European Microfinance Week 2012: Program of Events

Microfinance Focus, October 10, 2012: The European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) recently released a tentative schedule for 2012′s European Microfinance Week, to be held on the 14-16th of November in Luxemborg. This year’s program includes speakers and sessions that loosely revolve around the conference’s theme, ‘combining strengths – delivering results.’

The first day of the conference will be entirely dedicated to Action Groups. According to the e-MFP website, “e-MFP Action Groups are the result of productive synergies between European microfinance actors, enabling constructive dialogue and cooperation between e-MFP members.”

Action groups will meet to provide a focal point for a range of specialist interests, as well improve and multiply coordinated activities between members. Some of the groups meeting on the 14th include, CGAP, ACP-EU Microfinance Program and FEMIP.

The following day of European Microfinance Week will begin with opening remarks titled ” Microfinance – delivering results.” The speakers at this opening plenary include Bob Annibale of Citi, Sanjay Sinha from M-Cril and Jeniffer Riria from Kenya Women Finance Trust.

Following the opening remarks, members will break into focus groups. Groups will discuss central issues such as regulation, innovation in microfinance, and measuring social impact. These groups will meet again the morning of the following day.

Members can then choose to attend one of six sessions moderated by industry professionals. Highlights of the first series of sessions include “Prioritizing and Sequencing Microfinance Regulation” with Thomas Foerch and Florian Henrich of GIZ, based in Germany as well as “Cooperatives in the Financial Sector” moderated by Hans Dieter Seibel of e-MFP/DGRV and Paul Armbruster of DGRV, among others.

The 4th European Microfinance Award will be presented on the evening of the 15th to one of three finalists in order to highlight efforts of individuals and organizations that represent major breakthroughs in promoting food security. The European Microfinance Award is jointly organized by the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Luxembourg Round Table on Microfinance and e-MFP.

The second day of sessions (officially, the third day of the conference) will cover a wide variety of current issues in Microfinance. For example on the morning of the 16th, Kate McKee of CGAP and Michael Chapman of OECD will moderate a session on consumer protection and regulation for low access environments, while sessions on food security, post-emergency microfinance, and innovation as a means for providing financial services to women will be held simultaneously.

There will be more sessions held in the afternoon, including a Luxembourg roundtable on Microfinance. European Microfinance Week attendees will also discuss such issues as financial transparency, Islamic microfinance and microfinance initiatives within the EU during this series. A second session on food security, titled “Microfinance Investing in food security: challenges and opportunities,” organized by the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI) will be conducted on the 16th.

Food security as well as cooperatives and the importance of savings promise to be areas of repeated discussion during the conference. However, since sessions provide an open floor for members to share ideas, it is difficult to predict exactly what issues will be discussed and highlighted.

The closing plenary will include speakers from the Center for Global Development and MIX Market, as well as Marc Bichler, Chairman e-MFP/UNCDF.

To register for European Microfinance Week 2012, click here.