by Makai McClintock -

MICROCAPITAL EVENT: 5th Pacific Microfinance Week: Next Mile Financial Services in the Pacific, September 21-25, 2015, Honiara, Solomon Islands

Event Name: 5th Pacific Microfinance Week 2015: Next Mile Financial Services in the Pacific

Event Date: September 21-25, 2015

Event Location: Heritage Park Hotel, Honiara, Solomon Islands

Event Summary: Pacific Microfinance Week (PMW) 2015 is a series of workshops, field visits and formal conference sessions focusing on providers of financial services for poor people in the Pacific region. The topics that will be discussed include digital finance and delivery channels, women’s empowerment through access to finance, enhancing the potential of non-bank financial institutions, policy and regulation, innovations in products and services, developing measures of financial inclusion, how corporate governance structures can improve organizational performance, and a special session on financial inclusion in the Solomon Islands. The most recent PMW was held in 2013.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: European Microfinance Network (EMN) to Host 12th Annual Conference “Microfinance and Banks: Are We the Right Partners?;” June 18-19, 2015; Dublin, Ireland

Event Name: 12th Annual EMN Conference “Microfinance and Banks: Are We the Right Partners?”

Event Date: June 18-19, 2015

Event Location: The Grand Hotel Malahide, Dublin, Ireland

Summary of Event: This conference will bring together microfinance practitioners from both European and developing countries to share, evaluate and challenge best practices in the microfinance industry. The discussion will center around the potential of cooperation among traditional financial service providers and microfinance practitioners in order to further the goal of promoting greater financial inclusion.

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: European Microfinance Award Application Period Open Through June 3: $110k for Services in Post-Disaster, Post-Conflict, Fragile States

MicroCapital: Please tell us about the theme of this year’s EUR 100,000 (USD 110,000) European Microfinance Award: serving people in post-disaster, post-conflict and fragile states.

Davide Forcella: This is a very timely issue because of the increasing frequency of microfinance institutions (MFIs) being forced to operate under very difficult conditions, due to both natural disasters and human conflict. The aim of the prize is to reward MFIs that

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Triple Bottom Line Investing Presents “TBLI Conference Latin America 2015;” May 28-29, 2015; Buenos Aires, Argentina

Event Name: TBLI Conference Latin America 2015

Event Date: May 28-29, 2015

Event Location: Centro Cívico Parque Patricios, Uspallata 3160, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Summary of Event: This conference will include panels on topics such as green real estate and sustainable urban development; renewable energy and energy infrastructure; sustainable agriculture; and the role of environmental, social and governance factors in investment decisions.

by Charlotte Newman -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) Market to Host Webinars on “Data Driven Social Performance Management,” May 26-27, 2015

Event Name: Webinar: Data Driven Social Performance Management

Event Dates: English-language webinars will be held on May 26, 2015, at 7:00 AM Eastern US Time and May 27, 2015, at noon Eastern US Time. A Spanish-language version of the webinar will be held on May 28, 2015 at noon Eastern US Time.

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: June 3 is Deadline to Apply for $106k Sixth European Microfinance Award: “Microfinance in Post-Disaster, Post-Conflict Areas and Fragile States”

Through June 3, the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP), a Luxembourg-based network of approximately 130 microfinance organizations and individuals, is accepting applications for the Sixth European Microfinance Award, which will include a cash prize of EUR 100,000 (USD 106,000). This year’s award aims to recognize providers of financial services in post-disaster, post-conflict and fragile states. Successful applicants will illustrate their strategy for increasing “both their own resilience and that of their clients,” while highlighting how these services will respond to the immediate, medium- and long-term needs of clients in afflicted areas. To qualify, an institution must be based in a developing country and obtain a letter of support from a member of e-MFP.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: African Microfinance Week (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance), June 29 – July 3, 2015, Dakar, Senegal, With On-site Reporting by MicroCapital

Event Name: African Microfinance Week (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance) 2015

