Notice

The 'Industry Information' and 'Fund Information' modules previously included with the 'Research Accounts' are moving to Tameo Analytics, managed by Tameo.
You can register here to be notified of the launch of the Tameo Analytics platform.
From mid-September 2022, this information will no longer be available on syminvest.com.

News

Print
Sep 2016
India: Kotak to Buy BSS MFI for Rs 139.2 Crore in All Cash Deal
September, 30 2016
India - Kotak Mahindra Bank today announced it is acquiring Karnataka-focused BSS Microfinance for Rs 139.2 crore in an all cash deal, which would enable the private sector lender to enter the high-growth microlending segment ...
India: IntelleGrow Launches India’s First SME Debt Pool Program in Collaboration with Symbiotics, Geneva
September, 29 2016
India - This pool program enables impact investors to invest in a group of impact-driven Indian SMEs, which don’t have to pledge hard collaterals as security unlike existing market accesses ...
A Global Push for Youth Financial Inclusion Gains Steam—and Some Big Backers
September, 28 2016
Global - The global dialogue about the importance of bringing children and young people in financial inclusion landscape has grown over the past few years. In 2011, a group of like-minded individuals and organizations got together to take the lead in the movement to form Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI) ...
IFC International Finance, AFD, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women, and BLC Bank Support Small and Medium Enterprises in Lebanon
September, 28 2016
Lebanon - IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, the Agence Francaise de Developpement, and the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative are partnering with BLC Bank to support smaller businesses in Lebanon, including those run by women. ...
The Case for Wage Digitization in Bangladesh’s Garment Factories
September, 28 2016
Bangladesh - For managers, wage digitization increases efficiency and cost-saving in the long term, while reducing the security risk involved in handling large sums of cash. For the workers, it increases transparency and accountability in the factories by requiring businesses to keep track of employee hours worked and wages paid, alongside reducing social and economic vulnerability by providing female factory workers with formal financial access ...
Acumen and the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship Launch New Report on Unlikely Partnerships for Inclusive Business
September, 28 2016
Global - Acumen, the nonprofit global venture fund, and the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, announced today the launch of a new report that reveals the creative ways that corporations and social enterprises are partnering to build inclusive and sustainable business models, and solve some of the world’s most pressing problems ...
Sanad Lends Additional USD 10 mln to Egypt's ALEXBANK
September, 27 2016
Global - The Sanad Fund for MSME today announced an additional USD 10 million senior loan to ALEXBANK to support the lender's ongoing expansion of financing for Egyptian micro, small and medium-sized enterprises ...
Financial Inclusion is a Key Pillar to Green Finance in the Pacific
September, 26 2016
Global - In the quest for sustainable development, access to finance becomes a critical component in implementing international agreements and goals such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Transformation of the financial system would be a locomotive in promoting green finance and needs to be complemented with enabling regulatory frameworks, adequate fiscal incentives, and appropriate pricing reforms. To ensure implementation of these policies and strategies for a greener economy, a genuine collaborative model needs to be adopted ...
Building an Inclusive Financial Sector in Myanmar: The Road Ahead
September, 26 2016
Myanmar - Myanmar’s financial sector is undergoing a historic transition. It has witnessed a number of reforms and liberalizations since 2012: private banks have expanded their operations rapidly; more than 1.4 million debit cards have been issued for the first time; thousands of ATMs have been set up; and credit to the private sector has grown steadily, albeit from a low base. ...
From Bricks to Deposits: Transforming Emerging-Market Savings
September, 23 2016
Global - By researching business models of pioneering financial groups successfully capturing “brick” savings while studying the cultural setting in which they operate in different countries, investors can unearth exciting opportunities. ...
Myanmar: New Rules a Fillip for Microfinance Sector
September, 23 2016
Myanmar - Microfinance lenders have broadly welcomed regulatory changes that will help them to increase equity and satisfy the huge demand for credit ...
Krungsri Enters Cambodia with Acquisition of HKL
September, 23 2016
Cambodia - Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri) has announced its entry to Cambodia by completion of the acquisition of Hattha Kaksekar Ltd (HKL), a microfinance institution ...
Why Does Pension Investing Have to be a Moral Dilemma?
September, 21 2016
