by Bharathi Ram - Events -

MICROCAPITAL EVENT: Sa-Dhan to host National Conference on Creating a Microfinance Ecosystem in New Delhi, India

National Conference on Creating a Microfinance Ecosystem: Challenges and Balanced Growth

March 31, 2009, New Delhi, India

Sa-Dhan, an association of community development financial institutions in India, is organizing the National Microfinance Conference 2009 focusing on the theme ‘Microfinance Ecosystem: Equilibrium between Growth and Effectiveness’. The day long event will be held at the Ashok Hotel in New Delhi, India on March 31, 2009. The conference is an effort to help facilitate the growth process of Sa-Dhan’s member organizations and other government agencies in India through collective learning opportunities, focusing on the means to overcome issues plaguing the microfinance sector in India. Issues include the commercialization of microfinance institutions (MFIs), governance, risk management, provision of holistic microfinance services (like savings, microinsurance, livelihood, etc), resource mobilization and credit crunch and cost of services.

The conference aims to prepare the Indian microfinance sector for the year ahead based on lessons derived from the past. It would specifically focus on effective microfinance practices, gap in governance, ethics/values and code of conduct. In this regard, Sa-Dhan has come out with two sector reports – a Quick Bharat Microfinance Report and a Side By Side Bharat Microfinance Report – to help the audience better understand the functioning of Indian MFIs. The tentative agenda for the event is available here.

Participants for the conference include policy makers, mainstream financial institutions, donors, financiers, practitioners, academicians, researchers, parliamentarians and other international participants. Key speakers at the event include Ms Ela R Bhat, founder of the SEWA Bank in India and Chair Emeritus, Sa-Dhan who will be delivering the key note address. Professor Mohammad Yunus of the Grameen Bank will deliver the Inaugural Address.

The organizers welcome MFIs, banks, non government organizations, researchers, apex bodies, government agencies and other interested stakeholders to participate in the event. The registration fee for the event is as follows:

  • USD 300 per head for International delegates and USD 500 per two participants
  • USD 200 per head for delegates from SAARC Countries and USD 350 per two participants.
  • USD 30 per head for Sa-Dhan members and USD 39 per two participants
  • USD 58 per head for (Indian) non-members/ banks and USD 97 per two participants
  • USD 20 per head for students, academicians and researchers
  • No registration fee for government representatives

To register for the event, please download the registration form available here and send completed form along with payment to Sa-Dhan. Payment by Indian participants may be made by Demand Drafts/ Cheque favoring ‘Sa-Dhan’. International payments should be made only by wire transfer. Registration form along with payment details may be sent electronically to nationalconference2009@sa-dhan.org or info@sa-dhan.org. The registration form can also be mailed to:

SA-DHAN

12 and 13, 2nd Floor,

Special Institutional Area,

Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg,

New Delhi – 110067

The registration fee covers admission to the conference, lunch and refreshments, conference kit and a copy of Sa-Dhan’s microfinance report. Participants are requested to arrange for their own accommodation. For a list of available hotels near the venue, please click here.

Last date for registration along with payment is March 20, 2009.

General queries can be directed to nationalconference2009@sa-dhan.org or info@sa-dhan.org.

A limited number of stalls will be available at the conference venue displaying marketing materials of organizations. Organizations interested to display their publications at the venue may contact Ms Chhaya Singh at +91 99108 87404.

Sa-Dhan, founded as the Association of Community Development Finance Institutions in 1999, is a nonprofit organization serving as an association of 196 Indian MFIs. Sa-Dhan works to improve standards, disseminate best practices and contact policy makers with the goal of improving microfinance services in India. Together, the organizations that comprise Sa-Dhan have a gross loan portfolio of approximately USD 3.5 billion and a total of over 7 million borrowers. A list of member organizations of Sa-Dhan and their financial data can be found here.

By Bharathi Ram, Research Assistant

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