February 19, 2013
An interdepartmental OPIC team traveled to Kenya in 2012 to monitor the performance of three financial institutions whose microfinance lending is supported by the agency: Musoni, the Kenya Women’s Finance Trust DTM Ltd (KWFT), and Equity Bank. Over the course of three days, members of OPIC’s Office of Investment Policy, Portfolio Management Department, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Finance Department, and Read more…
February 08, 2013
In Nairobi, Kenya, Equity Bank CEO Dr. James Mwangi (center) introduces OPIC President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield to Equity Bank agent Maureen Wambugu (right). One of the bank’s community branches is surrounded by several local businesses, including a second hand shoe trader, whose owner used an Equity Bank micro loan to expand his business. OPIC is providing $8.45 million in Read more…
January 25, 2013
This image from a screen recapping events at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland captures a quote from OPIC President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield. She is speaking on a panel about Scaling Social Innovation, and is participating in multiple events at the Forum exploring ways to address transformative social and environmental change.
January 16, 2013
An interdepartmental OPIC team traveled to Kenya last year to monitor the performance of three financial institutions whose microfinance lending is supported by the agency: Musoni, the Kenya Women’s Finance Trust DTM Ltd (KWFT), and Equity Bank. Over the course of three days, members of OPIC’s Office of Investment Policy, Portfolio Management Department, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Finance Department, and Read more…
November 19, 2012
One of the core ways that OPIC carries out its mission to help channel private capital to address the world’s toughest development challenges is by working with microfinance institutions. In this guest post on the CGAP Microfinance Blog, Richard Greenberg and Loren Rodwin, Managing Directors, Micro and SME Finance at OPIC, outline some of the key ways OPIC is working Read more…
November 12, 2012 Today, the World Economic Forum will host what is billed as “the world’s largest brainstorming meeting” – the Summit on the Global Agenda. Eight hundred leaders from the world’s business, political and academic communities will discuss ways to foster sustainable business practices to help build a “greener and socially more inclusive world.” The topic of focus at this year’s forum Read more…
October 26, 2012
OPIC President & CEO Elizabeth Littlefield, Equity Bank founder James Mwangi (far left) and other bank representatives visit a branch in Nairobi, Kenya, to learn more about improving financial inclusion through microfinance and mobile banking technologies. The OPIC-supported Helios Sub-Saharan Africa Fund invested in Equity Bank, which has operations throughout East Africa.
October 12, 2012
Lillian Alwi, right, leads students in song at the Ongata Pine Breeze Academy outside Nairobi, Kenya. As school director, Alwi has used two loans from the Kenya Women’s Finance Trust (KWFT) to build Pine Breeze into a bustling source of hope for more than 500 children from a poor community in the Ngong Hills – “my passion,” she says. OPIC Read more…
October 09, 2012
An interdepartmental OPIC team traveled to Kenya in June to monitor the performance of three financial institutions whose microfinance lending is supported by the agency: Musoni, the Kenya Women’s Finance Trust, and Equity Bank. Over the course of three days, members of OPIC’s Office of Investment Policy, Portfolio Management Department, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Finance Department, and Office of External Read more…
September 13, 2012
Paraguayan entrepreneur Mercedes Cabrera de Idiarte started a clothing manufacturing business with five sewing machines, and today has 25 machines, 36 employees and sells apparel across Paraguay, generating annual revenue of 200 million guarani (about USD $45,000). Cabrera began working with the local Banco Familiar 19 years ago and her credit line with has risen to 15 million guarani. She used Read more…
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