By Jonathan Lewis, Huffington Post - My blog last week on the deplorable microfinance situation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh concluded that — while hysteria and expediency are precipitating a media and political overreaction — the microfinance industry needs to take heed. The mythology of microfinance extols the marketplace... 

By Padmapriya & Madhav Chanchani, VC Circle - There could be private capital inflow of at least Rs 1,500 cr (subject to deal closures) in the short term. The short-lived euphoria of India’s first blockbuster microfinance IPO, SKS Microfinance, and the business environment uncertainty in Andhra Pradesh (following regulatory changes), which... 

From Nigerian Tribune - The  Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) will soon commence the payment of NI.6 billion claims to customers of microfinance banks whose licenses were revoked. A source in the corporation disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, on Monday. He said beneficiaries would be depositors of 79 microfinance... 

From Himalayan News Service - KATHMANDU: Microfinance institutions (MFIs) have proved that poor could also be credit worthy and they donot default loan, said the microfinance experts here today. “MFIs have proved that poor can also save,” said Shankar Man Shrestha, chief executive officer of Rural Microfinance Development Centre (RMDC) addressing... 

From Business Recorder - At a time when Micro-finance Institutions (MFIs) are under the assault of Indian politicians Bangladesh has announced that it intends to cap the annual interest rate MFIs can charge at 27 percent – the UK-based Economist’s Intelligence Unit report ‘global microscope on Micro-finance business environment... 

From Business Standard - In an effort to distance itself from the controversy surrounding microfinance institutions (MFIs), the Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC), the self-regulatory organisation of non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) in asset financing, plans to approach the Malegam Committee, set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)... 

By Dinesh Unnikrishnan & C.R. Sukumar, Livemint - Mumbai/Hyderabad: A debt swap proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government to help borrowers in the state switch from high-cost microfinance loans to low-cost bank loans is likely to be met with a tepid response from bankers, who fear that such an arrangement could hurt asset quality because microlenders... 

By Chris Agabi, Daily Trust - Lagos — To benefit from the about 70 percent (about 54 million) unbanked Nigerian adults, the United Bank for Africa Plc has gotten approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to deploy mobile banking on its platform. The Group Managing Director UBA Mr. Philips Oduoza disclosed this in Lagos at the weekend during... 

Press Release - In a bid to increase insurance penetration, CIC Insurance has launched M-Bima, an insurance premium payment instrument that rides on mobile money transfer platforms such as M-Pesa. Policy holders with CIC Insurance will now remit as little as KES20 premium payment through their cell phones. CIC has already signed up with Safaricom’s... 

By BV Mahalakshmi, The Financial Express - SKS Microfinance, hit by large-scale defaults by borrowers following the Andhra Pradesh government ordinance on regulating micro finance institutions (MFIs), is running the risk of losing its corporate partners. Retail, insurance, housing finance and FMCG companies that had made a beeline to SKS Microfinance,...