Microfinance

See below for a list of independently written IBS Journal news and feature articles and IBS Intelligence Research vendor profiles, case studies and market analysis related to Microfinance Technology in order of publication date.

We cover microfinance regularly in our flagship IBS Journal. Click here for more information and to subscribe online >>

Microfinance is about providing financial services to poor individuals, and small groups and co-operatives, wherever they may be in the world, who would otherwise be unable to rise above their low-income status. Microfinance aims to assist its beneficiaries in building and sustaining a better life for themselves, usually by supporting their entrepreneurial endeavours. Providers of microfinance base the distribution of their financial products on trust and genuine knowledge of their customers, offering low interest loans and flexible repayment terms. Some providers also offer basic business training.

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Article: Intrasoft International muscles into African core banking software market

15 April 2013

Greece-based banking software vendor, Intrasoft International, is advancing in Africa with its Profits core system, with a clutch of microfinance clients in Rwanda, a significant win at a Kenyan bank, and a potential win in Uganda.

Article: Trust Systems & Software: Microfins, TrustBank

05 April 2013

Independently researched profile featuring company status, history, background, future strategy, system functionality and technical specifications, plus a verified user list for Trust Systems & Software.

Article: Case study: Finca – Flexible finc-ing

04 April 2013

International microfinance organisation, Finca, is well underway with its roll-out of Oracle FSS's Flexcube across its 21-country organisation. CIO at Finca, Braulio Oliveira, talks to IBS about the trials and tribulations of the project so far.

Article: Case study: Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation – The road less travelled

30 January 2013

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) in the Philippines took a different approach to most when it selected its core system and this had benefits and challenges further down the line when it came to the implementation. However, it...

Article: Centenary Bank issues core banking system RFP

28 January 2013

One of Uganda's largest microfinance banks, Centenary Bank, has embarked on a core banking system selection process.

Article: Case study: Compartamos Banco – Cloud on the horizon

28 November 2012

Can Mexican micro-lender, Compartamos Banco, succeed with SAP where it failed with Temenos? It is mid-project as it seeks to implement a new core system and, while running late, believes there is the commitment from the supplier to succeed this...

Article: IBS Journal Lending Supplement 2012/2013

28 November 2012

IBS's supplements give us the opportunity to dig around our chosen subject areas and, before we start, it isn't always predictable what we will find. When looking for interesting lending system stories, for instance, we weren't expecting cloud...

Article: Case studies: Renaissance Credit & Fountain Credit Services – A path to the cloud

28 November 2012

When two new microfinance institutions wanted to provide broader access to consumer credit and support their plans for rapid expansion, they launched on Temenos' T24 for microfinancing, hosted in the cloud. In doing so, Renaissance Credit Nigeria...

Article: Case study: Maxbank – Geared up to the max

08 October 2012

As a relatively new entrant on the Philippines market, Maxbank has been finding its way, with both its business strategy and the technology to underpin this.

Article: BPC Banking Technologies unveils Smartvista for Microfinance

13 September 2012

Russia-based payments software vendor, BPC, has launched a dedicated microfinance version of its flagship Smartvista payments suite. Asia, Africa and Latin America are the main target markets.

Article: Who's Bought What? – September 2012

03 September 2012

A round-up of recent orders in the financial technology sector worldwide. Misys, Oracle FSS and 3i Infotech are among the vendors gaining new deals. Eurofima in Switzerland, Michigan First Credit Union in the US, Oman-based Bank Sohar and others...

Article: Bantotal nears end of Peruvian core banking projects

28 August 2012

Uruguay-based core vendor Bantotal is entering the final stages of four projects in Peru and is bidding for three core banking software deals in the wider Latin American region. 

Article: Personnel change at Neptune Software

24 August 2012

The chairman of Neptune Software, Simeon Agu, passed away in July this year, and his daughter, Nnenna Agu, has taken over the chair of the company. Chuka Agu, the son of Simeon, is currently managing the London office of Neptune, and expects to...

Article: BPC Banking Technologies spearheads Asia

24 July 2012

Russia-based payments software provider, BPC Banking Technologies, has landed four new deals in Central and South East Asia, bringing the number of its Smartvista payments platform users in the region to 13. It continues to target ACI Worldwide's...

Article: Banking software provider Probanx seeks buyer

17 July 2012

Probanx Information Systems, the Cyprus-based banking software provider, is looking for a buyer. Georg Roider, who owns 85 per cent of Probanx, describes his business as a 'small company with a big product'.