Global - There are a huge range of ethical funds, from those that screen out the odd “sin stock” to those that systematically block companies using child labour. For the really keen there are also proactively do-gooding “impact” funds. ...
Looking to Leapfrog the Power Grid, d.light Raises $22 Million for Solar in Emerging Markets
September, 21 2016
Global - The development of mobile payment platforms, increasing options for providing debt, and cheaper and better off-grid solar power systems are presenting countries around the world with a chance to leapfrog the archaic electricity infrastructure that defined the twentieth century ...
HomeSend, Mastercard Aim to Transform the $3bn Remittance Industry in Ethiopia
September, 21 2016
Ethiopia - HomeSend and the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) today announced a new remittance service at the US-Africa Business Forum, that will allow more than 100 million Ethiopians to send funds directly to any mobile number in the East African country ...
Cellphones, Not Banks, May be Key to Finance in the Developing World
September, 21 2016
Global - The increasing digitization of finance, and the move away from cash, could add 6 percent to the annual economic output of the world’s developing nations over the next 10 years, according to a new report from the McKinsey consulting firm’s research arm ...
Tanzania Becomes 1st Globally Achieving Full Mobile Money Interoperability
September, 19 2016
Tanzania - Tanzania becomes the first country globally to achieve wallet to wallet interoperability in the digital financial services ...
Eight Ideas to Fund Access to Water and Toilets for All by 2030
September, 19 2016
Global - Some $114bn is needed each year to reach the SDG on water and sanitation. ...
Nepal: MFIs Work on New Banking Platform
September, 18 2016
Nepal - Thirty-four Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) have come together to invest in an IT company—Nepal Finsoft Limited—to launch a world-class core banking and management information system (MIS) solutions platform. ...
Low Credit Growth in Indonesia, but Micro Credit Program (KUR) on Course
September, 18 2016
Indonesia - Although generally credit growth in Indonesia has been weak so far this year, disbursement of micro credit (in Indonesian: Kredit Usaha Rakyat, or KUR) has been solid in the first eight months of the year. ...
Ethiopia: Reaching Farmers Through Insurance Services
September, 16 2016
Ethiopia - Small scale farming owned by poor farmers is one of the most marginalized sectors, which lack access to credit ...
BlueOrchard Launches Impact Fund Fighting Poverty in South East Asia
September, 16 2016
South East Asia - With the appreciation of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s initiative to empower women, the Government of Japan has announced the launch of the first «Japan ASEAN Women Empowerment Fund» ...
Businesses Designed to Help Poor in India Attracting Overseas Investors - Poll
September, 15 2016
India - As a new business in India offering environmentally-friendly rubbish disposal, ScrapApp has boomed in the past year while helping address one of the nation's major problems — garbage ...
Ghana: Provide Incentives to Extend Microfinance Services to Rural Areas
September, 15 2016
Ghana - The Ghana Microfinance Institutions Network (GHAMFIN) is pushing for the provision of incentives for microfinance service providers to extend their services to rural areas ...
India’s Microfinance Industry Clocked 60% Growth in Fiscal 2016: Report
September, 15 2016
India - Of the total client base of 39.9 million of microfinance firms, the southern region alone contributed to 39% of the total client base. ...
M. Pistelli, UNHCR: What Every Good Microfinance Business Should Track and Why
September, 13 2016
Global - Many microfinance impact investors are not monitoring the social components of the financial service providers (FSPs) they finance—but doing so can make a substantial difference to business success ...
Fighting Illiteracy by Night: a Solar Solution
September, 12 2016
Global - Angaza aims to eradicate energy poverty around the world by making solar power more affordable – improving literacy in the process Angaza aims to eradicate energy poverty around the world by making solar power more affordable – improving literacy in the process ...
Five Imperatives to Help Address the Challenges of Sustainable Rural Economic Development
September, 12 2016
Global - In order to reduce poverty in rural areas, local sustainable economic development is essential. According to last year’s Least Developed Countries Report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development, subtitled “Transforming Rural Economies,” more than two-thirds of the populations in the least-developed countries live and work in rural areas and the proportion of people living below the poverty line in rural areas is generally double that of urban areas ...
CGAP Launches Citi Foundation Funded East Asia Program
September, 12 2016
East Asia - The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) launched today the East Asia Digital Financial Inclusion Program funded by the Citi Foundation. This pioneering program aims to build knowledge exchange and experience sharing around frontier issues in effective policy making that support and enable financial inclusion through digital channels ...
