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Browse recent blogs of interest to the Marketlinks community. Use the search box or the filters on the left-hand side to refine the listing of blogs by keyword, topic, and/or region/country.

The “Domino Effect” of Disbursing a Single Microloan

Society Development Committee, or SDC, based in Faridpur, Bangladesh, is a microfinance partner of the Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition Activity, funded by USAID and implemented by ACDI/VOCA. Through this partnership, thousands of people working in Bangladesh’s livestock sector have benefited from microfinance products.

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Photo by ACDI/VOCA

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Lazar Vujaklija, Western Balkans Private Equity Fund (WPBE). Photo credit: USAID CATALYZE

Navigating the Transition from Family Business to Investor-Ready Company in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Author(s):

USAID CATALYZE Mobilizing Private Capital for Development
The USAID CATALYZE Engines of Growth (EoG) Activity and the USAID Diaspora Invest Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina are creating new investment opportunities in the country. While domestic family businesses have developed over generations, they need to prepare to find investors and for future investments. This was the driving force behind the organization of the “Family Business: Next Generation” workshop, which brought together representatives from 28 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Granum Food, produced by the Serbian company Suncokret, is a women-owned family business that exports pumpkin, almond and cinnamon butter to the United States. Suncokret benefitted from USAID CATALYZE EoG’s support through Filly Foods’s technical assistance in marketing and access to new markets. Photo credit: USAID CATALYZE

Fostering Growth for Women-Led SMEs: Insights from USAID CATALYZE’s Engines of Growth Activity in the Western Balkans

Author(s):

USAID CATALYZE Mobilizing Private Capital for Development
In the Western Balkans, women entrepreneurs face notable challenges in accessing finance, stemming from issues such as high collateral requirements, societal norms, and financial literacy gaps. USAID CATALYZE Engines of Growth (EoG) in the Western Balkans addresses these challenges by establishing a network of Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs) and promoting alternative financing sources tailored to SME needs.Learning from Experience:
Mila Markovic Pejcic, CATALYZE EoG MEL expert

Synergies in Learning: USAID CATALYZE EoG Hosts Regional Event to Ignite SME Financing in the Western Balkans

Author(s):

USAID CATALYZE Mobilizing Private Capital for Development
Belgrade, Serbia — September 15, 2023 — The USAID CATALYZE Western Balkans Engines of Growth (EoG) Activity successfully concluded its regional learning event, “Synergy in Learning: Catalyzing SMEs Financing in the Western Balkans,” held in Belgrade, Serbia on September 14th and 15th, 2023.
WM Equity Director Vladimir Pavlović at CATALYZE EoG Learning Event in Belgrade, where financial experts, partners, and business advisory service providers discussed private equity.

Opening Doors to Private Equity in the Western Balkans

Author(s):

USAID CATALYZE Mobilizing Private Capital for Development
USAID CATALYZE Partners with Private Equity Fund to Ready SMEs for Private Investors Increasingly, global private investors are eyeing the Western Balkans as the potential for diversifying their portfolios. While private equity financing can raise working capital for a company through restructuring ownership and/or management, few small- and medium-sized business owners in the region are aware of, understand, or desire such a private equity model. In fact, many SME owners resist giving up power and ownership to outsiders.

Women to Lean On: Financing For Women, By Women

Biljana Stanisavljva started her small business in Serbia in 2011, growing wheat and corn as a smallholder farmer. She wants to grow her business, but like many agricultural entrepreneurs, she finds it very challenging to obtain funds for her expansion plans. And as a woman, she faces additional challenges. Even after a decade as a registered business owner, she still has to rely on her husband for most business decisions.