| 30 Nov 2008 |
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Potential Microfinance Industry in the Arab World Is Estimated at USD 5.5 billion
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25% Return on Investment. 40% Annual Growth. $4 Billion Needed.
Dubai, UAE - 30 November 2008: Microfinance is clearly emerging as a new asset class for Arab investors who are seeking low-risk investments with a stable return, according to leading industry and financial experts who gathered in Dubai today under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, Wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, Chairperson of the International Humanitarian City.
The symposium was co-hosted by Grameen-Jameel, the first social business in the Arab World, which was established as a joint venture between Grameen Foundation and Abdul Latif Jameel GroupAbdul Latif Jameel Group
of Saudi Arabia, and Blue Orchard, a Geneva-based microfinance investment manager and is sponsored by Aramex, a logistics and transportation company in the Middle East and South Asia and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) which has a program to develop micro and small business banking investments in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
More than 150 high-profile delegates from the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia and Pakistan discussed the potential of this industry in the Arab region. These included representatives from the UAE Ministry of Economy, the UAE Central Bank, Arab family offices and institutional investors. The top investment-ready microfinance institutions (MFIs) from Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia and Pakistan were showcased at the event. In addition, investors held one-on-one meetings with the MFIs to discuss financing opportunities.
Heather Henyon, General Manager of Grameen-Jameel, said: "2009 could be a banner year for microfinance in the region. The regulatory environment in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Morocco and the Sudan is opening and there is a clear move towards commercialization in the Arab World. Syria has been the first in the region to license a non-banking financial institution and Egypt is in the process of adopting a microfinance law that will shift oversight to the Ministry of Investment from the Ministry of Social Solidarity."
Product offering is also broadening to include deposits, where allowed, and insurance in addition to credit. "This will significantly increase access to financial services for people living in poverty in the Arab countries, where 60 million people live on less than USD 2 per day," she added.
This emerging regulatory environment will improve the efficacy of innovative initiatives and allow more MFIs to reach a higher number of Arab micro-entrepreneurs to help them generate income, begin to build wealth and exit poverty. This, in turn, will lead to economic development and growth in the poorer communities in the Arab World.
Despite there being about 100 active MFIs across the Arab World, only 3.5 million people are currently reached, resulting in an outstanding loan portfolio of US$ 1.3 billion. Microfinance can dramatically improve the lives of borrowers who use the profits from their business to improve the living conditions for their entire households and their communities. "At present, IFC has about $65 million outstanding to 11 MFIs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in the form of loans, guarantees and equity. In turn these MFIs have on-lent nearly $600 million to over 1.3 million micro-entrepreneurs, two-thirds of whom are women," said Deepak Khanna, Senior Program Manager of the IFC.
Grameen-Jameel and BlueOrchard are committed to expand the reach of investment-ready, high-performing Arab microfinance institutions (MFIs) which are providing financial and social services to more people in poverty, including women and the rural poor. By 2011, Grameen-Jameel aims to reach one million new microfinance clients through its partner MFIs in the Arab World. BlueOrchard is committed to develop products and services aimed at building bridges between the interests of regional investors and the needs of MFIs in the Middle East and North Africa.
"We are ready and willing to tailor our offer to the demands of the region. BlueOrchard is an experienced and established leader in commercial microfinance and a pioneer in developing innovative investments vehicles for microfinance, ranging from debt funds to structured finance products (CDOs) to private equity and including vehicles dedicated to specific geographical regions. Our ability to provide loans to MFIs in local currency like Jordanian dinars, Moroccan dirham and Syrian and Egyptian pounds, just to name some, will be instrumental for the sector's growth and success," declared Jean-Pierre Klumpp, CEO of BlueOrchard Finance S.A.
In order to meet demand for microfinance in the Arab World, an additional $4 billion of capital is needed.
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Grameen-Jameel
Grameen - Jameel is a Social Business established in 2007 as a joint venture between Grameen Foundation and Bab Rizq Jameel Limited, a subsidiary of Abdul Latif Jameel GroupAbdul Latif Jameel Group. The company alleviates poverty in the Arab World through forming strategic partnerships with microfinance institutions and providing technical and financing support. To date, Grameen-Jameel has facilitated local currency financing of $44 million backed by $20 million in guarantees to its partners. Grameen-Jameel has reached more than 200,000 new microfinance clients through its partners in Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.
BlueOrchard
BlueOrchard's mission is to empower the poor world-wide and to improve their quality of life by promoting income-generating activities through private investments in microfinance. BlueOrchard provides innovative financial instruments and solutions for placements in microfinance, bridging the gap between capital markets and microfinance institutions. BlueOrchard generate profitable returns on investments while supporting the development of millions of promising small enterprises. See www.blueorchard.com
For more information, please contact:
Riham Osama at Tel: 9714 3403005, e-mail: riham@boroujconsulting.com
Randa Mazzawi at Tel: 9714 3403005, e-mail: randa@boroujconsulting.com
Antonella Notari Vischer, BlueOrchard, at Tel: +41 22 596 47 67, e-mail: Antonella@blueorchard.com
© Press Release 2008
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