“Financing Village-Level Energy for Development in the Asia-Pacific” Workshop
The Foundation for Development Cooperation (FDC) is hosting a high-level workshop in Manila on 10 and 11 April 2008 entitled “Financing Village-Level Energy for Development in the Asia-Pacific”. The agenda will focus on the methodologies and options available for financing sustainable energy supply initiatives linked with microfinance and/or SME finance in the Asia-Pacific region.Registration for [...]

New Report Outlines Microfinance Risks
Microfinance Banana Skins 2008, is a comprehensive survey undertaken which looks at the risk outlook for the microfinance industry. The survey was produced by the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation (CSFI) and sponsored by Citi Foundation and CGAP. A copy of the report is available here.

Project to Offer Mobile Rural Development Solutions
Lower-income farmers in remote villages are expected to be able to use their mobile phones soon to gain access to rural financial services. The change in the nature of rural finance will start by making banking services immediately accessible by mobile phone. Farmers and entrepreneurs will also be able to use mobile communications to get [...]

CDF-led exposure visits to India and Nepal
 A CDF-led team comprising of MF leaders, bankers, Concern Worldwide staff and CDF-project staff is just back from exposure visits to India and Nepal which took place during February and March and were organised by NABARD, India.  During the exposure, this team visited Self Help Groups (SHGs) in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh and [...]

CSD is extending its microfinance services in the hills
Centre for Self-help Development (CSD), a Financial Intermediary Non Government Organization (FINGO), has adopted an implementation strategy to provide microfinance in the hill districts of Nepal. This will be a challenging task for CSD to provide poor women with microfinance services in the more remote and sparsely populated hill districts because of economic, social and [...]

VBSP’s new Chairman of Board of Directors
Pursuant to the Decision 225/QD-TTg dated February 25th 2008 by the Prime Minister on approving VBSP’s Chairman of Board of Directors Ha Dan Huan is to retire from March 1st 2008 and under the Decision 227/QD-TTg dated February 25th 2008 by the Prime Minister on assigning the Governor of State Bank of Vietnam, H.E. Nguyen [...]

Lifetech Wins NABARD Award 2008
Gramin Vikas Co-operative Society Limited (Gravico), an MFI, along with its parent organisation, Lifetech Development Institution Trust, have been awarded by the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) for the best performance in the formation of self help groups (SHG) and providing bank linkage to these groups in the State (Jharkhand). More…

New Executive Director (Micro-Credit) at Swanirvar Bangladesh
  Md. Fashiar Rahman joined as Executive Director Micro-Credit program of Swanirvar Bangladesh on 1st November, 2007. Before this appointment, he was Deputy Managing Director of Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB). He obtained first Division/Class althrough his academic career. He started his service career in Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development, (BARD) Comilla in 1974. More…

Performance Trends Report for Cambodia
This report provides an opportunity to view the development of the sector in Cambodia over a period of four years, using standardised, adjusted indicators. This report was developed to shed light on the nature of change and growth in the Cambodian microfinance market, as well as in individual institutions in the country. The report highlights [...]

Srijan Microfinance Business Plan Competition 2008
Launched in 2005, with a mandate to encourage the most innovative business opportunities in the microfinance sector, the Srijan Microfinance Business Plan Competition has been providing entrepreneurs with a platform to present superior ideas and business models that can revolutionise the sector, and promote complete financial inclusion. Srijan in a search for individuals, groups, companies [...]