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Dec 2013
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Archives:
Nigeria: CBN Releases New Guidelines for Financial Inclusion Implementation
December, 31 2013
Nigeria - The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released new guidelines for the swift take off of the next level of implementation of the Nigerian Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS). ...
India: YES Bank Gets $150-m IFC Credit for Lending to Small Businesses
December, 23 2013
India - IFC, a member of the World Bank group, is providing a $150 million to YES Bank for lending to small businesses, especially those owned by women ...
Jobs, Not Microcredit, is the Solution to Poverty
December, 20 2013
Global - Microcredit does not help eradicate poverty; it might have some beneficial effects, but the reality is much less attractive than the promise. Creating opportunities for steady employment at reasonable wages is the best way to take people out of poverty ...
India: Utkarsh Microfinance Raises Rs 75.8 Crore Through NCDs
December, 20 2013
New Delhi, India - Uttar Pradesh-based Utkarsh Micro Finance has raised Rs 75.8 crore in debt funding from a consortium of financiers, led by Microfinance Enhancement facility, UTI International Wealth Creator 4 and AAV Sarl. ...
IFC Helps Support Micro-Enterprises in Morocco
December, 19 2013
Morocco - IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is providing a loan of up to $20 million to Attawfiq Micro-Finance, part of an effort to help micro enterprises in Morocco and drive economic development across the country. ...
India: UK's CDC Group Invests $16 Million in Chennai-based MFI Equitas
December, 19 2013
India - UK-based CDC Group has invested $16 million in Chennai-based microfinance institution Equitas, the development finance institution announced on Thursday. ...
Mexico: FINDEP Announces Acquisition of the Remaining 23% Outstanding Shares of AFI
December, 18 2013
Mexico City - Financiera Independencia, a leading microfinance lender announces that its Board of Directors has decided to exercise the Call Option agreement on the remaining 23% of the outstanding shares of Apoyo Financiero Inc ...
Belgium's Incofin Launches $200M Fund for Financing Small Farmers
December, 18 2013
Belgium - Incofin Investment Management, a Belgium-based manager of microfinance investment funds, is looking to raise $200 million for its new agRIF fund that will focus on agricultural financing, a statement said ...
Michael Drexler and Abigail Noble, World Economic Forum: Impact Investing - Putting Ideas Into Practice
December, 17 2013
Global - The World Economic Forum published its second report on impact investing, this latest is a collection of articles focused on democratizing the expertise of "how to" do impact investing ...
Rafe Mazer, CGAP: Complaints Handling - A Secret Ingredient to Financial Inclusion
December, 17 2013
Global - How easy is it for consumers to fix problems when things go wrong with their financial services ...
Microfinance’s Macro Potential
December, 17 2013
Global - Microfinance is, at its heart, an effort to provide financial services to people who are not served – or are under-served – by the formal banking system. With appropriate, accessible, and fairly priced financial services, people can build their savings, cover the costs of unexpected emergencies, and invest in their families’ health, housing, and education. ...
Miriam Bruhn, The World Bank: Mexico - Does Increased Access to Financial Services Promote Microenterprise Growth?
December, 17 2013
Mexico - Overall, our findings suggest that increased access to financial services does promote microenterprise activity and growth ...
Ghana: Banks Struggle to Mobilise Savings, as MFIs Take Deep Bite
December, 17 2013
Ghana - The reserves of commercial banks in the country have been on consistent decline since the first quarter of the year following a sharp increase in the withdrawal of deposits and saving by their customers ...
EBRD Backs Small Businesses in Kyrgyzstan
December, 17 2013
Kyrgyzstan - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has allocated a loan worth $12 million to Kyrgyzstan ...
Queen Máxima Celebrate Launch of Tanzania’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy
December, 13 2013
Tanzania - Tanzania joined a growing number of nations who are highlighting the key role of financial inclusion in economic development with today’s launch of a national financial inclusion strategy. ...
