Microfinance, Innovations, Sustainable Development - IMF & World bank

Afganistan: Microfinance faces hurdles in empowering women

Gerard — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:42:42 GMT

More than 1.5mn loans worth $831mn have been given out in the past seven years, said the Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA), which was set up by the government in 2003 to coordinate the sector. Thirty years of conflict have shattered Afghanistan’s economy and infrastructure, leaving two-thirds of the roughly 30mn population illiterate and at least a third in dire poverty.

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International Financial Corporation (IFC) to Provide Assistance to Crisis Hit Microfinance Sector

Gerard — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 19:54:41 GMT

In an attempt to revive the crisis struck Microfinance sector, the International Financial Corporation, IFC a private sector arm of the World Bank Group is exploring avenues to facilitate fund flows to MFIs. This is an important development in the wake of the industry suffering continuous setbacks.

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World Bank: Hydropower helps Laos government

Gerard — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:48:48 GMT

The government in Laos has funneled revenue generated from electricity sales from a hydroelectric plant to the public sector, the World Bank said.

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G20, Basel III and Its Implications for the World Banking System

Gerard — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 20:57:58 GMT

The Group of 20 Summit scheduled for November in Seoul will provide a forum for a wide range of economic and fiscal issues, ranging from World Bank governance to fossil fuel subsidies.

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World Bank chief to launch carbon market fund

Gerard — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:55:04 GMT

World Bank President Robert Zoellick is set to launch a new multi-million dollar fund in Mexico on Wednesday to help emerging market countries set up their own carbon markets, the bank said on Tuesday.

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New Evaluation Finds Microfinance Operations Have Had Difficulty in Reaching the Very Poor

Gerard — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:18:46 GMT

A meta-evaluation on microfinance released by the Evaluation Cooperation Group of international financial institutions reports that microfinance operations have had difficulty in reaching the very poor.

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Lebanon: ranks 49th globally for microfinance environment

Gerard — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:58:56 GMT

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Microfinance Index ranked Lebanon in 49th place among 54 countries worldwide and in last place among 14 countries in the Middle East and Africa (MENA) in terms of the environment for microfinance.

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For the unbanked, is mobile money cheap enough?

Gerard — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 08:53:33 GMT

Claudia McKay and Mark Pickens from CGAP have pulled together a comprehensive global pricing study on banking services targeting poor, unbanked and underbanked people in Africa, Asia and Brazil. The study examines pricing for services targeting unbanked and underbanked poor people in 10 countries. The conclusion: mobile banking and other forms of branchless banking are cheaper than traditional banking, but the gap between the two may not be as wide as some may think.

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Azerbaijan familiarizes with best practice for successful transformation of microfinance organizations into bank

Gerard — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 16:47:11 GMT

The International Financial Corporation (IFC), entering into the World Bank (WB) Group, together with the Financial Commission on Regulation of Mongolia and Micro-Finance Development Fund (MFDF) has organized awareness-raising tour to Mongolia on studying of legislative practice on microfinancing for regulators from Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

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The Rise of Sustainable Investing for Institutions

Gerard — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:09:28 GMT

Why the time is right for sustainable thinking by pension funds and institutional investors: When Roger Urwin, global head of investment content at Towers Watson, the investment consultant, turns his mind to a subject, the pensions world listens. Urwin, one of the most influential investment advisors around, has worked with many of the world’s largest retirement schemes. His recent attention to the theme of sustainable investing is notable because of his experience in the reality of pension fund practice and governance.

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The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

Gerard — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:27:56 GMT

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) at Colorado State University provides innovative training in community-based development (online and face-to-face), consultation, evaluation, and project support services for individuals and governmental, international non-governmental, and community-based organizations around the world.

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Village Earth : Sustainable Village Based Development

Gerard — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:39:48 GMT

Village Earth's mission is to help reconnect communities to the resources that promote human well-being by enhancing social and political empowerment, community self-reliance and self-determination.

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IFC Partners with Bank Constanta to Strengthen Risk Management Capacity in Georgia

Gerard — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:22:14 GMT

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, will work with Bank Constanta to improve its risk management practices, which will help the bank increase lending to smaller businesses in Georgia. This initiative is part of a broader IFC strategy to strengthen local banks in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

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Rural Finance Learning Centre

Gerard — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 08:33:45 GMT

Rural Finance is about providing financial services for people living in rural areas. This Learning Centre aims to assist organisations in developing countries to build their capacity to deliver improved financial services which meet the needs of rural households and businesses.

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Oikocredit wins award for development microfinance

Gerard — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:40:08 GMT

Oikocredit, the innovative development financing organisation, has been given an award in recognition of its contribution to socially responsible investing. The award has been made by The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP).

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Banks encouraged to target small businesses

Gerard — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 04:59:55 GMT

Thirty-five bankers and trainers from 15 institutions in Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam yesterday participated in a training programme on building sustainable small and medium-sized banking operations in HCM City.

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IFC's Annual Africa Investment Hits Record US$2.4bn

Gerard — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:03:13 GMT

The International Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has announced a record investment volume in Sub-Saharan Africa for its 2010 fiscal year, underscoring its commitment to the region's private sector development, especially to supporting growth in the lowest income countries and those affected by conflict including Liberia.

