Symbiotics NewsWatch #202, 20 March 2012

Mar. 19
Microangels and Microequity: The Missing Ingredients of Microfinance              Microfinance, associated for over 35 years with Mohammad Yunus, the Grameen Bank, Opportunity International, Finca, Accion and many others, has brought to the poor and unbanked, the availability of micro loans and micro-insurance in exchange for micro-savings. If its results as a tool to fight against poverty are sometimes controversial, it probably still lacks an absolutely necessary ingredient to successful entrepreneurship: "micro-equity".
Source: Microfinance Focus

              

Mar. 16
Kenya: SME Lending Attracts More Financiers, Including Banks              It has been repeated over and over that the biggest hindrance to growth of indigenous businesses is lack of access to financing.The survival rate of up to two to three years presumed for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has been threatened because despite having very innovative ideas, funds to fully commercialise have not been readily available, especially with little to show as security.
Source: allAfrica

              

Mar. 14
International Impact Investing: Findings from the 2011 Virtual Volunteer Project               Why are investors in some countries so much more involved in “impact investing” – including microfinance – than their counterparts in other countries? Investing in microfinance in developing and emerging markets has gained more traction in certain continental European countries, for example, than it has in the United States and United Kingdom.
Source: Center for Financial Inclusion Blog

              

Mar. 13
China: Can Microcredit Lenders Fill the Gap?              The Chinese press is full of stories documenting the difficulties small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have obtaining financing. Contrary to popular belief, the problem is not that SMEs are being crowded out by large enterprises. The SME share of total business loans has been relatively stable in the past several years. Moreover, the pace of loan growth to small enterprises has been faster than that for medium or large enterprises.
Source: Peterson Institute for International Economics

              

 Mar. 13
2011 Figures: Oikocredit Shows its Strength in Diversity              Oikocredit has concluded another year of solid return for its investors and partners, demonstrating its strength in a diverse portfolio.
Source: PR Newswire

              

 Mar. 13
India: Financial Inclusion Is Still a Long Way Off, Census              The first phase of the 2011 Census has thrown the gaps in financial inclusion into stark relief. While urban India has been getting access to, and avails itself of banking services at a rising rate, large areas of rural India are still severely under banked.
Source: The Hindu Business Line