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Mar 2020
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India: All you Wanted to Know about Moratorium Period
March, 31 2020
India - RBI says moratorium facility should be extended to all unless a borrower chooses to opt out of it. Many banks are offering the option to defer the payment of loan interest and principal only to borrowers who specifically ask for it. The move could put some of the banks with high credit- deposit ratio and NBFCs struggling to roll over liabilities in a spot ...
Emerging Market Fund Managers Scramble to Keep Enterprises and Entrepreneurs Afloat
March, 31 2020
Global - As a generation of entrepreneurs worry they will run out of cash, the ecosystem of emerging market capital providers that has financed their growth is scrambling to help them survive ...
IDB Prints SDB Benchmark in Volatile Market
March, 31 2020
Latin America - The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) said on Monday that it set a new sustainable development bond (SDB) global benchmark by selling $2 billion worth of five-year notes, following an announcement last week that it could lend up to $12 billion to contain the coronavirus outbreak in Latin America ...
Cambodia: Bank Sector Aid Could Hit $600m
March, 31 2020
Cambodia - Prime Minister Hun Sen says the government will take easing measures by disbursing special low-interest loans to specialised banks in a bid to shore up the embattled economy ...
GSMA Report Highlights That Mobile Money Accounts Now Exceed One Billion Worldwide
March, 30 2020
Global - The GSMA today unveiled the annual ‘State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money’, offering a view of the mobile money landscape and highlighting the impact that greater financial inclusion has on lives, economies and innovation, especially in emerging markets ...
Olivine Industries Obtains Loan from AfDB to Tackle Food Insecurity in Zimbabwe
March, 30 2020
Zimbabwe - Olivine presented a unique opportunity for the bank to participate in rebuilding agricultural value chains in Zimbabwe, thereby creating jobs, improving food security and nutrition while reducing the country’s dependence on food imports ...
Aavas Financiers Gains on Securing ADB Loan to Boost Housing Finance in India
March, 30 2020
India - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement to lend up to $60 million in Indian rupee equivalent to Aavas Financiers (Aavas), a housing finance company in India, to improve access to housing finance for lower-income borrowers in the country, particularly women ...
Capitalism Rewired: Why We Must Rethink How Performance Is Measured
March, 30 2020
Global - The accelerating climate change crisis and rage at inequality aren’t just showing up in the balance sheet — they’re starting to threaten the legitimacy of shareholder capitalism. ...
Myanmar Govt Announces Loan Package for Coronavirus-Hit Businesses in Key Sectors
March, 30 2020
Myanmar - The Myanmar government has announced that local businesses that have been badly hit by COVID-19 can apply for loans as part of its initial stimulus package to cushion the impact of the global pandemic on the country’s economy ...
A. Abraham, CEO, Rigo MFB: Nigeria - COVID-19: A Game Changer in the Microfinance Subsector
March, 30 2020
Nigeria - The unbanked in Nigeria is about 40% of the population while the poor constitute about 33.1%. These statistics call for concern and explains why we should focus on life after COVID-19 ...
Zurich Fintech MPower Set to Close Crowdcube Round with More Than £350,000 in Funding Secured
March, 29 2020
Global - Funds from the Crowdcube will be used to expand MPower new markets. The company is now offering 5.84% in equity at a £5,022,938 pre-money valuation. The campaign is set to close later this week. ...
M. Rashid, Partner, PwC: Bangladesh - Becoming Digitally Fit for Banking
March, 29 2020
Bangladesh - As we prepare ourselves to face interim or long tough times, we have to take shelter under alternative banking or financing services rather than physically going to bank branches ...
Cyril Shroff and Richa Roy, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas: India - A Bazooka of Liquidity & Ventilator for Credit, RBI's Response to Covid-19
March, 28 2020
India - The timely and decisive action by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) provides vital liquidity and ensures that credit lines remain open. The RBI has been courageous as well as calibrated in its policy actions and will pave the path to recovery from the present uncertainty. ...
