Symbiotics NewsWatch #172, 16 August 2011

Aug. 13	Pakistan: Microfinance Banks Deposits Fall by 13.9pc The deposits of Microfinance Banks (MFBs) fell by 13.9 percent Quarter on Quarter (QoQ) to Rs8.9 billion in the Jan-Mar quarter from Rs10.338 billion in the previous quarter, said State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) quarterly report on Microfinance. Source: The News
Aug. 11	Brazil’s Central Bank Calls for Changes to Boost Financial Inclusion Brazil is progressing towards financial inclusion, but can go further, says the Central Bank of Brazil. The bank calls for improvements in governance, transparency, regulation, credit, technology, distribution channels, and product diversification. Source: Center for Financial Inclusion
Aug. 10	Survey: Russian Microfinance Market Keeps Growing The first quarter of 2011 witnessed improvements in nearly all primary financial indicators of non-banking microfinance institutions, which implies the end of the market’s post-crisis recovery and the formation of a long-term growth trend. Source: Bnaki.ru
Aug. 09	Rising Portfolio Risk for Microfinance Institutions Caught in Arab Spring  According to the findings of a survey done by the Arab Microfinance Network - Sanabel, microfinance institutions in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen have experienced serious challenges in operations as a result of the Arab revolution. Source: Microfinance Focus
Aug. 09	India: SKS Microfinance to Scale Up Non-Core Business  SKS Microfinance Ltd is scaling up its non-core business as part of its focus on revenue diversification. Source: The Hindu Business Line

We are pleased to announce the release of the Symbiotics 2011 MIV Survey. The survey provides key data and benchmarks of 70 MIVs, covering 87% of the MIV market currently estimated at USD 6.8 billion.

Key highlights of the Symbiotics 2011 MIV Survey:

• MIV assets record their lowest growth rate since 2007
• South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa enjoy the highest investment growth
• Equity Funds are the fastest growing fund segment
• Fixed Income Funds have below historical average returns

Click here to access the presentation online.