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ABC Fund Injects $3 Million into Microfinance Lending in Colombia
The Agri-Business Capital Fund (‘ABC Fund’) today announces that it has completed a USD 3 million loan to Colombia-based Finamiga, which focuses on lending to small farmers and independent workers.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Latin America
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Protecting Clients in a Crisis: Five Lessons BRAC Learned While Re-Engineering its Microlending Strategy During COVID-19
COVID-19 has had a harsh impact on small businesses and the people who depend on them – and this impact has also affected their lending institutions. As Sahed Shams Azad at BRAC Microfinance explains, pandemic-related business closures have prevented many borrowers from making repayments, disrupting their lives – and BRAC Microfinance's nearly billion-dollar monthly lending cycle. He explores the dramatic adjustments the organization has made to its operations in response to this crisis, and how it has protected its clients' best interests throughout the process.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance
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72 Microfinance Institutions Join Inaugural Microfinance Index
Impact performance measurement of microfinance institutions in 41 countries will launch in Q2 2022 with support from sector leaders.
- Categories
- Finance, Impact Assessment
- Region
- Global
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Financial Inclusion that Works for Women: The European Microfinance Award 2022
Lending to women clients has been at the center of microfinance since its modern inception. And as Joana Afonso, Gabriela Erice, Sam Mendelson and Daniel Rozas at the European Microfinance Platform point out, there has undoubtedly been progress in promoting women’s financial inclusion. But they argue that a myopic focus on outreach too often undermines the sector's understanding of the specific barriers women face. They discuss how the 2022 European Microfinance Award's focus on “Financial Inclusion that Works for Women" aims to encourage more effective gender strategies.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Finance
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Deconstructing the Monolith: Why Understanding Women’s Individual Needs is Key to Closing the Gender Gap in Financial Inclusion
How can financial service providers tailor their products to boost women's financial inclusion? Scott Graham and Anahit Tevosyan at FINCA discuss the findings of a survey of 2,800 financial consumers in the DRC, which showed – perhaps counterintuitively – that focusing on gender as the defining characteristic of a female client is exactly the wrong approach. They explore why it's necessary to “deconstruct the monolith” of female clients by digging into sub-segments of the market to understand their specific needs and constraints.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Finance
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Improving Financial Solutions for Women Micro-Entrepreneurs: A Report Highlights Key Focus Areas for Microfinance Providers
The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women is well-established – and for women micro-entrepreneurs, these impacts are compounded by existing business, financial and household challenges. Brit Heiring at Kiva and Liz Larson at UNESCAP explore how microfinance institutions and other providers can design financial solutions that meet these entrepreneurs’ unique needs. They share data from a report that focuses on the realities facing women micro-entrepreneurs, and explore how financial service providers can effectively support them.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Finance
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Financing to Boost Renewables, Energy Access and Efficiency in Côte D’Ivoire
EDFI ElectriFI has backed microfinance institution Fin’ELLE with a €1.5 million ($1.69 million) investment to boost renewable energy, energy access and energy efficiency in Côte d’Ivoire.
- Categories
- Energy, Entrepreneurship
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Linking the Needs of Customers and Providers: A Framework for Effective Financial Health Measurement
Many financial service providers (FSPs) want to improve the financial health of their low-income users, but they often struggle to measure it. According to Nishant Kumar and Sonal Agrawal at Lakshya, one key challenge is that many FSPs don't see the business benefits of investing in financial health measurement. They share three principles that can help providers understand the distinct needs of different user groups, and develop a measurement methodology that links customers with interventions that impact their financial health – while boosting the FSPs' bottom line.
- Categories
- Finance, Impact Assessment
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