Dr. A. Hannig, Executive Director, Alliance for Financial Inclusion: Why Central Banks Care about Climate Change
March, 27 2020
Global - Central banks tend not to be seen as innovative climate change pioneers, but as extreme weather events continue to undermine economic stability, real change is afoot ...
Cambodia: Banks and Microfinance Institutions to Remain Fully Operational during COVID-19 Crisis
March, 27 2020
Cambodia - The Association of Banks in Cambodia (ABC) and the Cambodia Microfinance Association (CMA) has announced that all services will continue to be offered throughout the current COVID-19 pandemic, according to a joint statement by the ABC and CMA released today ...
J. Phillips, M. Jeuland, and E. Pakhtigian: New Data and Technologies are Transforming Energy Access - Public Policy Must Catch Up
March, 26 2020
Global - By harnessing the vastly improved tools and information available today, government decision-makers can more fully leverage the dramatic improvements in energy access technology, and direct impact-focused capital more optimally to achieve SDG7’s targets ...
Africa Turns to Mobile Payments as a Tool to Curb COVID-19
March, 25 2020
Sub-Saharan Africa - Governments and startups on the continent are implementing measures to shift a greater volume of payment transactions toward mobile money and away from cash — which the World Health Organization flagged as a conduit for the spread of the coronavirus ...
R. Rossmann, Associate, Convergence: Fixing the Financial Plumbing to Increase Investments in Sanitation
March, 24 2020
Global - Water and sanitation receive much less blended finance than other sectors such as energy, financial inclusion, and agriculture. And, relative to water, sanitation projects are even less likely to mobilize blended finance ...
IFC Investment to Increase Access to Health Care Services in Kurdistan Region of Iraq
March, 24 2020
Iraq - IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is investing over $26 million in a new 161-bed hospital in Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The facility will increase the availability of quality healthcare services and help address gaps in the country’s healthcare infrastructure ...
India: ESAF Small Finance Bank Gets SEBI Nod to Float IPO
March, 24 2020
India - The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued final observations to the lender’s proposal on March 20, according to information published on the capital markets regulator’s website ...
An Overlooked Obstacle to Digital Finance in Nigeria: How Persistent Right of Way Issues Have Hindered Financial Inclusion
March, 24 2020
Nigeria - Mobile finance will likely continue to struggle in Nigeria unless the country deals with an even more fundamental factor behind digital inclusion: providing the rails on which these services will run all the way to the consumer ...
India: Arman Financial Subsidiary Raises Rs 66.3 Crore of Debt
March, 24 2020
India - Namra Finance Ltd, which manages the microfinance business of the group, raised Rs 66.3 crore of debt capital from Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) and IIV Mikrofinanzfonds, Germany ...
Blue Planet Raises US$25 Million from Nomura
March, 24 2020
Asia - New strategic engagement a reflection of the growth of impact investing and opportunities in sustainable waste management in Asia ...
Mexican Startup Credijusto Raises $100 Million, Seeks to Boost Loans Amid Coronavirus
March, 23 2020
Mexico - Mexican fintech startup Credijusto has raised $100 million in debt from Credit Suisse Group, a move that will help it extend more loans to small and mid-sized businesses as banks gauge how to respond to the impact of coronavirus, its joint CEO said ...
World Bank Approves $300m Loan to Improve Indonesia's Financial Sector
March, 23 2020
Indonesia - The World Bank has approved the disbursement of a US$300 million loan to support the development of Indonesia's financial market by expanding its outreach and broadening the range of products ...
Ghana Asks Banks to Seek Approval before Paying 2019 Dividends
March, 21 2020
Ghana - Bank of Ghana has told the country’s lenders that they must seek approval before declaring and paying dividends on 2019 earnings as the regulator moves to guard against banks taking advantage of eased reserve rules due to the coronavirus to boost payouts to investors ...
