Arc Projects: Remittances
Renewable Energy Microfinance and Microenterprise Program (REMMP)
Arc is testing, piloting and expanding a number of business models that are focused on financing for sustainable energy including microfinance, remittances, asset finance, crowd-funding and pay as you go mechanisms. The end goal of REMMP is to increase access to finance for end users of clean energy services so as to improve livelihoods and quality of life among these target recipients.
For details on the REMMP project, click here.
Linking Energy and Microfinance: Promoting Innovations That Foster Scale
With support from the Citibank Foundation, Arc published and disseminated in-depth research on innovative affordability mechanisms for off-grid, clean energy. The projected documented how these financial products – including lending, savings, remittances and leasing products – have dramatically improved the livelihoods of poor people around the world.
For details on this project, click here.
Access to Sustainable Energy Technologies Using Remittances as a Source of End-User Finance
Arc tested an innovative and untraditional remittance transfer model identified during market research conducted by Arc in 2009 as being attractive to both remitters and receivers. The goal of the project was to radically increase the availability and number of sustainable energy products for Haitian consumers, using remittances as the financing source.
Financing Sustainable Energy through Remittances Flows
Arc conducted market research for a project, led by Gaia Consulting Oy, designed to test remittances as a means to finance energy efficiency products and technologies in Bolivia. The overall goal of the project was to reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions, improve resilience of low-income households to climate impacts on the energy sector, to reduce the cost for energy in urban and rural low-income households, and to raise awareness about cleaner and less energy intensive energy sources.
Arc Knowledge Products: Remittances
Arc Finance Fact Sheet
Arc Finance’s mission is to promote and expand access to financing for energy, water and other basic needs to build the income and assets of poor people around the world. Read our Fact Sheet (PDF).►
Arc Finance Impact Fact Sheet
Arc Finance is committed to measuring the impact of all its programs in terms of increased availability of consumer financing for clean energy products and services. Arc also measures and reports on other indicators we view as important for our development agenda. Read our Impact Fact Sheet (PDF). ►
Arc Finance REMMP Fact Sheet
USAID’s Renewable Energy Microfinance and Microenterprise Program (REMMP) is designed to improve access to modern energy services in underserved communities, while at the same time helping USAID partners reduce carbon emissions. A key goal of REMMP is to increase the availability of consumer financing for clean energy services and products to enable low-income populations to gain access to technologies that can improve their livelihoods and quality of life while mitigating climate change. Read our Fact Sheet (PDF). ►
Creating a New Business Opportunity for Sogexpress
Sogexpress, Haiti’s largest money transfer organization, facilitates over US$500 million annually in remittance flows between members of the country’s diaspora population residing in the United States and their family in Haiti. The company identified a powerful business opportunity in a critical unmet need, and in 2012 began to lay the groundwork for a new venture that would market high quality, locally manufactured solar lighting and charging devices to its growing retail customer base nationwide. Read our Case Study (PDF). ►
Arc Finance Country Fact Sheet: Haiti
Arc Finance is committed to measuring the impact of all its programs in terms of increased availability of consumer financing for clean energy products and services. In Haiti, REMMP is working with Sogexpress, a leading Haitian money transfer organizations, to strengthen and scale sales of clean energy products through its agent network in Haiti as well as through its international remittances platform. Read our Fact Sheet (PDF).►
Arc Finance Country Fact Sheet: Kenya
Arc Finance is committed to measuring the impact of all its programs in terms of increased availability of consumer financing for clean energy products and services. In Kenya, REMMP is working with the e-commerce platform MamaMikes to demonstrate the commercial viability of financing clean energy products through online remittances. Read our Fact Sheet (PDF).►
Rebuilding Her Home, One Solar Sale At a Time: Nancy’s Story
