Dear RFILC members,

Our September’s insight issue will start by focusing on a new synthesis report by the Asia-Pacific Rural and the Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), titled: “Tell-tale signs finance farming is ready to scale: Demonstrated impact of pilot projects in China, Indonesia and the Philippines”. The two agencies have been working together for several years to expand pro-poor rural financial services in different contexts with a view to strengthening local economies. They provide targeted support to financial service providers and institutions and have developed a compendium of best practices for knowledge sharing and transfer in different operational environments. This report shares what has been learned about the effectiveness of specific interventions piloted in China, Indonesia and the Philippines to improve inclusive rural financial services. The document comprises the impact on communities, agricultural value chain actors, financial institutions and policymakers on selected rural finance good practices, such as on cash-flow based lending, agricultural value chain finance, Islamic finance system and others.

Secondly, in lieu of the recently held UN Climate Action Summit in New York, we are pleased to share with you the latest report from the BlueOrchard titled: “Rethinking Climate Finance: Opportunities and Challenges for Financial Players” which focuses on how to increase private sector engagement in climate financing. Compiled in cooperation with the FINEXUS Center for Financial Networks and Sustainability of the University of Zurich, this study discusses climate-related risks and their impact, especially in less-developed countries as well as potential economic losses in the financial system. Building on experience and knowledge in the asset management industry, the study highlights the urgent need but also great opportunity for private sector players to develop portfolios that are more resilient to climate-related risks and that thrive in low-carbon economies.

Finally, the African Microfinance Week (referred to as the SAM, based on the French acronym), a major international conference which is organized by the Appui au Développement Autonome (ADA) with the support of the Luxembourg’s Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, will take place in Ouagadougo, Burkina Faso from 21th to 25th October 2019. The main ambition of the SAM is to provide a unified African platform for exchange on the issues facing the microfinance sector on the African continent by bringing together a broad range of professionals from the sector – investors, MFIs, researchers, banks, networks, innovators, governments and others. Through a range of plenary events and breakout sessions, SAM 2019 will address the following themes, among others: Agricultural Finance, Macro-Level Alignment with SDGs, Digital Finance and Fintech, Cash Transfers, Small & Medium Enterprise Development and Youth Employment, Gender Inequality. To register please click here.

With best regards,
The RFILC Editorial Team