How to Invest and Have Impact through Funds
March, 19 2020
Global - Once regarded as a disruptive investment concept, impact investing has evolved into a diverse and intricate investment ecosystem. ...
Short-Term Loans Are a Safety Net as Social Enterprises Face an ‘Unexpected OMG Moment’
March, 17 2020
Global - An overlooked corner of the impact market is suddenly on the front lines of impact triage. New York-based Open Road is one of the few funds providing short-term debt to get mission-driven enterprises through rough patches ...
Sub-Saharan Africa: Investors Close $160m for the Facility for Energy Inclusion
March, 17 2020
Sub-Saharan Africa - The African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Commission, KfW, the Clean Technology Fund, Norfund, and other investors have committed nearly $160 million to the first close of the Facility for Energy Inclusion (FEI) ...
Egypt's Central Bank to Support E-Payments, Fintech, and More
March, 17 2020
Egypt - Measures to support electronic payment system and financial technology (fintech) have been reviewed by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) ...
Uganda: UGAFODE Extends Services to Refugees
March, 16 2020
Uganda - The refugees are economically active and have financial needs like any other person and deserve utmost attention ...
EBRD Providing 3 Mln Euro to Kosovo‘s KRK for On-Lending to MSMEs
March, 16 2020
Kosovo - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said it has provided a 3.0 million euro ($3.3 million) loan to Kosovo-based microfinance institution Kreditimi Rural i Kosoves (KRK) for on-lending to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) ...
AfDB Approves €12m Investment in Yeelen Fund
March, 16 2020
Africa - The African Development Bank has approved a €12m stake in the capital of the Yeelen fund, a 12-year investment fund domiciled in Mauritius and Lomé. ...
Nigeria: CBN Unveils Palliative Measures to Cushion Impact of Coronavirus on Economy
March, 16 2020
Nigeria - The measures include a moratorium of one year on all principal repayments, effective March 1, 2020 as well as interest rate reduction on all applicable CBN intervention facilities from nine per cent to five per cent per annum for one year effective March 1, 2020 ...
Cambodia: Banks, MFIs Asked to Delay Loan Repayment
March, 15 2020
Cambodia - Industry insiders and financial experts are urging local banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs) to temporarily suspend the repayment of loans to give borrowers breathing space as the spread of Covid-19 takes its toll on the economy ...
WoodMac: Nearly $470M Invested into Off-grid Energy Access Companies Last Year
March, 12 2020
Global - Companies providing off-grid energy access raised over $2.1 billion in corporate financing between 2010 and the end of 2019, including nearly $470 million last year, according to new research from Wood Mackenzie ...
S. Mendelson, D. Rozas, e-MFP: A Spotlight on Effective and Inclusive Savings
March, 12 2020
Global - There is a growing amount of research on the benefits of effective and inclusive savings to clients, providers and society at large. Part of this is because of the enormous number of benefits that savings bring to clients. ...
New Coalition Plans to Unlock Climate Finance for Water Services
March, 12 2020
Global - A new high-level expert group plans to develop proposals to unlock more climate finance, specifically for improved water services in low- and middle-income countries, before the 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26 ...
India: SBI to Foray into Microfinance, May Offer Loans at Lower Interest Rates
March, 12 2020
India - The move by India’s largest lender is likely to roil the segment because it is planning to offer micro loans at rates lower than that is prevailing in the market nationwide through its wide network of branches ...
How Pay-on-Demand Solutions Are Driving a New Wave of Digital and Financial Inclusion across Africa through Connectivity – Mastercard
March, 11 2020
Sub-Saharan Africa - The report, titled; "Pay on Demand: The Digital Path to Financial Inclusion" revealed that giving people the ability to pay only for what they use, as they need it, can lift millions of people across Africa out of poverty and make prosperity possible ...
ESG in Infrastructure: Building a Sustainable Future for Latin America
March, 10 2020
Latin America - Sustainability is becoming a crucial consideration in the development of infrastructure across the globe, particularly in Latin America – which is facing one of the biggest infrastructure gaps in the emerging world while also remaining exceedingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change ...
