Event Name: Fourth Annual Global Microfinance Investment Congress
Event Date: May 16 – May 17, 2011
Event Location: New York, New York
Event Name: Fourth Annual Global Microfinance Investment Congress
Event Date: May 16 – May 17, 2011
Event Location: New York, New York
Event Name: Third Annual Global Microfinance Investment Congress
Event Date: May 24 – May 26, 2010
Event Location: New York, New York
Event Website: http://www.microfinancecongress.com/
See Our Comprehensive Event Calendar Here: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events
Cost: Congress only – USD 1595; Congress and Workshop – USD 2095. Discounts available for early registration (by March 26 and by April 16) as well as a USD 200 discount MicroCapital Monitor subscribers.
Summary of Event: The Global Microfinance Investor Congress intends to provide a place for representatives of microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs), microfinance institutions (MFIs) and other industry stakeholders to meet, collaborate and share best practices.
The 3rd Annual Global Microfinance Investment Congress 2010, presented by PlaNet Finance, May 24 – May 26, 2010 in New York City
See Our Comprehensive Event Calendar Here: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events
GLOBAL MICROFINANCE INVESTMENT CONGRESS
MAY 19-20, 2009, NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Global Microfinance Investment Congress 2009 is being co-hosted by PlaNet Finance Group and American Conference Institute. The conference consists of workshops, case studies, and panels focused on the latest strategies for success in microfinance investing.
GLOBAL MICROFINANCE INVESTMENT CONGRESS 2009
MAY 18-20 2009, NEW YORK CITY, USA
The American Conference Institute, a global business intelligence provider headquartered in New York, and PlaNet Finance, a French non-profit company that assists microfinance institutions (MFIs), will host the second annual Global Microfinance Investment Congress in New York, USA. The three day event will be held from May 18th to 20th 2009 in New York City. The event brings together professionals from diverse backgrounds – public and corporate pension funds, hedge funds, MFIs, venture capitalist firms, investment and commercial banks, insurance funds and technology funds and firms – to discuss future investments strategies for microfinance and sources of finance. Please refer the event website for a list of the organizations represented.
Taking place in New York from May 14 to 16, the Global Microfinance Investment Congress brought together delegates from microfinance institutions (MFIs), microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs), commercial banks, financial institutions, and government agencies. While the congress tackled microfinance investments and the industry’s future, this article will summarize a few themes addressed during the presentations and panels.
2008 Global Microfinance Investment Congress
May 14-16, 2008, Jumeirah Essex House, New York City, USA
Standard Chartered Bank announced it would be a principal sponsor of the 2008 Global Microfinance Investment Congress. The event is presented by PlaNet Finance in association with American Conference Institute and costs USD 1,495 before March 31, 2008 and USD 1,595 afterwards. Delegates can also attend 1 to 2 workshops for an additional USD 500 or USD 800, respectively.
THE GLOBAL MICROFINANCE INVESTMENT CONGRESS
GLOBAL MICROFINANCE INVESTMENT CONGRESS 2008
MAY 14-16, NEW YORK CITY, USA
Planet Finance, the French non-profit company that assists microfinance institutions (MFIs), and conference organiser, the American Conference Institute are hosting a three-day event on investing in microfinance. Called the Global Microfinance Investment Congress, the event convenes Microfinance Investment Vehicles (MIVs), Commercial Banks, Insurance Companies, Government Authorities and MFIs to discuss the future of the projected USD 250 Billion microfinance industry. This is the second event in a series, the first of which will be held in Paris on 21-22 January 2008, as reported by MicroCapital.
THE GLOBAL MICROFINANCE INVESTMENT CONGRESS
JANUARY 21 – 22, 2008, PARIS
Presented by PlaNet Finance, this conference is the first in a series aimed at microfinance investors. Topics are to include equity and fixed-income investment opportunities, measuring social performance, microfinance institution ratings, valuation, pricing and others. The cost is USD 330. For more information, visit www.microfinance-congress.com or contact Mr. Eike Haas at +33 (0) 1 49 21 26 15 or ehaas@planetfinance.org.
Event Name: International Impact investing Summit
Event Date: Thursday, December 2, to Friday, December 3
Event Location: The Flatotel, New York City, USA
See Our Comprehensive Event Calendar Here: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events
Bob Annibale is Global Director of Citi Microfinance. He leads the bank’s commercial relationships with microfinance institutions, on a multi-business and product basis, providing financing and product partnerships to institutions that serve the poor and the unbanked.
He joined Citibank in 1982. After a first assignment in Greece, he held a number of senior treasury, risk and corporate positions at Citi in Athens, Bahrain, Kenya, London and New York. Mr. Annibale completed his BA degrees in History and Political Science at Vassar College and his Masters Degree in African Studies (History) at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies.
