Agenda:

Check back as we continue to update this page!  See the Speakers page for more information.

The order of events and room assignments are subject to change.

Breakout Sessions:

Obstacles to scale-up in the U.S.
The interconnectedness of world capital markets facilitates a ripple effect of liquidity issues through the economy. As a result, both domestic and international financial markets have responded with a reduction in the amount of credit, and, subsequently, sources of capital have become more difficult to obtain. This panel will explore how these effects are influencing activities within a domestic context and highlight the impact that they are having on domestic microfinance organizations and poverty alleviation in America.

Speakers: Susan Alnaqib, Jonathan Brereton, Urmi Sengupta
Moderator: Charles Wheelan

Assessing microfinance's impact on poverty
Has microfinance been proven to work in improving the lives of the poor? How can MFI’s know then they are having a sustainable impact on the communities in which they work? This panel will tackle these and other poignant questions in an effort to shed light on the ongoing debate regarding the measures for the effectiveness of approaches to global poverty.

Speakers: Jason Cons, Gwyneth Galbraith, Tamra Thetford
Moderator: Robert Spich

Show me the money: capital structure and sources of financial capital in the new economy
The affects of the global constriction in credit and funding availability is having a profound effect on the ability of existing MFI’s to operate and remain profitable. This panel will explore current trends regarding capital flows as well as discuss ways that MFI’s can potentially remain competitive and attract more funding.

Speakers: Mike Gabriel, Paul Blyth, Christian Novak, Jacob Haar, Ulysses de la Torre
Moderator: Lisa Thomas

Evolution into new for-profit models
Microfinance institutions continue to evolve and increase in sophistication. Through the evolution process, many are turning to new operational models that have their roots in traditional for-profit models of operations and services. This panel will discuss new trends in the development of for-profit models and investigate how new for-profit models are impacting the microfinance industry.

Speakers: Jane Bieneman, Roland Dominicé, Christian Ruehmer
Moderator: Linda Darragh

Securitization and consolidation
This panel will look ahead to trends emerging within the microfinance industry regarding opportunities for MFI consolidation and how shifts in securitization preferences will affect micro lenders. The link between capital structures and ownership interest in MFI’s will also be explored.

Speakers: Ron Dadina, Mike Gabriel, Christian Ruehmer
Moderator: Jesse Fripp

Reaching the base of the pyramid
With each passing year, the number of people utilizing products and services from MFI’s continue to grow. As participant numbers grow across emerging markets, so do the opportunities to offer new services. This panel will begin to explore the work that MFI’s in Africa are having on communities. An exploration of how networks are being constructed to reach the base of the pyramid and what affect the current market environment may have on efforts to serve more participants.

Speakers: Thomas Derdak, Kathleen Robbins
Moderator: Erin Koch

Lunch & Learn:

Lessons learned - the Haitian experience: economy, environment, energy

Kathleen Robbins, co-Founder of Jatropha Pepinye, will discuss microfinance within the context of Haiti. In particular, how did Haiti go from having a GDP larger than the 13 original colonies to the poorest country in the western Hemisphere? How has microfinance had to adapt to Haiti's unique situation, geography and culture? What can we in the US learn from the Haitian experience?

MicroPlace

Join Paul Blyth, Chief Financial Officer of MicroPlace Inc, an eBay company, will lead a discussion that highlights key factors to consider when choosing to invest in microfinance and how those factors will be impacted by the current economic climate. He will also share insights on innovative investment products as well as discuss his organization’s contributions to microfinance investing.

Grameen America: Strategic Analysis of US Market Entry & Expansion

UCLA Anderson students Amit Thakkar, Avantika Bhargava, Tulika Kundu and Wallace Cheng, advised by Professor Bhagwan Choudhry (PhD, University of Chicago), will present the findings of the study they completed for Grameen America.

Impact of the ongoing financial crisis

Please join Christoph Kneiding from the Consultive Group to Assist the Poor (World Bank) as he provides further insights into their recently published February 09 Focus Note that examines the impact that the ongoing financial crisis has on microfinance institutions and their clients.