NOVEMBER 30, 2008, DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The 2008 Arab Microfinance Investment Symposium is a day-long event focusing on microfinance as an emerging asset class and investment opportunities in the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan. The symposium will take place on November 30 at the Godolphin Ballroom of the Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and it will be co-hosted by Grameen-Jameel, a social-oriented business based in Dubai, and BlueOrchard, a microfinance investment manager located in Geneva, Switzerland. Aramex and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have signed on as sponsors. The symposium has been marketed to asset managers, bankers, high net-worth individuals, family businesses and other interested investors.
Presentations and panels throughout the day will focus on topics such as the relationship between globalization and microfinance and microfinance investment trends in the Arab world. It appears that the event will also double as a road-show for investment-ready microfinance institutions (MFIs) from the region that are hungry for short-term financing. These MFIs include: Dakahlya Businessmen’s Association for Community Development of Egypt, Al Tadamun of Egypt, the Lead Foundation of Egypt, Tamweelcom of Jordan, Al Watani (National Microfinance Bank) of Jordan, Al Majmoua of Lebanon, Fondation pour le developpement local et le partenariat of Morocco, enda-interarabe of Tunisia, Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees of Palestine and the Kashf Foundation of Pakistan. There will be a closing dinner (by invitation only) for the symposium. For a complete schedule, please click here.
As of November 7, 2008, the symposium lists three speakers on its website. Jean-Pierre Klumpp, the CEO of BlueOrchard Finance S.A., has held a number of executive management positions for private banks in various countries. Jack Lowe, the President of BlueOrchard USA Inc., initiated over the course of his career a number of entrepreneurial ventures, including opening McKinsey & Company’s first office in Tokyo. He also became a partner in Montgomery Securities and managed their international investment and brokerage activities. Julie Cheng, another speaker, works as a senior analyst for BlueOrchard Finance S.A. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Cheng worked as a consultant researching socially responsible investment in emerging markets and working with MFIs in Kenya and Haiti.
Interested persons should submit a registration form to Grameen-Jameel at info@grameen-jameel.com or by fax to +971 4 430 9121. The registration deadline is Thursday, November 13, 2008. Registrants must pay a fee of USD 500 (AED 1,830), and pre-registration is required.
For more information, please see the event posting on the BlueOrchard website.
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