By Nduka Chiejina, The Nation The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has established a Special Help Desk for depositors, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders of microfinance banks (MFBs) and primary Mortgage institutions (PMIs) in Nigeria. The Special Help Desk was established to compliment the NDIC’s existing Help Desk as part... 

From Daily Champion Delta Government has empowered 80,000 persons through its micro credit facility since the inception of the present administration in 2007, the state’s Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, has said. Utuama said this on Monday in Warri at the empowerment programme of Eagle Flight Micro Finance Bank Ltd in collaboration with the... 

From Nigerian Best Forum NAMB urges govt to stop ministries from establishing microfinance banks. THE Lagos Chapter of National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB) on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to prevent its agencies from establishing microfinance banks. Mr. Olufemi Babajide, the Chairman of the chapter, told the News Agency of... 

By Ben Uzor JR, Business Day Online As the Nigerian economy gears up to move into cashless mode by January 1, 2012, more banks are strengthening their electronic channels and engaging in intense lobbying to obtain mobile money licences before the end of the year. It was gathered that First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) and Ecobank Plc are already in the... 

// By Geoffrey Irungu Business Daily Africa The Central Bank of Kenya has placed a high moral standard for businesses seeking to distribute financial products from deposit-taking microfinance institutions (DTMs). The measures aimed at protecting customers will see the agents require references from the provincial administration, religious leaders... 

By Ademola Alawiye, Punch on the Web The National Association of Microfinance Banks, Lagos Chapter, has said that microfinance banks in Lagos state will target a loan portfolio of N100bn in 2012. The Chairman, NAMB, Lagos chapter, Mr. Olufemi Babajide, said at a press conference on Wednesday that the loan portfolio of MFBS in Lagos was currently at... 

From Trade Arabia Grameen-Jameel, a leading provider of microfinance, recently held its first partner meeting in Istanbul to mark its achievement of having reached 1.5 million clients living in poverty through partner microfinance institutions. The Grameen-Jameel partner meeting was inaugurated by Grameen-Jameel chairman Zaher Al Munajjed, in addition... 

By Hope Moses-Ashike, Business Day Online The board of directors of GTI Microfinance bank limited has approved an increase in share capital from N50 million to N150 million for a state license. The approval is in line with the revised regulatory guideline for microfinance banks which states that a Unit microfinance bank that intends to transform... 

From The Jakarta Post JAKARTA: The government will increase its guarantee on microloans for small industries — agriculture, maritime and fisheries and forestry — to Rp 10 trillion (US$1.1 billion) next year from Rp 6 trillion last year, an increase of 66.7 percent. President director of credit insurance company Asuransi Kredit Indonesia (Askrindo),... 

By Samuel Mungadze, The New Age Efforts to lure the “unbanked” into mainstream financial services through mobile technology have gained momentum in South Africa, with a new service that offers low-cost customer accounts using cellphones for payments, transfers and purchases. The company behind the service, Wizzit, said it had gone a step further...