Archive for the 'MENA' Tag
Supporting growth of women-owned businesses through training and loan guarantees
By Arun Hsu, Chief of Party, Jordan Loan Guarantee Facility Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are key to innovation and an engine of economic growth and job creation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Despite the crucial... Read more...
Sailing the Seven “Cs:” Unlocking bank financing for SMEs in the Middle East
By Arun Hsu, Chief of Party, Jordan Loan Guarantee Facility In this guest post, an OPIC partner outlines a system for determining creditworthiness of potential borrowers that lack collateral and a track record of working with banks. Small and... Read more...
OPIC’s profit per employee totals $1.2 million in 2012
Earlier this week, OPIC reported strong financial results for Fiscal Year 2012, including net income of $272 million, and a 30 percent increase in financial commitments to American businesses investing in emerging markets abroad. The fact... Read more...
Emerging market private equity: Why the angel is in the details
When OPIC hosted some clients this spring for a discussion about private equity, we conducted a highly informal survey about the climate for fundraising today and the outlook for tomorrow. The results were realistic but sobering. On a scale of... Read more...
Extending the reach of microfinance
OPIC’s 2011 annual report takes a look back at the agency’s first 40 years and highlights some lending programs from the 1970s that delivered loans – sometimes in amounts less than $1,000 – to individuals and small businesses in developing... Read more...
Q & A with Jay Koh, OPIC’s Head of Investment Funds and Chief Investment Strategist
We sat down recently with the very busy Jay Koh, OPIC’s Head of Investment Funds and Chief Investment Strategist, to hear more about how investment funds support critical development challenges. Jay is preparing to be a featured speaker... Read more...
OPIC’s Monthly News Wrap-Up: March 2012
We frequently share the important pieces of journalism we find on our Facebook and Twitter feeds. Starting this month, we will also begin recapping on our blog some of the stories we consider most important to helping solve... Read more...
Timeline: A look back at OPIC’s swift response to the 2011 uprisings in the Middle East
January marks the first anniversary of the protests in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, which set off broader uprisings that spread throughout the country and much of the Arab World. In the year since then, the Egyptian government has toppled, many of the... Read more...
Elizabeth Littlefield on OPIC's year-end results and impact
Can we advance U.S. development and foreign policy and make money for the budget at the same time? Yes. And we do. Private investors such as entrepreneurs and members of diasporas are ready to invest in projects that build sustainable... Read more...
OPIC co-hosts luncheon for companies interested in investing in MENA
OPIC co-hosted a luncheon with the State Department at the Chamber of Commerce on August 11 for U.S. Companies investing, or interested in investing, in Egypt and Tunisia. OPIC’s Executive Vice President Mimi Alemayehou, and Managing Director... Read more...