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United Nations Development Programme Indicates 21% of Nigerian Adults Access Financial Services, Provides Support for Microfinance to Central Bank of Nigeria

Gerard — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:57:26 GMT

According to a recent study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the development arm of the United Nations, a humanitarian organization promoting peace and better living standards, 21 percent of the Nigerian adult population – 18 million people – have access to financial services, with women and youth least likely to have access.Limitations of the Nigerian microfinance industry are attributed to lack of capacity, inadequate coordination, policy shortfalls and a lack of strategy regarding stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities.

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IFC Partners eTranzact on MobileMoney Project

Gerard — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:00:28 GMT

As part of efforts to bridge the gap between the banked and the unbanked population of Nigeria, eTranzact in conjunction with International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, have embarked on a pilot project for the rural areas in Nigeria called Rural Telephony Project (RTP) MobileMoney.

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Microfinance emerges beyond conventional markets

Gerard — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Offbeat financal avenues find buyers slowly but steadily. With the global meltdown behind, European debt crisis ahead, global economists are busy pondering new sectors like microfinance, carbon finance, water credit and so on to find hope for market expansion.

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Debriefing Jacqueline Novogratz

Gerard — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:53:19 GMT

Jacqueline Novogratz interviewed by David Serchuk (Forbes). Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder and chief executive officer of Acumen Fund, a nonprofit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to combat global poverty.

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Will Africa Benefit from the G-20 Agreement?

Gerard — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:50:25 GMT

The G-20 agreement is a historic and watershed achievement in international development. Leaders from developed and developing countries got together and reaffirmed the interconnectedness of the global economy and individuals around the world. These leaders jointly agreed to tackle economic problems around the world with same strategies and expected outcomes. The Agreement is a good first step. However, Africa and other poor regions of the world still face significant economic and development challenges. The agreement falls short in addressing these challenges.

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Interview: Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute on the G20

Gerard — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:42:34 GMT

Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute and economics professor at Columbia University reacts to the decisions made at this week's G20 summit and answers questions on the plight of poor countries in the midst of the global economic crisis: "There is considerable work to do still to put the urgent concerns of the poor countries on the world's agenda." "There is a real possibility of rising political instability in many countries, including street violence, coups, assassinations, or political paralysis."

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While Economic Turmoil Grabs Headlines, Food Crisis lingers

Gerard — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:16:46 GMT

The combined effects of the financial crisis, increased protectionist policies, continued rich country subsidies, and climate-induced changes in patterns of agricultural production are likely to hit developing countries hardest. Thanks to the confluence of these factors, a long-term solution to the global food crisis has not been reached, experts agreed at two recent summits on agriculture. But producers in some poor countries that lack strong links to the international market may not yet be feeling the full effects of that price drop. In some cases, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, prices remain high for key staples.

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Africa, trade, and the crisis

Gerard — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:07:55 GMT

As G20 leaders gather in London on 2 April, the focus of their agenda will be on working together to promote effective, coordinated responses to the global economic crisis and to the state of global trade. In the context of the crisis, the immediate priority of many governments and trade experts is rightly to create and implement a strategy that will offset declining trade and investment, particularly in developing countries where the crisis threatens to impede economic growth and development progress made in recent years. In an effort to address these pressing issues and provide suggestions for G20 leaders’ deliberations, ICTSD partnered with the Global Economic Governance Programme (GEG) to gather short essays from a broad range of scholars and experts around the world.

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Investing in Women’s Earning Power in Times of Crisis, Not Allowing Them to Carry Uneven Share of Burden Is ‘Smart Economics’, Says World Bank

Gerard — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:12:52 GMT

Government policy responses to the global financial meltdown must focus on the role of women as economic agents in order to address the all-too-familiar trend of women and girls suffering disproportionately during times of economic crisis, speakers told the Commission on the Status of Women this afternoon as it held an expert panel discussion on the gender perspectives of the crisis.

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China's top banker proposes new world currency

Gerard — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:20:14 GMT

The head of China's central bank proposed Monday a plan to displace the American dollar as the world's standard and replace it with a global reserve currency operated from the International Monetary Fund.

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World Bank dismisses protectionism

Gerard — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:26:26 GMT

The World Bank president has said that 2009 is turning into "a very dangerous year" for the economy. Robert Zoellick also warned G20 members against protectionist policies, ahead of a G20 finance ministers' meeting in the United Kingdom on how to tackle the economic downturn.

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G20 Financial Ministers promise the IMF money

Gerard — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:09:15 GMT

Finance officials from 20 of the world's leading economies pledged Saturday to substantially boost funding for the International Monetary Fund and "take whatever action is necessary" to stimulate growth around the world. The meeting came after days of disagreement between U.S. and European officials about the best approach to tackling the economic problems. The United States has urged countries to enact bigger spending programs to fuel growth, while some European countries have focused on passing new regulations for financial markets.

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A star is born...

Gerard — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:56:40 GMT

Welcome to this blog about Microfinance, Innovations and Sustainable Development

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