The Indian government is planning to reintroduce a microfinance bill to Parliament that would significantly impact the regulation of the rapidly growing microfinance industry, which has reportedly been growing at almost 52 percent per year for the last three years in terms of client outreach.
SBI Mutual Fund has launched an equity-based micro-systematic investment plan, called SBI Chota-SIP. The plan, which aimed at low-income households, allows a person to invest in mutual funds with a minimum sum of Rs 100 a month.
India’s Microfinance institutions reached 76.6 million against last year’s 59 million, according to the “State of the Sector Report” released on Monday in New Delhi.Compiled by N. Srinivasan, the report was released as part of the annual Microfinance India Summit 2009.
From the global funders, there was a steady flow of funds though the investment cycles turned a little longer due to credit crisis. India Financial Inclusion Fund (IFIF), an off-shore India-focused equity fund for microfinance companies and enablers, has achieved a final close of $90 million.
The year 2009 may go down as the watershed year for the Indian microfinance industry. Marked by strong growth and pioneering deals the industry is riding high, growing at a rapid pace of 100%-200% year-on-year
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The World Bank Group’s work focuses on supporting equitable local financial markets and building a strong microfinance sector in developing markets. The different members of the World Bank Group play complementary roles in achieving our goal of universal access to finance.
IFC is the World Bank Group’s lead investor in microfinance, more than doubling its investment in commercial microfinance in the last two years. IFC is the top International Financial Institutions investor in terms of outreach to Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), reaching 130 clients by 2009.
Washington Mutual, one of the largest US banks and also one of the top subprime lenders, was shut down by regulators following extensive losses in its mortgage portfolio and a $17 billion run on its deposits. Though its shareholders were certainly wiped out, depositors and secured creditors suffered no losses, and unsecured creditors lost “only” $12 billion, that is about 4% of the company’s assets.
According to Mr. Attali, who is President of PlaNet Finance, micro-credit plays a key role in development efforts targeting the poorest segments of the population, and micro-finance sources need to be preserved at a time when the global financial crisis is severely hitting Africa. The continent has made steady progress over the last decade, building the foundations for higher growth rates and poverty reduction.
The World Microfinance Forum Geneva organized a full day workshop for managers responsible for micro and small loan portfolios. Selected financial institutions from a developed country (Switzerland) and a developing country (Bolivia) presented their respective lending methodologies, and a moderator facilitated an exchange of experiences.
Third World (TW) development is now half a century old and coincides with a period of substantial Northern economic aid to the economies of Third World countries. Despite this assistance, TW poverty continues. This situation has been caused by several critical factors, yet current literature mainly blames the orthodox development approach, which fosters channeling foreign aid and loans through state and para-state agencies.
Nearly three billion people in developing countries have little or no access to formal financial services that can help them increase their incomes and improve their lives. Access to a range of microfinance services—savings, loans, and money transfers—enables poor families to invest in enterprises, better nutrition, improved living conditions, and the health and education of their children. It is also a powerful catalyst for women’s empowerment.
