All News and Announcements
UNCDF and Its Partners Launch E-learning Modules to Help Fill the Digital and Financial Literacy Gap for Small and Micro Businesses in Bangladesh
Over 50 percent of small and micro-businesses in a recent UNCDF and Visa study had poor understanding of how digital and financial services could help their businesses, and financial literacy gaps were even more pronounced for women entrepreneurs.
CGAP Seeks to Partner With Microfinance Providers to Digitize Lending
CGAP aims to support up to five MFIs in two workstreams: 1) A measurement workstream to assess the impact that MFIs’ digital solutions, and 2) An automation workstream to automate the repeat loan process, particularly for MFIs’ existing MSE clients.
Symbiotics Launches $6.75 M Sustainability Bond in Armenia With ACBA Bank OJSC
ACBA has committed to use the proceeds of the Sustainability Bond for both social and green projects, in line with the ICMA Sustainability Bond Principles.
Opportunity International and Oikocredit Announce $100 Million Impact Investment Agreement to Advance the Education Sector in Low-income Countries
Opportunity International and Oikocredit will mobilize the funds over the next three years with an initial, near-term focus on Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda.
IFC, National Bank of Iraq Partner to Boost Access to Finance for SMEs, Create Jobs
IFC announced an investment for the National Bank of Iraq to support the growth of smaller businesses in Iraq and help them create jobs and overcome challenges, including from COVID-19-related disruptions.
Santander Invites Startups and Scaleups to Apply for Financial Inclusion Challenge
To be eligible, startups should have annual revenues of up to EUR 250,000 while scaleups need more than EUR 250,000 in annual sales.
Bangladesh: IFC, BFIU to Build Infrastructure to Fast-Track Financial Inclusion
The International Finance Corporation and Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit will work together to develop an electronic know your customer (eKYC) infrastructure to fast-track financial inclusion.
Call for Activities - Tipping the Scales: Mobilizing the Network for Unlearning, Learning and Change
Through a series of introspective dialogues, peer learning, and change-generating activities, the aim is to tip the scales for transformative change, not from the top-down, but from the inside out.
Nigeria: Richway Microfinance Bank Wins Best SME Support Bank of the Year 2021 Award
Richway beat a host of other banks at the International Standards Excellence Award 2021, to take home the Award for performing exceptionally in a tumultuous year characterized by the negative impacts of COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 Recovery Funds Benefit to 3,000 Businesses in Rwanda
The Executive Director of Association of Microfinance Institutions said that a total amount ranging between RWF 4 billion ($4M) and RWF 5 billion ($5M) has been channeled through microfinance institutions to help small businesses recover from COVID-19 effects.