United Nations Capital Development Fund: Myanmar Microfinance Investment Conference
December, 13 2013
Myanmar - The Microfinance sector in Myanmar is still undeveloped compared to many of its SE Asian neighbors but is none the less steadily moving out of its infancy stage ...
India's Five Microfinance Institutions Awarded Smart Campaign Client Protection Certification
December, 12 2013
India - The Smart Campaign, a global initiative to incorporate strong client-protection practices into the microfinance industry, publicly recognized five Indian microfinance institutions that were client protection certified for meeting strong standards of client care. ...
RPT-Fitch: Russian Retail Bank Rate Cap Plan Won't Stop Overheating
December, 11 2013
Russia - The aim of the new legislation is to restrict very high margin unsecured lending, which the CBR sees as riskier, while mortgages and car loans should be unaffected as their interest rates are significantly lower and do not vary significantly between banks. ...
India: The Microfinance Sentinels
December, 10 2013
India - The ability of an SRO to exercise regulatory authority does not necessarily derive from a grant of authority from the government ...
India: Banks Can be Happy Small Lenders
December, 10 2013
India - The high cost of small loans is no longer a barrier for banks from entering the microfinance market in India ...
Increasing Sophistication of Savers in the Peruvian Microfinance Sector
December, 09 2013
Peru - Savers in the microfinance sector are now looking at more than just the rate of interest when choosing where to save ...
Big Banks See Rich Opportunities in World's Poorest
December, 09 2013
Global - While the market for more affluent and business clients becomes saturated, providing the world's poorest with access to financial products is an unmatched growth opportunity ...
India: In a First, MFI Customers to Be Given Credit Scores
December, 06 2013
India - For the first time in India, a credit bureau is offering scores to help understand the credit profile of microfinance customers ...
Kenya: Old Mutual Wraps Deal for Controlling Stake in Faulu
December, 05 2013
Kenya - Old Mutual has now received regulatory approvals to buy a controlling stake at Faulu Kenya Deposit-Taking Microfinance (DTM). ...
Prudential Moves into Insurance in Ghana
December, 05 2013
Ghana - Prudential is to begin selling insurance in Africa for the first time after agreeing to purchase a Ghanaian group that provides protection to individuals who live on less than $2.50 a day ...
To End Poverty We Also Need to Ensure Equality and Sustainability
December, 05 2013
Global - Balancing economic growth and equality with environmental sustainability is not only possible – it is essential. ...
Bob Bragar, Strategies for Impact Investors: Microfinance in Azerbaijan - Who is Not Invited to the Party?
December, 03 2013
Azerbaijan - If we are truly committed to financial inclusion, then it’s incumbent on international microfinance investors not to leave out such vital players as the Azeri credit unions ...
Cambodia: Micro-Insurance Needs Revamp - UN
December, 03 2013
Cambodia - The UN urged government and financial organisations to stimulate Cambodia’s flailing micro-insurance industry yesterday, after a study found the country’s poor are vulnerable to indebtedness during a crisis ...
India Needs Innovative E-Payment Systems for Financial Inclusion
December, 03 2013
India - Disruptive game changing innovations in the payment systems will be critical to accelerate financial inclusion agenda of India, states a latest report on financial inclusion by EY titled, ‘Accelerating financial inclusion- The role of payment systems.’ ...
Kate McKee, Senior Adviser, CGAP: Is it Reasonable to Expect DFIs to Build Markets?
December, 02 2013
Global - Beyond investing in individual MFIs, how can DFIs facilitate broader development of pro-poor financial service markets? Shouldn’t they do so as public investment organizations? I would argue yes ...
As Microfinance Grows, Private Equity Sees Emerging Markets Play
December, 02 2013
Global - From the investor side, finding a fully registered and regulated organization that is profitable in emerging markets cuts out a lot of the guesswork and risk more common to those markets ...
Nigeria: A Global View on Financial Inclusion - Perspectives from a Frontier Market
December, 01 2013
Nigeria - The aspiration that everyone on the planet should be provided with and have access to and usage of financial services is not only legitimate but imperative and compelling. Financial inclusion would require technical innovation and practical action to make it a reality ...

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