MICROCAPITAL STORY: International Finance Corporation, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor and VISA International Organize Microfinance Technology Conference

NEXT GENERATION ACCESS TO FINANCE: GAINING SCALE AND REDUCING COSTS WITH TECHNOLOGY AND CREDIT SCORING – SEPTEMBER 17-19, 2007, WASHINGTON, D.C., USA

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group dedicated to private sector development and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), a consortium of public and private development agencies working together to expand access to financial services for the poor in developing countries, are working together with VISA International, a global card services and payment processing provider, to organize a microfinance technology conference entitled, “Next Generation Access to Finance: Gaining Scale and Reducing Costs with Technology and Credit Scoring.”

The conference takes place at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C., from Monday, September 17, 2007, to Wednesday, September 19, 2007.

The conference’s purpose is to bring technology and credit information providers together with leaders of commercial and microfinance institutions. The conference will explore the role of technology and credit reporting in expanding the world’s access to finance as well as the potential of credit scoring to achieve scale in lending operations.

The three-day conference consists of nine sessions:

Session 1: New Technologies and Microfinance Today
Session 2: The Role of Technology and Credit Information
Session 3: Introducing Credit Scoring in Microlending
Session 4: Leapfrogging Access to Finance with Mobile Phone Technology
Session 5: Alternative Data to Develop a Credit Score: Bridging the Information Gap
Session 6: Financial Services and Social Protection
Session 7: Delivery Channels for Microfinance
Session 8: Policy Implications and Future Challenges
Session 9: Future Opportunities and Challenges

In addition, Alieu Conteh, Chairman of Vodacom Congo, is expected to deliver a keynote speech on “Technology’s Role in Development.”

Representatives from commercial banks, financial institutions and microfinance institutions (MFIs) are invited to attend the conference to explore the uses of technology and credit reporting in their businesses. Global leaders in financial technologies and credit information, government regulators and representatives of philanthropic organizations are also invited.

More information about the conference can be found on its website, http://go.worldbank.org/3ZMILXFQK0.

The deadline to register to attend the conference is Wednesday, September 5, 2007. The registration fee is USD 1,000 and does not include travel or lodging accommodations.

To register as an exhibitor and receive a complimentary pass, please contact Ms. Demet Cabbar, Learning Coordinator, Financial Sector Learning Program, World Bank, at email: dcabbar@worldbank.org, or telephone: +1 202 458 9835.

To register as an attendee, please download the registration form online at http://siteresources.worldbank.org/FSLP/Resources/RegForm_Technology&CreditScoring.pdf and submit it to Ms. Cabbar.

-Steven Craig

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