Event Dates: June 29 – July 3, 2015

Location: King Fahd Palace Conference Center, Dakar, Senegal

Event Summary: The second annual African Microfinance Week will center around “accelerating innovative rural finance in Africa,” providing practitioners with a venue for exchanging ideas and reflecting on the trajectory of the industry. The event is designed to improve “the synergies” between the Benin-based African Microfinance Network (AFMIN), an association of 21 national microfinance networks; the African Microfinance Transparency Forum (AMT), a South Africa-based group that aims to strengthen the performance of African microfinance institutions (MFIs); the African Rural & Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA), a Kenya-based group of 105 central banks, retail financial service providers and microfinance networks; and the Microfinance African Institutions Network (MAIN), a Cote d’Ivoire-based NGO with 71 members. The program is sponsored by the governments of Senegal and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg with support from the US-based Citi Foundation; the Luxembourg-based European Investment Bank; the United Nations Capital Development Fund; and Microfact, a nonprofit, web-based platform that provides toolkits for building the capacity of MFIs. The week will include plenary sessions, trainings, an investors’ fair and the general assemblies of AFMIN and MAIN. The primary languages of the event will be French and English. MicroCapital will provide sponsored, onsite coverage of selected sessions.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Mobile Money and Digital Payments Africa Conference and Workshop, May 19-21, 2015, Johannesburg, South Africa

Event Name: Mobile Money and Digital Payments Africa

Event Date: May 19-21, 2015

Event Location: Hyatt Regency Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa

Summary of Event: The aim of the event is to bring together sector stakeholders in an effort to strengthen mobile money payment systems and businesses in Africa. The two conference days will feature panel discussions and debates focused on developing financial services and other mobile products for un- and underbanked people, recent trends in mobile money, challenges in developing cashless payment systems in Africa and methods for leveraging social payments to improve financial service offerings for people left out of the traditional banking system. The workshop will focus on discussing strategies for retailers to gain authorization to sell mobile money and digital payment services in Europe.

by Ananya Tiwari -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Association of Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI), European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP), Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), Luxembourg Fund Labeling Agency (LuxFLAG) to Co-host “Impact Investing and Microfinance Conference,” April 29, 2015, Luxembourg

Event Name: Impact Investing & Microfinance Conference

Event Dates: April 29, 2015

Event Location: Namur Premises, Luxembourg

by Makai McClintock -

SPECIAL REPORT: Save the Date: African Microfinance Week (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance), June 29 – July 3, 2015, Dakar, Senegal

Event Name: African Microfinance Week (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance) 2015

Event Dates: June 29 – July 3, 2015

Location: King Fahd Palace Conference Center, Dakar, Senegal

Event Summary: The second annual African Microfinance Week will center around “accelerating innovative rural finance in Africa,” providing practitioners with a venue for exchanging ideas and reflecting on the trajectory of the industry. The event is designed to improve “the synergies” between the Benin-based African Microfinance Network (AFMIN), an association of 21 national microfinance networks; the African Microfinance Transparency Forum (AMT), a group that aims to strengthen the performance of African microfinance institutions (MFIs); the African Rural & Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA), a Kenya-based group of 105 central banks, retail financial service providers and microfinance networks; and the Microfinance African Institutions Network (MAIN), a Cote d’Ivoire-based NGO with 71 members. The program is sponsored by the governments of Senegal and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg with support from the US-based Citi Foundation; the Luxembourg-based European Investment Bank; the United Nations Capital Development Fund; and Microfact, a nonprofit, web-based platform that provides toolkits for building the capacity of MFIs. The week will include plenary sessions, trainings, an investors’ fair and the general assemblies of AFMIN and MAIN. The primary languages of the event will be French and English.

by Makai McClintock -

SPECIAL REPORT: Save the Date: European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) to Host European Microfinance Week, November 18-20, 2015, Luxembourg

