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Indian MFI Spandana Sphoorty raises $270 million
Microfinance lender Spandana Sphoorty Financial Ltd has raised $270 million of funding, which will facilitate its exit from the corporate debt restructuring cell (CDR) after seven years, it said in a statement on 31 March.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Ford Foundation to Put $1 Billion of Endowment in Impact Funds
The Ford Foundation is committing $1 billion of its endowment over the next 10 years to money managers who invest in affordable housing and financial services for people in developing countries.
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- Uncategorized
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Don’t Fear the Rate Cap: Why Cambodia’s Microcredit Regulations Aren’t Such a Bad Thing
The Cambodian government recently shocked its microcredit industry by capping interest rates at 18 percent – about half the current rate of most loans. Many analysts sympathetic to the industry have strongly criticized the move, but Milford Bateman argues it's actually an important step in protecting the poor – and resolving an "existential crisis" in a sector plagued by unsustainable growth and high over-indebtedness.
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- Uncategorized
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JazzCash partners with Women’s World Banking to serve low-income women in Pakistan
JazzCash, Pakistan’s digital financial service provider, and Women’s World Banking, a global non-profit organization, have announced a partnership to promote women’s financial inclusion across Pakistan.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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As Delhi hikes minimum wage, trade unions urge other Indian states to follow
A "historic" move to raise the minimum wage of millions of Delhi's poorest workers by almost 40 percent should be extended to other parts of the country to fight exploitation, trade unions and rights groups said on Tuesday.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Indonesia on Track to Greater Financial Inclusion
Millions of unbanked Indonesians are going to enjoy easier access to the savings, loan and insurance services on the back of the government's renewed political will to tackle financial exclusion, an executive at Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's seeks to grant access to financial services to 75 percent of Indonesian adults by 2019, up from 36 percent in 2014.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Microfinance for Water and Sanitation: Opportunities and Challenges for MFIs
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) presents an opportunity for MFIs to meaningfully impact their customers’ lives and aid in their struggle against poverty. However, a variety of issues play a role in determining the suitability of a WASH finance product. To help MFIs navigate through these, MicroSave and Water.Org have developed a series of toolkits.
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- Health Care
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Your Guide To Impact Investing
For more than four years, I’ve been covering impact investing as a regular Forbes contributor and have written hundreds of pieces about the space. Here’s the thing: most impact investments are only open to wealthy people. This is a guide to impact investing for everyone else, the 98 percent of the population who don’t meet the criteria for investing with the wealthy.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
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