Will EU Development Agenda Deliver on Inclusive Growth?
November, 02 2011
Brussels, Belgium - The EU's new strategy for the developing world should be good news for the microfinance sector as is fosters the kind of sustainable growth that the EU is looking for, writes Christoph Pausch, executive secretary of the European Microfinance Platform
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Geoff Moore of TBC Capital on the Potential of Impact Investing
November, 02 2011
New York, US - Why not explore how the levers of capital markets can revolutionize how we address social and environmental issues? My professional and personal experiences lead me to have absolutely no doubt that there are truly great investment opportunities to be found, and that double and triple bottom line investing is both achievable and highly necessary in today’s world
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Nigeria Tops Africa’s Unbanked Chart
November, 02 2011
Lagos, Nigeria - Nigeria has the highest number of unbanked people in Africa, a survey has shown. In a report jointly released by the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) and MasterCard Foundation, over 80 million Nigerians do not have access to financial services
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