Article: Trust Systems & Software makes progress outside India

04 July 2012

India-based core vendor, Trust Systems & Software, has signed Commercial Credit in Sri Lanka for its Trustbank core banking system and is bidding to replace Oracle FSS's Flexcube at Laxmi Bank in Nepal.

Article: Top Systems, core banking vendor in Latin America, acquired by Stefanini Group

21 June 2012

Uruguay-based Top Systems, developer of the Topaz Banking core system, has joined Stefanini Group. Topaz will continue to be developed and marketed, and will gain the option of an ASP deployment. The mid-tier Latin and Central American banking sector...

Article: Standard Bank prepares for agency banking in Africa with Infosys

08 June 2012

Having made a success of agency banking at home, Standard Bank is to roll out the model in the rest of Africa. It has selected Infosys' Finacle Digital Commerce platform for this.

Article: Appzone's Bankone core system spreads in Nigerian microfinance sector

30 May 2012

Appzone Group, originally a supplier of e-payment solutions to Nigeria's commercial banks, has moved into supplying core banking software for the country's microfinance sector. 

Article: Analysis: Mobile money in North Africa – Cash converters

28 May 2012

The North African market is starting to see some movement in the mobile money space. Who's been doing what over the past twelve months or so?

Article: Case study: Creova – Making waves

28 May 2012

Mobile payment services in North Africa have received a fair bit of attention in the past twelve months or so. French technology firm, Creova, and its various partners are seeking the next M-Pesa-style success story, starting in Tunisia.

Article: Analysis: Islamic Banking in North Africa – Room for growth

28 May 2012

Islamic banking in North Africa has been very slow to take off. A recent paper by the African Development Bank offers some insight as to how the industry has been held back, and how it can progress. We also ask how Islamic banking has developed...

Article: Imon International makes core system decision

21 May 2012

Tajikistan-based microfinance organisation, Imon International, has selected R-Style Softlab's RS-Bank core banking system to help it transform into a retail bank.

Article: Free Webinar: How To Improve Negotiation and Contracting Techniques with Technology Vendors

23 April 2012

Our free webinar How To Improve Negotiation & Contracting Techniques with Technology Vendors took place on Wed 25th April 2012 (a recording of the webinar is available to view on our

Article: Russian vendors Sales League Table 2012 (results Jan-Dec 2011)

01 March 2012

Who was up and who was down in 2011? BIS, CFT, Diasoft, Fors Banking Systems, Inversia and R-Style Softlab compete for the top spot in this year's Sales League Table of Russian suppliers. Article contents: International banks...

Article: Who's Bought What? – March 2012

01 March 2012

A round-up of recent orders in the financial technology sector worldwide. Fundtech, Infosys, Nasdaq OMX and Autosoft Dynamics are among the vendors to sign new deals. Suncorp, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Nib...

Article: Capital Global Banking implementations near completion in Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast

28 November 2011

A couple of core banking implementation projects involving system supplier Capital Banking Solutions are drawing to a close in West Africa. These are at Sonapost, the post office in Burkina Faso, and Cofipa, a small retail bank in Ivory Coast.

Article: Covenant MFB implements Neptune's microfinance solution

01 November 2011

Neptune beats Temenos to deal at Nigerian microfinance bank.

Article: Oracle FSS – Flexcube – Microfinance – Prasac MFI – Cambodia

24 October 2011

New case study added in our Core Banking Systems Case Studies publication: Prasac Microfinance Institution's roots date back to the mid...

Article: Who's Bought What? – September 2011

08 September 2011

A round-up of recent orders in the financial technology sector worldwide. Surecomp, Polaris, Fiserv, ICS and others have gained new deals. Unicredit, SocGen, Scotiabank and Ficombank are among the financial institutions that have acquired new...

Article: CIFL in Sri Lanka signs with Trust Systems for microfinance and core banking

19 August 2011

CIFL in Sri Lanka has signed for microfinance and core banking software from Indian vendor Trust Systems. CIFL will use the software to expand in northern Sri Lanka. 

Article: BPR Lestari live on Wincore core banking system from WBK

03 August 2011

BPR Lestari, a savings and lending institution in Bali, Indonesia, has recently gone live with the Wincore core banking solution offered by WBK, a local vendor.

