【勘误】奥巴马宣布的是支持微型企业的微型金融基金
(2009-04-20 15:40:25)
标签:
小额信贷微型金融奥巴马小额信贷基金微型企业小型企业中小企业 |
分类: 小额信贷与普惠金融 |
新华网西班牙港4月18日电正在加勒比岛国特立尼达和多巴哥首都西班牙港出席第五届美洲国家首脑会议的美国总统奥巴马18日宣布,在美国政府促动下,美国和国际投资者将共同筹划成立一项初期资本为1亿美元的西半球小额信贷基金,以帮助西半球的广大小企业克服金融危机。
奥巴马在白宫发表的一份声明中说,西半球地区的广大小企业提供了大多数就业机会,但受全球金融危机影响,它们在获得资金方面面临很大困难。为缓解这一问题,经美国财政部牵线,有官方背景的美国海外资人投资公司将与美洲开发银行旗下的美洲投资公司和多边投资基金结成伙伴,共同筹划成立西半球小额信贷基金。
根据计划,该项基金总部将设在美国特拉华州,由各合作伙伴共同管理。目前有关投资方已确认投资1亿美元,作为这项基金的初期资本,其中2000万美元为证券,8000万美元为借款。该项基金最终筹资目标为2.5亿美元。(记者杨晴川蒋国鹏)
US unveils $100 mln microfinance fund for Americas
PORT OF SPAIN, April 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama
on Saturday announced the creation of a $100 million microfinance
growth fund to help small lenders in the Western Hemisphere
continue making loans despite the global recession.
"The fund will provide stable medium- and longer-term sources of
finance to microfinance institutions and microfinance investment
vehicles to help rebuild their capacity to lend during this
difficult period," the White House said in a statement.
The announcement was made while Obama was attending the Fifth
Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.
A recent report showed 565 microfinance institutions in the region
were providing $9 billion in loans to about 9 million microenterprises in the region. The lenders face a
potential shortfall of $750 million this year, it said.
Micro and small businesses provide
most of the jobs in the hemisphere, making it imperative to ensure
that credit is available to small lenders, the White House
said.
The microfinance growth fund would be a partnership of the
Multilateral Investment Fund at the Inter-American Development
Bank, the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the
Inter-American Investment Corporation.
"Debt and equity financing of $100 million, subject to each
partner's board approval, has already been identified as initial
capital for the fund," the White House said.
The Multilateral Investment Fund will take the lead role in the
initiative and will seek statements of interest next month, it
said. It will challenge private and public organizations to join
the effort, with the aim of raising a total $250 million for
microfinance.
"While the region has a wealth of microfinance institutions, these
lenders are now confronting a serious shortage of private finance
from both international and local sources," the White House said.
(Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Paul
Simao)