P. Le Houérou, CEO, International Finance Corporation: Support Women-Owned Businesses for Economic Growth in an Uncertain World
March, 09 2020
Global - Globalization, new technologies, and climate change are altering the way we live and work. In a fast-changing world, it can be difficult to identify the engines of growth for tomorrow. Sometimes, the answer lies in plain sight ...
Indonesia: IFC Invests in Bank OCBC NISP Gender and Green Bonds
March, 09 2020
Indonesia - This is the first-ever gender bond in Indonesia and follows the gender bond issuance by Bank of Ayudhya (BAY) of Thailand in 2019, which was also supported by IFC. ...
India: Northern Arc Hits First Close of Latest Debt Fund at $23m
March, 09 2020
India - The Northern Arc India Impact Fund targets to make 15-20 investments with average deal sizes ranging from $3-5 million across its focus sectors including microfinance, small business finance, vehicle finance and agri-business finance ...
Regulator Raises Minimum Capital Requirements for Microfinance Banks in Nigeria
March, 06 2020
Nigeria - Nigeria plans to raise the minimum capital requirements for microfinance banks operating in the country. This move is meant to reposition and strengthen lenders towards improved performance, the banking regulator said Thursday ...
India: Three Banks Announce Merger Ratios
March, 05 2020
India - The Union cabinet on 4 March approved the consolidation of 10 public sector banks (PSBs) into four entities ...
The Rise of the Green Financial Hubs
March, 04 2020
Global - Green finance is a worldwide affair. While the traditional money centers of New York and London play critical roles in the burgeoning renewable economy, investment is increasingly originating farther afield, nearer to places in need of upgraded energy infrastructure. ...
Quona Capital Closes Second Fund with $203 Million Aimed at Financial Inclusion in Emerging Markets
March, 04 2020
Global - Quona Capital, a venture firm focused on financial inclusion in emerging markets, today announced the final close of the Accion Quona Inclusion Fund ...
M. Mattern and D. Waldron, CGAP: What Do Low-Income Customers Want from Asset Finance?
March, 03 2020
Global - Financial services are critical to achieving asset ownership at scale. But even as nascent industries like off-grid energy financing put valued assets in the hands of millions of low-income customers, our understanding of these customers’ needs and preferences remains limited. So we asked the question: What do customers really want when it comes to asset finance ...
Y. Zheng, Associate Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management: India - How Technology Can Help to Alleviate Poverty among Smallholder Farmers, One Bid at a Time
March, 03 2020
India - The goal is to enable farmers who traditionally sold in one physical market to possibly sell to buyers in multiple markets/locations through the digital platform. ...
Visa Champions a New Decade for Women’s Empowerment
March, 03 2020
Global - Kicking off Women’s History Month, Visa today announced two new partnerships bolstering the company’s commitment to women’s economic empowerment. Hand In Hand International and IFundWomen will join Visa to help provide both educational resources and funding for women entrepreneurs around the globe to help them build and grow their businesses ...
Bhutan: Farmers Didn’t Benefit from Loans
March, 03 2020
Bhutan - A performance audit of microfinancing in the country between 2014 and 2018 revealed that only about five percent of total loans were devoted to agricultural development ...
Sri Lanka: Maximum Borrowing Limit on Microfinance Loans Increased
March, 03 2020
Sri Lanka - The maximum borrowing limit on low-interest loans, introduced in an effort to relieve the burden on individuals adversely affected by microfinance loans, has been increased from Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 60,000 ...
IFC Invests $200 Million in Standard Bank of South Africa’s Green Bond Issuance
March, 02 2020
South Africa - The 10-year green bond facility privately placed by IFC is compliant with the International Green Bond Principles and will enable Standard Bank Group’s Sustainable Finance Business Unit to on-lend to and finance climate-smart projects in South Africa such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, water efficiency and green buildings ...

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