Article: Go-lives for Bantotal core banking system

22 July 2011

Banks in Paraguay and Uruguay have recently gone live on local vendor Bantotal's core banking solution. Meanwhile, Bantotal's rival, Top Systems, has signed a new customer in Peru.

Article: Analysis: Islamic Banking Systems – Lending

08 July 2011

Islamic lending serves the same basic purpose as its conventional counterpart but takes a wholly different route. What do technologists make of the gap?

Article: R-Style Softlab gains core banking deal in Tajikistan

14 April 2011

Russia-based banking software developer, R-Style Softlab, has landed a deal in Tajikistan at a microcredit entity, Arvand, for its RS-Bank core system. This brings the system's user base in the country to five, overtaking rival, CFT.

Article: Compartamos Banco to standardise on SAP

22 March 2011

As recently reported by IBS, Compartamos Banco, a Mexico-based microfinance bank, has embarked on a major core banking conversion with SAP. Compartamos' IT director tells IBS the details of the project.

Article: Microcred moves forward with T24 core banking implementation in China

14 March 2011

Microcred Group has gone live with Temenos' T24 core banking system for one of its two sites in China, adding to live sites in Africa. The group has altered its implementation plans following change management issues.

Article: T24 running on Microsoft's Azure cloud for Mexican MFIs

07 March 2011

Twelve microfinance institutions in Mexico are planning to move their T24 core banking systems away from a traditional hosting model and onto Microsoft's Azure cloud.

Article: Compartamos embarks on core banking replacement project with SAP

25 February 2011

Compartamos Banco, a microfinance institution in Mexico with two million customers, has started an implementation of SAP for Banking, which includes a core banking offering, BPM and CRM solutions.

Article: Who's Bought What? – February 2011

02 February 2011

A round-up of recent orders in the financial technology sector worldwide. Oracle FSS, Surecomp, Vermeg, ERI and others have announced new deals. Cal Israel, DBS Bank, SocGen Corporate and Investment Bank, CIMB Group and Indian Bank are among the ...

Article: India's nationwide federation of co-op banks and credit unions unveils ASP-based core banking software

22 December 2010

India-based National Federation of Urban Co-op Banks and Credit Societies (Nafcub) is encouraging IT modernisation among its 1700+ members by launching new core banking software on an ASP basis for its members to rent. TCS, Theme Technologies,...

Article: Cambodia-based microfinance entity, AMK, live on Fern's Abacus core system

03 December 2010

AMK, a microfinance institution in Cambodia with 25 branches and 200,000 clients, has completed its roll-out of Fern Software's Abacus microfinance product. The new system replaced FAO-GTZ's Microbanking offering. 

Article: Musoni live on qPayintegrator for microfinance mobile payments

03 November 2010

Dutch/Kenyan microfinance specialist, Musoni, is targeting repayment of loans and deposits via mobile within a newly launched service. Romania-based BIS has provided the underlying payments engine.

Article: Sanasa Development Bank: terms of reference

29 September 2010

What makes Sanasa Development Bank's experience with Fiserv's Signature one that it is happy to share?

Article: Laser Soft's Intellect Core system taken by Indian co-op

27 September 2010

Nilambur Co-operative Urban Bank has selected the core banking offering from Laser Soft Infosystems.

Article: FINO develops own core banking system, drops Oracle FSS's Flexcube

16 September 2010

India-based Financial Information Network and Operations (FINO) has replaced Oracle FSS's Flexcube core banking system with a Microsoft-based in-house development. FINO is now taking the system outside the domestic market as its international...

Article: Friends re-united

09 September 2010

CGAP and Grameen Foundation’s recent virtual conference asked how vendors, MFIs and their supporters might work together to create better back office technology. Tom Alford rounds up delegate suggestions during and after the event.

Article: Probanx signs new core banking software deals in Seychelles and Georgia

31 August 2010

Cyprus-based core banking systems vendor, Probanx, has made inroads into the Seychelles and Georgia with its flagship offering, Coreplus.

Article: Uruguay's Top Systems gains global microfinance software deal with BBVA

27 August 2010

Uruguayan vendor Top Systems has recently signed with BBVA Foundation to provide the technology solution for the microfinance organisations affiliated to the foundation.

Article: Biometrics for microfinance: Body talk

20 August 2010

As any villain, nuclear bunker worker or James Bond fan may attest, biometrics is a system that uses uniquely identifiable physical or behavioural human characteristics as a form of identity, access management and surveillance. In this article we...