Event Name: European Microfinance Week 2015

Event Dates: November 18-20, 2015

Location: Luxembourg

Event Summary: The European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP), a Luxembourg-based network of approximately 130 members, is hosting its annual European Microfinance Week. One day will consist of meetings of e-MFP’s eight action groups: “investors in tier 2/3 microfinance institutions (MFIs),” “making microfinance investment responsible,” “microfinance and the environment,” “remittances,” “research in microfinance,” “rural outreach and innovation,” “university meets microfinance,” and “youth financial inclusion.” The other two days will consist of traditional conference sessions as well as the presentation of the sixth annual European Microfinance Award. Further details regarding the event are expected to be released before the end of April.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 12th “University Meets Microfinance” Workshop, Enhancing Food Security and Resilience to Climate Change: What Role for Microfinance, June 11-12, 2015, Bergamo, Italy

Event Name: 12th “University Meets Microfinance” Workshop, Enhancing Food Security and Resilience to Climate Change: What Role for Microfinance

Event Date: June 11-12, 2015

Event Location: University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy

Summary of Event: This conference will bring together academics, practitioners and students working on a variety of topics related to financial inclusion. Discussions will center around climate change, food security and microfinance, including case studies of financial services being used to mitigate the impact of climate change on smallholder farmers and ensure food security for these individuals and their families.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (US SIF) to Host “Sustainable Investing: Risk, Value, Impact!” Conference, May 4-6, 2015, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Event Name: Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (US SIF) 2015 Conference, “Sustainable Investing: Risk, Value, Impact!”

Event Date: May 4-6, 2015

Event Location: The Westin Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Summary of Event: This conference will focus on trends and emerging issues in sustainable and responsible investing. Topics of discussion will include shareholder advocacy, serving Latino and immigrant communities, addressing the need for low carbon energy sources, “place-based” investing, water investment risks and opportunities, and corporate governance structures.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 9th Annual Penn Microfinance Conference, “Adapt and React,” March 28, 2015, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Event Name: 9th Annual Penn Microfinance Conference

Event Date: March 28, 2015

Event Location: Jon M. Huntsman Hall, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Summary of Event: This conference will focus on how the microfinance industry has adapted its product offerings and lending methods in the wake of increased government regulation and concern about over-indebtedness. The event will feature a keynote address by Dennis Ripley, the chief business development officer for Opportunity International, a US-based nonprofit providing microfinance services in 22 countries.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Bank to Host Global Forum on Remittances, June 16-19, 2015, Milan, Italy

Event Name: Global Forum on Remittances 2015

Event Date: June 16-19, 2015

Event Location: Centro Congressi Stella Polare Conference Centre, Milan, Italy

Summary of Event: This event is intended to promote awareness of remittances sent by migrants to their home countries. Session topics will include trends in remittances sent from Europe, best practices in regulation, opportunities for financial inclusion, competition and transaction costs, new technologies, opportunities for public-private partnerships and strategies for developing public-private partnerships to further financial inclusion.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Triple Bottom Line Investing Presents “TBLI Conference Nordic 2015;” June 15-16, 2015; Copenhagen, Denmark

Event Name: TBLI Conference Nordic 2015

Event Date: June 15-16, 2015

Event Location: Ovnhallen Porcelænshaven 20, Copenhagen Business School; Copenhagen, Denmark

Summary of Event: This conference will include panels on topics such as low-carbon investment strategies, how asset owners can address climate change, investing in sustainable agriculture and food production, and social impact strategies for banks.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Social Capital Markets (SOCAP) to Host “SOCAP15,” October 6-9, 2015, San Francisco, California, USA

Event Name: Social Capital Markets “SOCAP15″

Event Date: October 6-9, 2015

Event Location: Fort Mason Center; San Francisco, California, USA

Cost: Regular admission to the event costs USD 1,395 plus a USD 9.95 processing fee. Registrations completed prior to March 26, 2015, are eligible for a discount of USD 600.

by Makai McClintock -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Triple Bottom Line Investing Presents “TBLI Conference Asia 2015;” April 29-30, 2015; Singapore

Event Name: TBLI Conference Asia 2015

Event Date: April 29-30, 2015

Event Location: INSEAD Asia Campus, Singapore

Cost: The standard cost to attend is SGD 795 (USD 716), with discounts offered to investors, NGO representatives and students, as well as to all attendees who register by April 3, 2015.