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Cooperation agreements

[+] BABYLOAN

"They contribute to finding the solidarity loans for the MFIs that we support: cooperation with babyloan.org"

Babyloan was the first solidarity microcredit Internet site in France. It enables Internet users from countries of the North to finance projects by micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries via small no-interest loans.
The Foundation holds 5% of Babyloan’s capital and participates in the platform’s development:

  • by providing its expertise;
  • by helping to expand the circle of MFI partners;
  • by informing the Crédit Agricole’s Caisse Régionale network about Babyloan.

Babyloan represents an extra source of financing for MFIs, and ABC Microfinance plays an active role in communication to and education of the general public.

http://www.babyloan.org/en/

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[+] CERISE

“They help us to integrate the measure of the social performance into our investments, and to promote it actively with our partners.”

The Foundation has formed a partnership with CERISE (Comité d’Echanges, de Réflexion et d’Information sur les Systèmes d’Epargne-crédit), which stems from four French development NGOs, in order to include SPI (Social Performance Indicators) in its analysis tools. Based on a 4-dimensional group of criteria (targeting of the poor and excluded / adaptation of services and products to target clients / social and economic benefits for the clients / the institution's social responsibility), this methodology makes it possible to understand the degree to which the institution conforms to its social mission and to compare it to its peers. The Foundation has included criteria for evaluating the social quality of its own action within its analysis tool. By adopting a tool that is standardised and accepted in the sector, the Foundation helps to popularise it. This makes it possible to lighten reporting and information-collection constraints weighing on the MFIs and to establish references.

http://www.cerise-microfinance.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=263

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[+] TCX

“They help us to propose suitable financing in local currencies to MFIs: agreement with the Dutch fund TCX.”

The Foundation wished to contribute to and participate in an innovative project that could enlarge hedging solutions, with longer periods and with currencies that are not yet offered by the main financial markets.
Launched in September 2007, TCX is an innovative financial institution whose sole objective is to provide long-term currency and interest rate derivatives for project financing in developing countries. TCX offers hedging tools for currencies and maturities that are not effectively provided by commercial banks.

Only investors can carry out an operation with the TCX fund. That's why the Foundation purchased, in August 2010, a participation of 2.4 million USD in the TCX fund, along with Oikocredit.

http://www.tcxfund.com/

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[+] Principality of Monaco – Office of International Cooperation

“They help in the technical assistance the Foundation proposes to its MFI partners: cooperation agreement with the Government of Monaco.”

In Monaco, on 10 March 2010, the Foundation signed a privileged partnership agreement with the Government of Monaco and Crédit Foncier de Monaco, a subsidiary of the Crédit Agricole Group, the principality's main bank. The agreement seeks to mobilise the financing and technical-assistance capacities of the three partners, on behalf of microfinance institutions and social-business projects in developing countries, mainly in Africa. Crédit Foncier de Monaco allows willing staff members to work on technical-assistance missions for the Foundation, at no charge. The other costs entailed by these missions are paid by the Foundation and Monaco's Office of International Cooperation.

http://www.cooperation-monaco.gouv.mc/315Coop/wwwnew.nsf/HomeGb

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[+] AFD

“They guarantee some of the Foundation’s risks in Africa and the Middle East: AFD’s ARIZ guarantee agreement to help the Foundation.”

The AFD (French Development Agency) wishes to support Grameen Crédit Agricole Microfinance Foundation in its approach in Africa and the Middle East by allowing it to benefit from its ARIZ guarantee mechanism:

- An initial guarantee operation covering 50% of the financing granted to an MFI in Kenya has been accepted.
- The AFD Board has approved a guarantee of 50% of a portfolio operation by the Foundation, covering loans and guarantees granted to MFIs in several African and Middle Eastern countries, being carried out in various currencies.

http://www.afd.fr/jahia/Jahia/lang/en/home

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[+] CREDIT AGRICOLE GROUP

“The Crédit Agricole Group bodies provide the Foundation support in terms of expertise, networking and technical support.”

Crédit Agricole S.A.

Besides the donation of 50 million euros to the Foundation in 2008, Crédit Agricole S.A. covered the Foundation's costs in preparing the launch and start-up of operations in 2008 and provides it constant support, especially in legal matters, human resources, communication, risk control and conformity.

CACEIS Bank Luxembourg

CACEIS Bank Luxembourg, a subsidiary of CACEIS (which is a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole S.A. in France) ensures the administrative (back-office) and accounting processing of the Foundation's operations.

CACEIS Bank Luxembourg is also the Foundation's custodian bank and provides its support services in the operating of the governance bodies.

