Last month—June 15th through the 18th—Rotary International (RI), a service organization with 1.2 million members in over 32,000 clubs located in more than 200 countries, held its annual convention, which was attended by more than 19,000 Rotarians, participants of Rotary youth programs, and other guests. With a larger emphasis than ever before in the organization’s history, microcredit was promoted as an attractive cause for Rotarians around the world to support by establishing sustainable microfinance projects and partnering with existing microfinance institutions (MFIs). Behind the push is the Rotarian Action Group for Microcredit (RAGM), a voluntary association of Rotarians aiming to educate the general membership, standardize Rotarian/MFI partnerships, and ultimately increase Rotarian involvement in microfinance activities for the long-term.
Search Results for: Global Sustainable Finance Conference
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Microfinance Division of Zurich Financial Services Group Launches Microinsurance Research Project in China
Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich) announced in April their plans to carry out a research project on microinsurance with Nan Kai University’s Department of Risk Management and Insurance (DRMI) in Tianjin, focusing on the demand for microinsurance products in China. This project is part of Zurich’s efforts to expand their insurance services offered in China to the under-privileged population segment.
NEWS WIRE: United States: Wharton’s “Microfinance Grows Up: Success Brings New Challenges for Investors, Practitioners in Emerging Economies”
Source: Knowledge@Wharton.
MICROCAPITAL EVENT: Standard Chartered Bank Announced as Principal Sponsor of the Global Microfinance Investment Congress
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.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Investments Outside the Box: Part 4 of a 4-Part Series on the Cracking the Capital Markets III Conference Hosted By ACCION and Credit Suisse
On March 10-11, 2008, ACCION International and Credit Suisse held the third Cracking the Capital Markets conference on microfinance investment. The conference brought together hedge fund managers, institutional and private investors, leading rating agencies, and microfinance institutions (MFIs) to discuss the challenges, successes, and future of microfinance investments. The first, second, and third articles of this series can also be found on the MicroCapital website.
In addition to innovative securities transactions, the conference also introduced new investment opportunities which extend beyond the classic micro-credit sectors. This includes investment to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), insurance services to low-income people, housing funds for the very poor, and green energy investments. Presentations from this panel can be found here.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Microfinance Meets the Internet, Part 2 of a 4-Part Series on the Cracking the Capital Markets III Conference Hosted By ACCION and Credit Suisse
On March 10-11, 2008, ACCION International and Credit Suisse held the third Cracking the Capital Markets conference on microfinance investment. The conference brought together hedge fund managers, institutional and private investors, leading rating agencies, and microfinance institutions (MFIs) to discuss the challenges, successes, and future of microfinance investments. The first and third articles of this series can also be found on the MicroCapital website.
The conference’s last panel discussed the potential impact of the internet on how microfinance institutions (MFIs) finance themselves. The panel included intermediaries who utilize the internet to bring donors and investors to MFIs, small business, and individual borrowers. Presentations from this panel can be found here.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: A Brief Survey on the Impact of Microfinance on Women Part 2 of a 3-Part Series: Evidence of Women’s Empowerment
Though there is less quantifiable evidence to justify the effect of microfinance on woman’s human rights, it is widely accepted that giving women access to savings and credit will increase women’s social and political empowerment, and even change traditional gender relationships. These assumptions continue to be evaluated as recent microfinance studies are focusing more and more on women’s empowerment.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Evaluating Microfinance’s Performance in Turbulent Markets, Part 1 of a 4-Part Series on the Cracking the Capital Markets III Conference Hosted by ACCION and Credit Suisse
From March 10-11, 2008, ACCION International held the third Cracking the Capital Markets conference on microfinance investment. ACCION is a private, non-profit microfinance organization, specializing in global micro-enterprise loans, business training, and other financial services. The conference was co-hosted by Credit Suisse and brought together hedge fund managers, institutional and private investors, leading rating agencies, and microfinance institutions (MFIs) to discuss the challenges, successes, and future of microfinance investments. The second and third articles of this series can be found on MicroCapital’s website.
WHO’S WHO IN MICROFINANCE: Ashoka
In the third century B.C., a military leader known as Ashoka the Great traversed the Indian subcontinent with his armies, determined to unify the region. Subsequently horrified at the bloodshed that was involved, Ashoka renounced violence, embraced tolerance, and embarked on a campaign to spread development and social welfare throughout his empire. More than two millennia later, a U.S.-based non-profit organization emerged, bearing his name, to face the modern challenge of raising similar visionaries with sufficient means to achieve their visions.
