Source: Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM) via the Microfinance Gateway.

Original article here.

WASHINGTON DC, October 13, 2007 – The Washington, DC, Chapter of Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM-DC) organized an industry panel on October 2, to discuss the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Mexican MFI Compartamos. On April 20, Compartamos completed a landmark IPO of 30% of its equity. The IPO was considered a huge success by any financial market standard: existing investors received about USD450 million for their shares. The transaction’s significance as the first microfinance IPO has been hotly debated across the industry and beyond.

The panelists who shared their views on the Compartamos IPO and what it means for microfinance and other industries included:

• Kate McKee, Senior Advisor for Policy, Outreach and Aid Effectiveness, CGAP
• Monica L. Brand, Vice President and Program Manager, ACCION International
• Brad Swanson, Partner, Developing World Markets
• Andree Simon, Deputy Director, FINCA International

To access the audio recording of the panel, available on MicroLINKS, click here.