Arc Finance is committed to sharing the impact of its programs in terms of increased availability of consumer financing for clean energy products and services. This Impact Story profiles the experiences of a Sogexpress client as she navigates life in rural Haiti. Read our Impact Story (PDF). ►
Going Green: Clean Energy that Spurs Economic Growth
Arc Finance is committed to sharing the economic and social impact of increased availability of consumer financing for clean energy products and services. This Photo Essay profiles the experiences of clients as they navigate life in rural India, Uganda and Haiti. Read our Photo Essay (PDF). ►
Innovations In Scaling Off-Grid Clean Energy Event, Washington, D.C. 2015
This series of seven videos captures a full-day 2015 workshop entitled “Innovations In Scaling Off-Grid Clean Energy: Business Models to Promote Consumer Financing.” Organized by Arc Finance in conjunction with USAID, the day featured stakeholders from across the sector discussing the latest innovations in scaling off-grid clean energy access to the poor. Watch our video series. ►
Innovations in Financing Event, NYC 2015
This series of four videos captures a full-day 2015 workshop entitled “Innovations in Financing: The Nexus Between Energy, Distribution And Finance.” Organized by Arc Finance in conjunction with USAID, the day featured stakeholders from across the sector discussing the latest innovations in consumer and institutional finance for providing small-scale clean energy access to the poor. Watch our video series. ►
Improving Access to Electricity in Haiti through Solar Energy and Diaspora Engagement
This fact sheet provides an overview of Arc’s Finance’s partner Sogexpress’ new initiative, Klere Ayiti, which seeks to address energy poverty in Haiti. Klere Ayiti, a collaboration of Sogexpress with Western Union, has created a new online platform to enable the Haitian diaspora to use remittances to finance renewable energy products for relatives in Haiti. View our Fact Sheet (PDF). ►
Financing Sustainable Energy Through Remittance Flows in Haiti and the Dominican Republic
2009 Arc Finance / BASE Arc Finance, BASE, and the Mexican market research firm Mercaei collaborated on a research project to assess the feasibility of using remittances to finance renewable energy products. Through market research with Haitian and Dominican immigrants in the New York area, the project team identified a number of promising business models for financing and distributing sustainable energy products, developed a strong network of distribution partners, and built a comprehensive understanding of the energy sector in Haiti. This report, commissioned by the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank, summarizes the findings. Read our report (PDF). ►
Innovations in Financing Event, NYC 2014
This series of six videos captures a full-day 2014 workshop entitled “Innovations in Financing 2015: Evolving Consumer Finance Business Models.” Organized by Arc Finance in conjunction with USAID, the day featured stakeholders from across the sector discussing the latest innovations in consumer and institutional finance for providing small-scale clean energy access to the poor. Watch our video series. ►
Financing Small-Scale Clean Energy Using Remittances
With assistance from Arc, Sogexpress, a Money Transfer Organization, has tapped into the multi-billion-dollar remittance stream from the Haitian diaspora to supply small-scale clean energy solutions to Haitians lacking energy services. In this Briefing Note, read a synopsis of Sogexpress’ pioneering remittances model, which is successfully supplying solar products to those who need them most. Read our Briefing Note (PDF). ►
Innovations in Financing Event, NYC 2013
Innovations in Financing Small Scale Clean Energy, a full-day workshop organized by Arc Finance in conjunction with USAID and the Sustainable Energy for All Energy Access Practitioner Network, brought together a range of stakeholders to discuss the innovations in financing now being deployed in the small-scale, clean energy space. These sessions were made possible with generous support from USAID. Watch our video series. ►
Using Remittances to Finance Clean Energy: Inspiring the Haitian Diaspora to Combat Climate Change
Haiti has one of the lowest electricity access rates in the world, with only 12.5% of its population legally connected to the grid. Remittances offer a new solution for helping to finance the purchase and distribution of energy devices. Given its energy needs, and the size and location of its diaspora-based population, Haiti was an ideal country to test a remittances-backed business model for clean energy. The model uses remittance flows to facilitate the purchase and distribution of small-scale renewable energy devices, thereby fostering the use of clean and efficient energy technology among the energy-poor. Read our Case […]