Ashoka has since grown to become an association of 1,800 “social entrepreneurs” across 60 countries. Founded in 1980, it grants three-year stipends to individuals with ideas for innovative and sustainable ventures that have the potential to effect social change. These individuals become life-long Ashoka Fellows. Through the course of their projects, Fellows are periodically surveyed on the impact of their activities. They are also plugged into a global network of Fellows, collaborating with one other and contributing to an infrastructure of access to capital, academia, and business partnerships. In the end, Ashoka’s goal is the proliferation of a “citizen sector,” a segment of society that is distinct from the governmental and corporate sectors and is motivated to mount social challenges.
PRESS RELEASE: Morgan Stanley and Women’s World Banking Sum Up Conference on Microfinance and the Capital Markets
Source: Morgan Stanley.
PRESS RELEASE: Financial Times and IFC Launch 2008 Sustainable Banking Awards
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Ethical Corporation Hosts Sustainable Finance Summit 2007 in London, Promotes Microfinance as Promising and Profitable Market
The Sustainable Finance Summit 2007 took place in London yesterday and today (September 18-19). The event was hosted by Ethical Corporation, an independent publisher, conference organizer, and outspoken advocate of responsible business practices worldwide. One of the topics covered at the summit was “Tapping into the £300 billion microfinance market.” Day one of the conference, Head of Global Microfinance at Citigroup, Robert Annibale presented a case study on Citigroup Global Microfinance’s joint venture with Compartamos, a partnership that won the FT Sustainable Deal of the Year award 2006.
MICROCAPITAL STORY: Pro Mujer Executive Director Carmen Velasco Discusses Microfinance at the White House Conference on the Americas
Pro Mujer, meaning “Pro Woman” in Spanish, is a Latin American development organization that facilitates the growth of sustainable microfinance institutions. Founded in Bolivia in 1990, it now also operates in Argentina, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru. Pro Mujer’s most recent combined financial statement, published in 2006, revealed assets in excess of USD 25 million and a loan portfolio over USD 19 million. With an estimated client base of over 200,000, Pro Mujer helps thousands of poor, uneducated women to escape poverty by encouraging entrepreneurial pursuits through financial services and training.
SPECIAL REPORT: People Power: A New e-MFP Paper Shines a Light on the Human Resources Landscape in Financial Inclusion
Human 
resources (HR) is a critical success factor for financial institutions to become – and remain – competitive in a changing and increasingly complex business environment. Although most institutions would agree that HR functions – recruitment, onboarding, performance management, training and development, among others – are important, some questions remain: How can HR functions be carried out in a strategic and sustainable way? Are MFIs in a strong position to develop and retain the workforce they need to pursue their business and social objectives? How can they strengthen their capacity in these areas?
The lack of recent global data on MFIs’ HR management practices has made it difficult to answer these questions. To address this, the European Microfinance Platform’s (e-MFP’s) HR Action Group has conducted a large-scale
SPECIAL REPORT: Partnerships, Patience, Sizing Goals for Hummingbirds to Meet SDGs Via Financial Inclusion, Complimentary Services
“We 
need to develop services with added value to increase impact,” said Corinne Molitor of ADA during the first Wednesday plenary session at SAM. In the absence of non-financial services, financial inclusion does not lead directly to reduced poverty. To find evidence of poverty alleviation, she says, we must consider the long term because reducing poverty is a very slow process. Mathieu Ciowela of the UN Development Program said of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that, “We have been implementing this for four years. Maybe in 10 years we’ll have data on progress.”
Adrian Kamenitzer of the European Investment Bank also spoke in terms of decades rather than years. He told a personal story of growing up in Romania and observing the transition from communism. “In 1990, we had a new regime. We had hopes,
SPECIAL REPORT: Public Solutions at SAM: Collateral Registries, Business Training, Higher Microinsurance Uptake Can Promote Entrepreneurship in Africa
At 
the SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance) plenary on “Public Solutions to Promote Entrepreneurship in Africa,” Kennedy Komba of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) explained that his institution’s SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise) Working Group comprises 53 regulatory and policy-making bodies. To facilitate the growth of entrepreneurship, these agencies have created collateral registries, adjusted lender liquidity ratios, updated know-your-customer frameworks and established rules for digital financial services. Trainers in Zambia used a financial education game to reach 5,000 people, of whom 80 percent were able to improve their businesses as a result. In Ghana, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Bank of Ghana collaborated to boost local value chains in an effort to reduce costly
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: UK Department for International Development (DFID), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to Create Digital Financial Services Unit in Pakistan
The Department for International Development (DFID), a development agency of the British government, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a US-based nonprofit that supports innovations in health and education, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the International Branchless Banking Conference 2014 in Pakistan.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Inter-American Development Bank Promotes Psychometric Testing for Screening Loan Applicants
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a multilateral institution financing development efforts in Latin America, recently released an article arguing that psychometric testing can be used by financial institutions to reduce defaults on loans by 20 to 40 percent, increase profits by 15 to 30 percent and reduce operational costs associated with traditional credit evaluation and due diligence by approximately 60 percent.