Mr. Annibale served on the Board of Advisors for the United Nations High Level Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor. He represents Citi on the Board of the Microfinance Information Exchange, on the Council of Microfinance Equity Funds and with the Microfinance Network. He also serves on a number of other external boards and councils.
Ms. Leijonhufvud is Managing Director of the Global Social Sector Finance Group at JPMorgan. The SSF unit leverages JP Morgan’s products and skills to help bring financial services to microfinance and social enterprises around the world. The scope includes capital markets, structured products and principal investments. The unit seeks to achieve a double bottom line of social benefit and financial returns. According to JP Morgan, potential demand for sustainable financial services is immense, at an estimated USD 300 billion. JPMorgan utilizes its global IB platform to raise capital to support poverty alleviation initiatives in developing economies.
Ms. Leijonhufvud has led J.P. Morgan’s Social Sector Finance unit since its inception in late 2007. A double bottom line initiative that brings financial services and financing to microfinance institutions and other enterprises serving the base of the economic pyramid, Social Sector Finance also focuses on engaging the firm’s employees in these sectors. Outside J.P. Morgan, Ms. Leijonhufvud serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Financial Inclusion, has been a consultant to Ashoka-Innovators for the Public in their social financial services venture, and has lectured widely on financial globalization and emerging markets risks. Ms. Leijonhufvud has held various risk management positions at J.P. Morgan, including as head of Country Risk Management & Advisory, Credit Portfolio Market Risk Management, Emerging Markets Market Risk Management, and Industry Concentrations. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan in 1996, Ms. Leijonhufvud worked at the World Bank as Country Officer, helping develop reform programs and borrowing strategies for the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia. In 1991, she served on the Economic Reform Committee for the Government of Kazakhstan. Ms. Leijonhufvud earned a M.Sc. degree in Economics from the London School of Economics, a M.A. degree in International Affairs from George Washington University, and a B.A. in Sociology from UCLA.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted permission to Integrated Micro Finance Bank Plc (IMFB) to temporarily shut its doors due to a lack of short-term liquidity [1]. The announcement comes shortly after the unexpected resignation of IMFB Chief Executive, Mr. Simon Akinteye. According to Mr. Femi Fabamwo, Deputy Director of the Other Financial Institutions Department of the CBN, the short-term liquidity problems of IMFB were intensified when huge numbers of enraged customers demanded their money back. Lacking sufficient financial resources to meet depositors´ requests, IMFB appealed to the CBN, which has allowed it until next month to reopen.
In early October, Citigroup Inc, a New York-based multinational financial services firm, announced that the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), a Chinese government agency responsible for regulating the banking sector, approved Citigroup’s plan to open two micro-credit firms in Hubei, a rural province in China. The two institutions will be established in Gong’an county and Chibi city sometime in the next few months. China Daily implied that Citigroup’s move is meant to compete with the Chinese rural banking outlets of two London-based international banks, HSBC Holdings and Standard Chartered, in China’s financially underdeveloped regions.
The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) reports in its list of recent transactions that the responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund (rAGMF) financed USD 750,000 in loans to the Foundation for International Community Assistance Azerbaijan (FINCA Azerbaijan) on February 27, 2008, USD 1 million to FINCA MicroCredit Company (FMCC) of Kyrgyzstan on March 17, 2008, and USD 1.5 million to FINCA Georgia on March 19, 2008. The transaction to FINCA Azerbaijan is not to be confused with a separate responsAbility Microfinance Leaders Fund (rAMLF) loan taking place on the same date for the exact same amount, which was reported on by MicroCapital here.
The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) reports in its list of recent transactions that the responsAbility Microfinance Leaders Fund (rAMLF) financed USD 500,000 in loans to Thaneakea Phum (Cambodia) (TPC) on February 6, 2008, USD 303,092 to Catalyst Microfinance Investors (CMI) on February 7, 2008, USD 929,000 to ASP Financiera (ASP) on February 20, 2008, and USD 750,000 to the Foundation for International Community Assistance Azerbaijan (FINCA Azerbaijan) on February 27, 2008.
PlaNet Finance United Arab Emirates (PlaNet Finance UAE), a branch of the global non-governmental organization (NGO) which provides technical assistance and consulting to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in close to 60 countries, held a golf tournament entitled “Tee Off Against Poverty” on April 23rd at the Wadi by Faldo course of the Emirates Golf Club (EGC) in Dubai in an effort to increase awareness about microfinance amongst international financial firms and other global corporations, according to a press release on ArabianBusiness.com.