Archive for the ‘Investments’ Category

Microfinance Focus, June 23, 2010 ( New Delhi) : The soaring microfinance industry has been luring private equity investors with its rapid growth and high returns.  Growing at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 105%in the last five years it has emerged as an investment hotspot for private equity investors. In the ... Full story

Microfinance Focus, June 2, 2010: European Union’s financing institution, the European Investment Bank (EIB) through its ‘Loans for SMEs’ programme has concluded a loan agreement worth EUR 300 million with KBC and CBC. Since the launch 18 months ago, in October 2008, of its ‘Loans for SMEs’ programme the EIB has made more than EUR 18 billion available to SMEs of which 7.4 billion allocated ... Full story

Microfinance Focus, June 02, 2010:  Fusion Microfinance, a Delhi based start-up NBFC-Microfinance today announced equity funding of Rs 4.5 crores (approx USD 952,276) from Incofin, a Belgian microfinance investment company. Incofin which has recently raised a new fund of Euro 100 million called Rural Impulse Fund 2, has been very active in India with three investments in last two years having social impact across the ... Full story

Microfinance Focus, June 01, 2010: Rural Impulse II, a new specialist microfinance fund backed by leading public and private financial institutions and investors has launched today. EUR 100m Fund is an initiative of Incofin Investment Management, which will act as fund advisor. The European Investment Bank, IFC – part of the World Bank Group, KfW Entwicklungsbank (The German Development Bank), the Belgian Investment Company for ... Full story

Microfinance Focus, May 29, 2010: The World Bank Group’s Board of Directors has recently approved a US$40 million loan in support of the Metro Water and Sanitation Improvement Project in Panama. The Project will expand coverage of water supply for 100,000 people and sanitation services for 60,000; increase efficiency and support the National Water and Sewer Agency, IDAAAN, in its modernization in selected areas of ... Full story

Microfinance Focus, May 21, 2010: Washington based FINCA, has recently received $ 30, 000 from Lockheed Martin, a global security company. Funding will provide much-needed loan capital for FINCA’s clients in Afghanistan and El Salvador, and support FINCA Haiti's Relief Fund efforts, as both clients and staff begin the long road to recovery, following the devastating earthquake of January 12th.   FINCA President and CEO Rupert Scofield ... Full story

Microfinance Focus, May 13, 2010: Belstar Investment and Finance, a non-bank financial company based in Tamil Nadu, India has recently received USD 900, 000 (INR 4 crores approx) from the Frontier Fund of Norwegian Microfinance Initiative (NMI). With this investment NMI will have a seat on the Board of Directors of Belstar and will invest alongside ... Full story

By Vikash Kumar Microfinance Focus, March 31, 2010: Netherlands based Oikocredit International bought 10% stake in Kerala ( India) based NBFC microfinance ESAF Microfinance and Investments (P) Ltd (EMFIL), through its fully owned Indian subsidiary Manaveeya Holdings and Investments. Through this deal the capital base of ESAF Microfinance has crossed Rs 30 crores. The deal was aimed to generate capital for the company to expand its ... Full story

Microfinance Focus, March 30, 2010: IFMR Capital recently structured and arranged a Rs. 264.7 million securitisation transaction. The transaction is backed by 25,446 microloans originated by Bangalore based MFI ( Microfinance Institution) , Grameen Financial Services P. Ltd., popularly known as Grameen Koota. IFMR Capital Pioneer III, the Special Purpose Vehicle created for the transaction, has issued two tranches of securities rated by Crisil, India’s foremost ... Full story

By Matthew Fuchs Microfinance Focus, Feb 18, 2010: Demand for credit from microfinance institutions is expected to increase 10-15% in 2010 as MFIs revert to a modest growth path, ResponsAbility's Chief  Investment Officer Christian Speckhardt said. This will be in response to increased demand from micro-entrepreneurs in-line with strengthening economic conditions across most ... Full story

Microfinance Focus, Feb 10, 2010:  Women’s World Banking, the global network of leading microfinance institutions and banks focusing on women empowerment, announced on Wednesday its first ever loan guarantee in Asia to support a $1.6 million loan by Standard Chartered Bank Philippines to WWB network member, CARD Bank in the Philippines. WWB pledged $500,000, which was leveraged more than three times, in its effort to promote ... Full story

By Nagesh Narayana Microfinance Focus, Feb. 5, 2010: Incofin, a Belgium-based microfinance fund, is raising funds for its second Rural Impulse Fund with a target of about EUR100 million ($186 million), Incofin's equity expert in India Aditya Bhandari told Microfinance Focus. It would be a successor to the existing fund and part of it would be invested ... Full story

By Matthew Fuchs Microfinance Focus, Feb 4, 2010: While microfinance institutions in Latin America are recovering as the general economic climate stabilizes, demand from MFIs for debt will remain subdued in the first half of 2010. And when growth returns, it is unlikely to be at the pace the industry has enjoyed previously. In terms of investment, Latin ... Full story

Microfinance Focus, Jan 25, 2010: Leading Minds in the Asian microfinance industry meet at a conference in Singapore bringing together central banks and policy makers, commercial banks, asset managers, private and institutional investors, multilateral investors, foundations and family offices to shape the future of the microfinance market in the Asia region. This is the first of its kind of investment conference on microfinance in Asia ... Full story