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Microfinance Industry Tagged Articles



Citi Foundation Creates $11.2m Program with SEEP Network to Strengthen Trade Associations
The Citi Foundation will work with the Small Enterprise Education and Promotion Network (SEEP) to create the 3-year USD 11.2 million Citi Network Strengthening Program. The program will include 12 major microfinance trade associations and their members. The program’s goal will be to improve the integration of microfinance into the mainstream economies of developing countries. This includes improving participating trade associations’ ability to develop products and services which meet their clients’ needs. In addition, the program seeks to “enhance the industry’s infrastructure, introduce higher standards of management and governance, and promote the vital role of microfinance in providing the poor with access to financial services.”
JPMorgan Launches Social Sector Finance Unit to Bring Financial Services to Microfinance and Social Enterprises
JPMorgan, a US-based global financial services firm with assets of USD 1.5 trillion and operations in more than 50 countries, has announced the launch of a Social Sector Finance (SSF) unit within its Investment Bank.

Can MicroStart Have a Significant Impact on Policy and the Environment for Microfinance?
MicroStart programs establish an action-oriented framework for bringing key players together to learn about microfinance development. These players include government policy makers, private sector actors (potential social entrepreneurs or financiers), MFIs, and other donors.

AfriCap Microfinance Fund Attracts Notable Investors Including Nordic MicroCap, BlueOrchard and Gray Ghost, Raises Capital to $50m
AfriCap Microfinance Fund, established in 2001 as the first African private equity fund dedicated to the microfinance industry, has closed a second round of investment, raising its capital from USD 14 million (Sh 910 million) to USD 50 million (Sh 3.25 billion).
Technology Innovations at Grameen Foundation USA
How will easy, affordable and reliable access for a person in a remote village be provided? When will this person have the ability to make a simple one-minute call, send a complaint to the local government, or make a loan payment without undo cost or travel difficulty? The microfinance industry is answering these questions with technological innovations.

Managing Credit Risk in Microlending Operations
One of the most important determinants of a successful microlending operation is the successful management of credit risk. Or, more simply, keeping loan delinquencies to an acceptable level.

Lonrho to Acquire 51% Stake and Control of Mozambican Microfinance Bank, Socremo Banco de Microfinancas
Lonrho, the British conglomerate that is rapidly growing a portfolio of investments in Africa, has announced that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire 51% and board control of the second largest bank in Mozambique, Socremo Banco de Microfinancas (Socremo). The transaction is subject to Reserve Bank of Mozambique approval.
What is the role of the financial regulator in supporting the development of microfinance? FAQ
Many feel that the most important role of a financial regulator in supporting the development of microfinance is to create an alternative institutional type that allows sound financial NGOs, credit unions, and other community-based intermediaries to obtain a license to offer deposit services to the general public and obtain funds through apex organizations.
What is a Microfinance Institution (MFI)?
Quite simply, a microfinance institution is an organization that offers financial services to low income populations. Almost all of these offer microcredit and only take back small amounts of savings from their own borrowers, not from the general public. Within the microfinance industry, the term microfinance institution has come to refer to a wide range of organizations dedicated to providing these services: NGOs, credit unions, cooperatives, private commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions (some that have transformed from NGOs into regulated institutions) and parts of state-owned banks, for example.
6.0 References: Microfinance in Africa - Experience and Lessons from Selected African Countries
References

Other Microfinance Industry Related Articles

4.1 Objectives and Coverage of the Regulatory Framework: Microfinance in Africa - Experience and Lessons from Selected African Countries
Overall, the rationale for microfinance regulation is to create a healthy environment for microfinance activities while not stifling the growth of the sector by imposing undue requirements.
Who are the clients of microfinance? FAQ
The typical microfinance clients are low-income persons that do not have access to formal financial institutions. Microfinance clients are typically self-employed, often household-based entrepreneurs. In rural areas, they are usually small farmers and others who are engaged in small income-generating activities such as food processing and petty trade. In urban areas, microfinance activities are more diverse and include shopkeepers, service providers, artisans, street vendors, etc. Microfinance clients are poor and vulnerable non-poor who have a relatively stable source of income.
What is a Microfinance Institution (MFI)?
Quite simply, a microfinance institution is an organization that offers financial services to low income populations. Almost all of these offer microcredit and only take back small amounts of savings from their own borrowers, not from the general public. Within the microfinance industry, the term microfinance institution has come to refer to a wide range of organizations dedicated to providing these services: NGOs, credit unions, cooperatives, private commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions (some that have transformed from NGOs into regulated institutions) and parts of state-owned banks, for example.
Realising the potential of microfinance
Microfinance is a key strategy in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and in building global financial systems that meet needs of most poor people. Although microfinance has demonstrated the potential to reduce poverty, its impacts have varied. Perhaps as a result of these inconsistencies, few donors have prioritised microfinance in their strategies to achieve the MDGs.
Redefining Microfinance as a Strategy to Achieve the MDGs: International Year of Microcredit Report Advocates Shift from Poverty Alleviation to Wealth Creation
With microfinance gaining attention for its vital role in eradicating poverty, the International Year of Microcredit recently released a report, "Microfinance and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): A Reader's Guide to the Millennium Project and Other UN Documents", to provide further background and support for microfinance initiatives.
Microfinance 2015: Panel Focuses on the Future and Outlook of Microfinance
Where will microfinance be in 2015? What is the future and challenges of microfinance? The first discussion held at the launch of the International Year of Microcredit 2005 focused on these key questions.
Inhibitors to Success
At its core, microfinance is not terribly different from mainstream consumer finance. From accessing funding to managing the disbursement and collection of funds, microfinance operates like any consumer finance business. But because microfinance serves a very different client segment – the world’s poor – we cannot ignore the different set of challenges these clients face and the implications these challenges have on the organizations serving them.
AfriCap Microfinance Fund Attracts Notable Investors Including Nordic MicroCap, BlueOrchard and Gray Ghost, Raises Capital to $50m
AfriCap Microfinance Fund, established in 2001 as the first African private equity fund dedicated to the microfinance industry, has closed a second round of investment, raising its capital from USD 14 million (Sh 910 million) to USD 50 million (Sh 3.25 billion).
Overall Conclusions and Main Messages - MicroStart: Finding and Feeding Breakthroughs
Through MicroStart, UNDP is making an important contribution to the growth of microfinance around the world, both through its direct support of MFIs and through the processes and ideas it is introducing into countries where microfinance is just beginning.
Citi Foundation Creates $11.2m Program with SEEP Network to Strengthen Trade Associations
The Citi Foundation will work with the Small Enterprise Education and Promotion Network (SEEP) to create the 3-year USD 11.2 million Citi Network Strengthening Program. The program will include 12 major microfinance trade associations and their members. The program’s goal will be to improve the integration of microfinance into the mainstream economies of developing countries. This includes improving participating trade associations’ ability to develop products and services which meet their clients’ needs. In addition, the program seeks to “enhance the industry’s infrastructure, introduce higher standards of management and governance, and promote the vital role of microfinance in providing the poor with access to financial services.”
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