Why pension funds should consider impact investing
BlueOrchard Chief Executive, Philipp Müller, explains why pension funds should consider impact investing and how it can meet their growing appetite for integrating sustainability into their portfolios. The current market environment poses significant challenges for institutional investors, particul
Blended Finance: Today and Tomorrow
BlueOrchard Chief Impact & Blended Finance Officer, Maria Teresa Zappia and Valerie Harrington, Associate Fund Manager, explain the state of blended finance, and the role it has to play in times of market turmoil. Taking a ‘blended’ approach to development finance has been on the rise sinc
#BOFaces – Meet Nino
Have you ever wondered who the people behind BlueOrchard are? As part of our #BOFaces series, we are happy to introduce Nino Pataraia, Senior Investment Officer at BlueOrchard in Georgia. We have interviewed Nino to better understand what drives her and why she enjoys working in the impact investing
Insights from the investment team: The impact of Covid-19 for microfinance investing
On a recent webinar, Sebastien Juhen, Lead Portfolio Manager for the BlueOrchard Microfinance Fund and Matthew Sparkes, Chief Risk Officer and General Counsel, shared their views on the implications of the current Covid-19 pandemic for microfinance investing. They also discussed insights from the in
International Women’s Day: #EachforEqual
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #EachforEqual, so we asked some of our people what equality means to them and how they are helping to contribute to a more equal society. Thanks to Milka Maina, Martin Gahr, Njeri Ng’ang’a, Peter Fanconi, Nino Pataraia, L
#BOFaces – Meet Fabien
Have you ever wondered who the people behind BlueOrchard are? As part of our #BOFaces series, we are happy to introduce Fabien Pietroforte, Product Control Manager at BlueOrchard in Luxembourg. We have interviewed Fabien to better understand what drives him and why he enjoys working in the impact in
How microfinance investment can empower female entrepreneurs and contribute to closing the credit gap
BlueOrchard Chief Executive, Patrick Scheurle, explains why investing in women is important, not just to overcome inequality but also to build stronger economies and better quality of life for society as a whole: Despite considerable efforts over recent years, gender inequality is still a consistent
#BOFaces – Meet Michelle
Have you ever wondered who the people behind BlueOrchard are? As part of our #BOFaces series, we are happy to introduce Michelle Carrasco, Office Manager in our Lima office. We have interviewed Michelle to better understand what drives her and why she enjoys working in the impact investing industry.
This is my story: Enkhtungalag Dugar
My name is Enkhtungalag, I live with my four children and husband in Darkhan City, Mongolia. After the textile factory where I was working went bankrupt, I took the opportunity to set up my own business creating all kinds of knitwear products. In the beginning I faced financial difficulties, particu
Why adaptation is as important as mitigation when it comes to climate action
When talking about climate action, there is naturally a tendency to focus primarily on climate change mitigation. When faced with a potential disaster, the automatic response is to think about what can be done to stop it from happening. However, the current climate emergency also demands adaptation
This is my story
My name is Oybi Salimova from Tajikistan. I am a housewife and needlewoman as well as a mother of four children. My success story began in 2014, when I applied for a loan from FINCA Tajikistan in the amount 5,000 TJS for the first time. This loan radically turned my life around and brought a [&helli
Interview with Asia Insurance’s CEO: Ihtsham Ul Haq Qureshi
Mr Qureshi, can you tell us about the insurance industry in Pakistan, and the history of Asia Insurance? Mr Qureshi: Asia Insurance Company Limited (“Asia”) is an insurance company, which offers a wide range of insurance products. It was established in 1979, commencing business in 1980, and is l
On the Road to India
BlueOrchard regularly organises field trips to the countries that we invest in to provide insights into microfinance and impact investing for our investors. These trips offer participants an opportunity to experience our activities first hand, and often include meetings with micro-entrepreneurs, mic
BlueOrchard 2019 Holiday Wishes
This year for the holidays BlueOrchard is making a donation on behalf of our clients and partners supporting the Tanzanian Kingdom Pre- and Primary School in Arusha. Because the school lacks sufficient classrooms for its 257 students, the donations will go towards building two fully equipped classro
This is my story
My name is Bejaze Llausha. I am from Vushtrri but I live and work in Pristina, the capital city of Kosovo. I am a tailor by profession, and about two years ago, I decided to develop my own business. Due to lack of financial resources, I decided to take a loan. I applied in many […]
Interview with Global Parametrics’ CEO: Hector Ibarra
Hector, what is GP’s story? Hector: GP has a unique business model designed to fill the massive gap for risk models and financial protection against disaster risks in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). GP aims to lead the market in providing access to sustainable risk transfer services b
#BOFaces – Meet Rémi
Have you ever wondered who the people behind BlueOrchard are? As part of our #BOFaces series, we are happy to introduce Rémi Filippi, Senior Investment Officer in our Nairobi office. We have interviewed Rémi to better understand what drives him and why he enjoys working in the impact investing in
Interview with Inclusive Guarantee’s CEO: Vance Abissa
Vance, what is Inclusive Guarantee’s story? Vance: Inclusive Guarantee was established in France in 2007 as an insurance broker and consultant specialized in micro-insurance and inclusive social protection in West Africa. We opened local subsidiaries in Senegal in 2011 and in Mali, Burkina
#BOFaces – Meet Tsira
Have you ever wondered who the people behind BlueOrchard are? As part of our #BOFaces series, we are happy to introduce Tsira Zhorzholiani, Team Leader Operations at our Tbilisi office. We have interviewed Tsira to better understand what drives him and why she enjoys working in the impact investing
#This is my story
My name is Absator Alimov. I am 48 years old and live with my beloved family in the countryside of Vakhsh in the district of Tajikistan. As my ancestors were before me, I am also engaged in agriculture, namely crop production, animal farming and beekeeping. These are the main sources of income for m