Crédit Agricole – Corporate & Investment Bank (CA-CIB)

CA-CIB makes its expertise in interest-rate and exchange risk hedging operations available to the Foundation and, at the request of the latter, issues Stand-By Letters of Credit for banks that grant local financing in local currency to the Foundation's MFI partners. These guarantees are an effective means of financing these institutions without exposing them to exchange risk.
Above and beyond the services, CA-CIB heightens the awareness of its customers regarding the development of social-business type companies.


AMUNDI

Amundi provides support to the design and engineering of financial innovations that will enable the Foundation to have extra financial resources to develop its action.
IDEAM, a subsidiary of Amundi specialised in Socially Responsible Investment has in particular created the unit trust Danone Communities and the Amundi-AFD Avenirs Durables Fund, which enable individual or institutional investors to invest either in social-business projects proposed by Danone, or in development projects proposed by Proparco, a subsidiary of AFD.  
  

The retail bank subsidiaries of Crédit Agricole S.A. established in the Foundation's target countries
A certain number of direct or indirect subsidiaries of Crédit Agricole S.A. in emerging countries contribute to the development of the Foundation's operations.

http://www.credit-agricole.com/en

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[+] E-MFP

"They help us give a European outlook to the action of the foundation and to share our experiences with other microfinance organisations based in Europe: the Foundation is a member of the European Microfinance Platform – e-MFP"

The European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) was created in 2007, at the initiative of Luxembourg. It brings together most of the organisations based in Europe that support the development of microfinance in developing countries. It acts as a forum of exchanges among NGOs, investment funds and academics. It is presided by Mr Marc Bichler, Director of Cooperation and Development at the Grand Duchy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thanks to the microfinance seminars organised every year in November in Luxembourg, the Foundation has been able to meet many actors as well as talk about its own practices and experiences. It also participates in some of the platform's working groups.

http://www.e-mfp.eu/

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[+] CONVERGENCES 2015

"They enable us to dialogue with the other French stakeholders of microfinance, development and social entrepreneurship: Convergences 2015"

The Foundation's action falls within the perspective of the United Nations Development Goals, especially the fight against poverty and the eradication of malnutrition. Convergences 2015 was created in 2008 at the initiative of ACTED, one of the main French development NGOs, in order to mobilise all the French actors of microfinance and social entrepreneurship so that these Goals are reached by 2015. The Foundation has worked together with Convergences 2015 since it began, and it participates actively in its working groups. The main initiative of Convergences 2015 is the annual Forum, which brought together 1200 participants in the Hôtel de Ville de Paris (Paris City Hall) in 2010, and whose next edition is scheduled for 3, 4 and 5 May, again at the Hôtel de Ville de Paris, in partnership with the newspaper "Le Monde."

http://www.convergences2015.org/EN/Home

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[+] Micro Insurance Network

« They provide us with a platform for exchange and learning on agricultural microinsurance. »

 

The MicroInsurance Netsork promotes the development and proliferation of good-value insurance products for low-income persons by providing a platform for information sharing and stakeholder coordination. In support of its mission, the Microinsurance Network:

  • Distils and disseminates lessons learnt to promote client-driven and good-value insurance;
  • Raises awareness on the demand and potential for microinsurance among key stakeholders;
  • Contributes to the development of good practices for the industry.

The Microinsurance Network works with a broad range of stakeholders and maintains in all its activities low income and poor people at its centre, prioritising work and actions that meet clients’ needs and protects their interests and well-being.

www.microinsurancenetwork.org

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[+] CICA - Confédération Internationale du Crédit Agricole

"They help us to promote ideas about the evolution of agricultural financing among the public, governments and specialised agencies"

CICA is a global non-profit association. It brings together agricultural banks and other institutions engaged in financing agriculture and the rural sector.

The CICA contacts elected leaders and CEOs of these institutions with the aim of:

  • providing them with the latest knowledge to guide their policy-making;
  • encouraging exchange and dialogue between them;
  • stimulating their interest in favour of improved financial services for agriculture and the rural sector.

The CICA also aims to promote ideas relating to the evolution of agricultural financing towards the general public, governments and specialised agencies.

The Grameen Crédit Agricole Microfinance Foundation, a new member of CICA, will be able to benefit from the global network of the Confederation and thus attract members or key partners in the fields of agricultural and rural financing. Indeed, CICA maintains close relations with AFRACA (Nairobi), NENARACA (Jordan) and APRACA (Thailand) and seek to improve their awareness of microfinance and social business.

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