Event Name: Microfinance USA Conference 2011

Event Date: May 23 – May 24, 2011

Event Location: Metropolitan Pavilion, New York, NY

See Our Comprehensive Event Calendar Here: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events

Cost:

Microfinance professional: Regular USD 350, Registration by March 1 USD 300

Individual: Regular USD 275, Registration by March 1 USD 225

Student: USD 75 with valid student ID

Summary of Events: This is a conference and networking event that will include speeches and discussion sessions related to microfinance.

Event Themes and Discussion Topics:

• What does microfinance mean?
• The future of microfinance
• Risk management
• Scalability
• Transparency
• Innovations and alternatives in credit scoring
• Financial literacy
• The impact of volunteers on microfinance
• Microfinance institutions powered by students

Event Website: http://www.microfinanceusaconference.org/home/

Online Registration Address: https://www.cvent.com/EVENTS/Register/IdentityConfirmation.aspx?e=5de8e56f-98a7-4037-9702-4c942b5160d0

For additional information you may contact:

Latha Youngren at Opportunity Fund

Phone: +1 408 516 4702

E-mail: latha@opportunityfund.org

Submit your event at: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events

About Opportunity Fund: Opportunity Fund is a provider of microloans and microsavings that is based in the US state of California. Opportunity Fund’s mission is to improve the economic status of low-income individuals by providing them with the tools to earn, save and invest. The organization primarily services people in the San Francisco Bay Area by offering them access to loans to finance affordable homes and savings for home ownership; financial education; savings plans and incentives; loans to finance community facilities such as healthcare, clinics and schools; and microloans. Opportunity Fund generates USD 17 million in additional small business activity in the San Francisco Bay Area annually. In 2010, the organization reported total assets of USD 45 million.

About ACCION USA: ACCION USA is an affiliate of ACCION International, a global microfinance organization. ACCION USA was established in 1991 and provides microloans as well as financial and business advice to small businesses in the United States. Loan sizes offered by ACCION USA are typically under USD 50,000. In 2009, ACCION USA made 629 loans totaling approximately USD 4 million.

About ACCION International: ACCION International is a US-based nonprofit organization with the mission of alleviating poverty by providing financial products such as microenterprise loans, business training and other financial services to its clients. ACCION was founded in 1961 and issued its first microloan in 1973 in Brazil. ACCION’s partner microfinance institutions provide loans to entrepreneurs in 23 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa and the United States. As of 2009, ACCION’s network serves 3.3 million active clients and has a gross loan portfolio of USD 31.8 billion.

About Kiva: Incorporated in 2005, Kiva is a US-based online portal allowing individuals to make loans as small as USD 25 to microfinance institutions (MFIs), which in turn make loans to the poor. Kiva partners with microfinance institutions (MFIs) in 53 countries. As of 2010, the total value of all loans made through Kiva is USD 153 million, there are 742,000 Kiva users, 395,000 entrepreneurs have received a loan through Kiva, 82 percent of Kiva loans have been made to women entrepreneurs, the repayment rate is reportedly 98.8 percent1 and the average loan size is USD 385.