by Chee Meng Ng -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: The Jobs Conference; December 9 – 10, 2019; New Delhi, India

The Jobs Conference 2019 will gather stakeholders to discuss problems in India’s labour market. The event will cover topics ranging from “inclusion of the LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender] community” to the impact of “automation, digitalization, artificial intelligence and robotics.”

by Chee Meng Ng -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 2nd African Islamic Fintech Summit; November 29 – 30, 2019; Dakar, Senegal

Focusing on “African financial inclusion in the digital era,” this event is a continuation of a similar summit held in Tunisia in March 2019. The event in Dakar will address the topics of Islamic finance, financial technology (fintech) and economic empowerment, in particular as they relate to West Africa.

by Chee Meng Ng -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: International Association of Investors in the Social Economy (INAISE) Conference; November 28 – 30, 2019; Agadir, Morocco

Themed “Social and solidarity finance as a vector of economic transformation in the 21st century” this event will open with a discussion of the impact of the social and solidarity economy on achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

by Chee Meng Ng -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 2020 Skoll World Forum; March 31 – April 3, 2020; Oxford, England – CANCELED

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED.

This annual event at the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship of the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford was first held in 2004. Although the 2020 forum agenda has yet to be released, the forum is intended to convene

by Anna Gravois -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Accion’s CFI to Hold 5th Annual Financial Inclusion Week; October 21-25, 2019

The Center for Financial Inclusion, an initiative of the US-based NGO Accion, will hold the fifth iteration of its Financial Inclusion Week (FIW) beginning on October 21. Last year’s FIW connected 160 partners with

by Chee Meng Ng -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: FinovateMiddleEast; November 19-21, 2019; Dubai, UAE

FinovateMiddleEast is part of an annual international conference series that focuses on financial technology (fintech), with events in five cities around the world. The final two days of this event offer keynote addresses and panel discussions on topics including:

by Chee Meng Ng -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Inclusive Finance India Summit; December 4-5, 2019; New Delhi, India

This conference series began in support of India’s national financial inclusion strategy, which first was introduced in 2005 under Dr Y Venugopal Reddy, who was then governor of the Reserve Bank of India. This year, the event will cover issues related to

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: European Microfinance Week; November 20-22, 2019; Luxembourg

ThisEuropean Microfinance Platform event opens with a day of meetings on various topics, including the Human Capacity Development Action Group and the Green Inclusive & Climate Smart Finance Action Group. The following two days include sessions such as “Strengthening Resilience to Climate Change Through Financial Inclusion,” “Protecting the Working Poor in the 21st Century Through Responsible Finance” and “Responsible

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg on SAM, the Pan-African Conference on Financial Inclusion

This interview is part of a sponsored series on SAM (the French acronym for African Microfinance Week), a major conference dedicated to financial inclusion in Africa. The next SAM will take place October 21-25, 2019, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso!

MicroCapital:SAM 2019 Your Highness has stated that microfinance “awakens the creative forces…enabling the poorest to regain their dignity and to bring about solutions for their own needs.” Is this why Your Highness is so involved in microfinance?

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa (pictured below): I would like to quote Professor Muhammad Yunus, who said that “Microcredit is, above all, a tool that unlocks human dreams and helps even the poorest and most unfortunate people on this planet achieve dignity, respect, and meaning in their lives.”

I have been involved in microfinance ever since I met Professor Yunus, because, through him, I discovered the importance of trusting the poorest of the poor, without conditions. By that I mean trusting in their honesty, in their creativity, in their capacity for hard work, and in their demand for dignity. It is important to push back against the idea that you are only trustworthy if you are backed up by finance, if you have collateral to put on the table. I would almost go so far as to say

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance / African Microfinance Week); October 21 – 25, 2019; Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

The SAM 2019fourth SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance) includes five full days of trainings, conference sessions, an investors’ fair, an innovators’ village and research presentations, all on the theme “Pathways Towards Impact: African Inclusive Finance for the Sustainable Development Goals.” The training presenters are ADA, Amarante Consulting, Arendt, Banca Etica, BNP Paribas, BRS, Caritas Africa, Food and Agriculture Organization, Graine, Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, the Microinsurance Network, MicroSave Consulting, Pamiga,

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: Laura Hemrika of Credit Suisse on European Microfinance Week 2019, Connecting the Inclusive Finance World

MicroCapitalEuropean Microfinance Platform: How is European Microfinance Week (EMW) different from other financial inclusion conferences?

Laura Hemrika (pictured): It’s unique in several ways! First, the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) is a member-led platform; our over 130 individual and organization members represent all types of stake­holders. They’re active at the highest levels of the sector, and we work closely with them on all aspects of our work, especially for EMW. We put together the programme with their input, and they are strongly represented as speakers, moderators and Action Group partici­pants. Laura Hemrika on European Microfinance Week 2019Second, EMW is particularly interactive. We don’t see value in serial presentations of projects or products; all work­shops and plenaries are designed to be provocative, interactive, and to stimulate debate and discussion. Third, the confer­ence is the culmination of the annual Euro­pean Micro­finance Award; and each year there is a stream of sessions on the Award theme, which for 2019 is Strengthening Resilience to Climate Change. Fourth, EMW has an especially diverse attendee group, in terms of organisation types and home countries. It’s a truly remarkable breadth of stakeholders. Finally, we take great efforts to