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Ford Foundation Sends Message to Those Still on Impact Investing Fence: A Q&A with Darren Walker
Earlier this month, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker announced the 81-year-old organization is putting "our money where our mouth is" and investing $1 billion over the next 10 years in affordable housing and financial services for people in developing countries. In this email Q&A, Walker talks about why the foundation made the shift and the signals he hopes it sends.
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- Investing
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Cambodian MFIs Predict Lower Earnings in Response to Rate Cap
With the interest rate cap of 18 percent in full force for all new and restructured microfinance loans after the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) issued a populist measure to curb high interest rates, microfinance institutions (MFIs) are starting to give predictions for lower profits this year as the new lending reality takes hold.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Application period for the European Microfinance Award 2017 on Microfinance for Housing now open
The European Microfinance Award is a prestigious €100,000 award which attracts applications from financial institutions around the world that are innovating in a particular area of financial inclusion. Presented annually, it serves two parallel goals: rewarding excellence, and collecting and disseminating the most relevant practices for replication by others.
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- Finance
- Region
- Europe & Eurasia
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Home Sweet Home: Mobilizing Microfinance for Housing
Only 2 percent of microfinance portfolios consist of housing loans. Why? The authors say it's because housing languishes in the “household spending” category; it's not income generating, so it's somehow less deserving. It will soon be in the spotlight, however, as the eighth European Microfinance Award focuses on what financial institutions serving the world’s poor can do to address their housing needs.
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- Investing
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Crisis Looms in Southern India’s Microfinance Sector
Trouble for the Rs 57,000-crore microfinance sector is brewing again with drought-hit Karnataka, the largest MFI market with about 14% share, emerging as the new stress point with non-payment of dues. There are repayment concerns also in some smaller pockets of Tamil Nadu, two persons familiar with the development said. As many as 20 NBFC-MFIs, including all the large ones, operate in Karnataka, which is otherwise a mature market for microfinance activity.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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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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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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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.
- Categories
- Health Care
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