Symbiotics NewsWatch #168, 19 July 2011

Jul. 19	Bangladesh: IFC Launches Liquidity Facility to Meet Critical Funding Needs of Smaller Businesses IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has launched an $80 million short-term liquidity facility to provide banks in Bangladesh with working capital and trade financing solutions following recent market disruptions in foreign exchange availability in the country. The funds were made available through the newly formed IFC Bangladesh Small and Medium Enterprise Liquidity Facility, a rapid-response initiative to help meet funding needs of local banks and small businesses. Source: IFC
Jul. 18	Muhammad Yunus Banks on Beating the Enemies of Microfinance The Nobel peace prize winner discusses recent attacks on his schemes to relieve poverty, from within Bangladesh and abroad. Source: The Guardian
Jul. 17	Is the Mexican Microfinance Sector Approaching Crisis Point?  In an exclusive interview with Microfinance Focus, Alex Silva, Founding Partner of Omtrix, President, and Executive Director of Calmeadow reflected upon the causes of the microfinance failures in the Latin American region and the path forward. Source: Microfinance Focus
Jul. 15	India: SKS Microfinance Stock Zooms 10% Continuing its volatile journey this week, micro-finance leader SKS Microfinance stock today jumped by 10 per cent on bourses and hit the upper circuit limit. Interestingly, it had nosedived 10 per cent and hit its lowest trading limit yesterday. Source: The Financial Express
Jul. 13	Microfinance Lenders Seek Ways to Hedge Forex Risks Global banks have figured out how to hedge against unexpected exchange-rate movements in the euro, yen and Swiss franc. But what happens when they try dealing with the Mongolian togrog? The problem is, the countries that are poor enough to need microfinance lending usually have extremely illiquid currencies, which make them all but impossible to hedge against. Source: The Wall Street Journal