Beyond Credit: Risk Management as a Strategy for Economic Growth
September, 12 2016
Global - Well-functioning financial markets are essential for the growth of firms, including commercial farms. But maybe not in the way you might think ...
A. Bouri, CEO, GIIN: The U.N.’s SDGs Deliver a Capital Call
September, 10 2016
Global - According to the Boston Consulting Group, global asset managers controlled more than $70 trillion as of year-end 2015. If only a fraction of these funds were dedicated to helping advance the Sustainable Development Goals, we could make great strides. ...
Thai Bank’s $140M Offer to Buy Cambodian MFI on Hold
September, 09 2016
Cambodia - Eight months since announcing the biggest acquisition deal in the history of Cambodia’s financial sector, Thailand-based Bank of Ayudhya, also known as Krungsri Bank, has yet to receive approval for the landmark deal ...
IFC, MasterCard Foundation to Enable Financial Inclusion in Developing Countries
September, 08 2016
Global - IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, together with The MasterCard Foundation yesterday launched the Digital Financial Services and Risk Management Handbook to support the expansion of mobile money and agent banking to increase financial inclusion ...
Advancing Financial Inclusion to Improve Access to Education
September, 08 2016
Global - Worldwide, 124 million children between the ages of 6 and 15 are not in school. While this number was on the decline from 2000 to 2010, the number of out-of-school children actually increased by 2.4 million from 2010 to 2015. Over 40 percent of the primary school-aged children currently out of school have never been to school and will likely never attend school ...
Root Capital and The MasterCard Foundation to Increase Incomes for 300,000 Farmers in West Africa
September, 08 2016
West Africa - This initiative will help address the urgent need of early-stage West African agribusinesses for capital and capacity building ...
India: Equitas Starts Banking Operations in the City
September, 07 2016
India - Micro lender Equitas on Monday launched its small finance banking operations in the city offering 4% to 6% interest on savings bank account for its customers. The small finance bank, has begun with three branches in the city which will be expanded to a network of 412 branches across the country in the first phase; with a strong focus on technology. ...
India: Kerala, A Model State for Financial Inclusion
September, 06 2016
India - In November 2014, Kerala became one of the first states in India where every household had access to at least one bank account. ...
Kenyan Lenders Push Central Bank to Clarify Rate-Cap Law
September, 06 2016
Kenya - Kenyan lenders are seeking clarification from the central bank about which base rate they should use when determining loan costs, and may be forced to lower rates further if they’re advised the one they’re already using is incorrect, the industry lobby group said ...
S. García-Robles, Multilateral Investment Fund: Latin America - Unlocking Capital to Solve Social Problems
September, 06 2016
Latin America - As an early observer, and having contributed since 1999 to moving the innovation needle in the region, I’m delighted to see a new change of mentality that should unleash access to capital in the decades to come ...
Rwanda Finalises Process to Interlink Financial Sector
September, 06 2016
Rwanda - The government of Rwanda is in final stages to interlink its financial sector, a move that will see the banking, microfinance, pension, insurance as well as capital market linked together ...
China: Technology Can Expand Access to Finance
September, 05 2016
China - To better address the challenges of technology-driven microfinance services, China will submit a set of principles to be reviewed during the G20 Summit to be held in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, on Sunday and Monday ...
Closing the $2.5 Trillion Gap: How Blended Finance Can Help Achieve the SDGs
September, 05 2016
Global - One of the most quoted numbers in international development today is $3.9 trillion. That’s the annual funding the UN estimates will be needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ...
India: Larger Microfinance Institutions Get 90% of Industry Funding
September, 03 2016
India - The scales are tipped in favour of the larger microfinance institutions (MFIs) when it comes to funding ...
Bank of Ghana to Make Mobile Money Platforms Interoperable
September, 01 2016
Ghana - The Bank of Ghana has initiated a project to implement a mobile money payment infrastructure that will enable the seamless transfer of funds from one network provider to another (interoperability) ...

Research Analysis Tools

The fund indexes, institution benchmarks and other market information displayed here are all Symbiotics designed analysis tools, created in-house by our analysts and experts. Symbiotics has one of the oldest track records in microfinance investment analysis dating back to the late 1990s; its indexes and benchmarks have been regularly used as markers by investors, asset managers, financial institutions and practitioners. These, as well as several other research products, are available through the Research Account. Click on the link below to find out more.

Learn More