MFC's Conference in Serbia, May 25 - 27
Microfinance Centre's (MFC) annual conference, this year in Belgrade, Serbia
When: May 25 27
See website of the Microfinance Centre for Central and Eastern Europe and the NIS at: www.mfc.org.pl/conference2009
This year's conference is mainly about the implications of the financial recession and the theme is "Global Crisis: Threat or Opportunity" Participants will examine the impact of the financial downturn on clients, on microfinance institutions, on the whole sector (in country and within a larger region), and potential cascade effects. The conference will include plenary, roundtable and technical discussions, as well as an investor's industry fair and separate breakout meetings, including Women Advancing Microfinance.
For questions, contact Anna Wisniewska, MFC Conference Coordinator Microfinance Policy Program Coordinator at anna@mfc.org.pl
In addition to being an MFMI network member, the MFC is supported by the Open Society Institute, CGAP, MicroSave, the MasterCard Foundation and a dozen donors.
Citi Supports the MFMI Global Network of Trainers and Academics to Disseminate Knowledge and Skills on Risk Management to Microfinance Practitioners
Training materials and learning exercises on Interest Rate and Liquidity Risk Management for microfinance institutions are the newest addition to the Resource Library of the Microfinance Management Institute (MFMI). Developed by Citibank (which is now known by the simpler brand name "Citi") and generously donated to the MFMI, the materials enable trainers around the world to access quality materials on two key areas of risk management practice: interest rate risk and liquidity risk.
Trainers and academics of the global MFMI Network identify Risk Management knowledge and practice as a critical need area for microfinance institutions. Citi's timely contribution of training materials and tools facilitates the dissemination of information and skills on risk management to microfinance practitioners across the 32 countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Central and Eastern Europe where members of the MFMI Network work to strengthen the management skills of microfinance institutions.
The materials and exercises are available to users free of charge.
Trainers and academics of the global MFMI Network have identified Risk Management knowledge and practice as a crucial topic needed by microfinance institutions (MFIs). Citi's timely contribution of training materials and tools facilitates the dissemination of information and skills on risk management to microfinance practitioners across the 32 countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Central and Eastern Europe where members of the MFMI Network work to strengthen the management skills of microfinance institutions.
The materials and exercises are found at http://www.themfmi.org/resources/category.php?selectid=1 and include:
- Introductions and Overviews about the management of both Interest Rates and of Liquidity Risks;
- Participant exercises about analyzing the behavior of deposit funding, contingency funding plans for liquidity stresses and calculating the profitability impact of different interest rate exposures, and
- Questions to ask during a simulation exercise of an Asset Liability Committee (ALCO).
Citi created the materials in 2005 as a part of a more comprehensive course and tools on Financial Risk Management developed in collaboration with Women's World Banking (WWB).
This comprehensive training course adds a financial risk management (FRM) toolkit, a FRM E-Course, additional exercises, presentations and surveys and evaluations. In 2007, Citi and WWB recognized the MFMI as a certified trainer of this complete Financial Risk Management Course.
Creative Participation from MBA Students Sought
The MFMI invites MBA Student Groups, interested in Microfinance, to contact the MFMI to contribute to a new student portal on the new Resource Center.
If interested, email theMFMI@gmail.com, or or conniejones01@hotmail.com.
Mid-Career Professional Survey
The MFMI is doing research currently on models of mid-career professional programs where a management, legal, policy or accounting professional can use their skillsets for a period of time in a new field of practice (such as in microfinance, or other development or social programs). We're looking different approaches including fellowships, sabbaticals, or other ways that professional staff may be on loan to development organizations, The MFMI is interested in learning from its members about how any such programs are structured and the experiences in how they have worked.
Interview with Natasa Grononja
Read this interview with Natasa Goronja who manages the MFMI's work on training for funders as well as network outreach and marketing.
The MFMI receives MasterCard Foundation Grant to Channel Support to Scholarships
Beginning in March 2008, the MFMI will manage a new program of scholarships for those of its network members who participated in a joint proposal and plan to offer partial scholarship funding to MFI staff to attend professional trainings. Read more at this Learning Support page.
Successful training: 'Making Microfinance Operational' at the World Bank
The MFMI successfully co-delivered a 2-day workshop with real-life microfinance case studies for World Bank and IFC staff, as well as other funders, 30 participants in all, March 6 and 7 of 2008. It was a truncated version of the five-day funder training that has been given many times. Michael Goldberg and guest-speakers from CGAP, the World Bank and IFC made it a fast-paced and well-evaluated training. CGAP, the World Bank's Latin America and Caribbean Region and Finance and Financial and Private Sector Development, Vice Presidencies, along with the Microfinance Management Institute, organized the workshop on microfinance tailored to the needs of funder agency staff.
An Interview with Director of Curriculum Development
Read this interview with Ron Chua, MFMI's Global Director of Curriculum Development.
Major Regional Workshop held in Philippines for All Asia, Jan/Feb 2008
The largest gathering to date of microfinance educators, trainers and network capacity builders was held in the Philippines from January 29 to February 8. Over sixty professionals shared ideas and insights at the two-week workshop in Boracay Philippines, co-hosted by the Asian Institute of Management, with support from TSKI. Two successful training-of-trainer workshops were held the second week, covering adult education and the process of research/writing of teaching case studies in microfinance. The Asian workshop pulled training practitioners from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Poland, Russia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Read interviews with MFMI President, Leslie Barcus and MFMI Curriculum Development Director, Ron Chua.
Recruiting Training and Academic Organizations to Develop Financial Systems for the Poor
To download the Application for Affiliation to the MFMI Global Network, please click here .
If you have any difficulties downloading your application, please contact us at ngoronja@themfmi.org
En Español:
Reclutando organizaciones académicas y de capacitación para el desarrollo de sistemas financieros para los pobres
Para descargar la aplicación de afiliación a la Red Global del MFMI en español, por favor haga click aquí.
Para mayor información, por favor consulte a Natasa Goronja, Gerente de la Red y Mercadeo: ngoronja@themfmi.org.
Français:
Le MFMI (le Microfinance Management Institute) est en train de recruter des organisations académiques et de formation afin d'élargir son réseau mondial de professionnels qui oeuvrent à renforcer les capacités des établissements
financiers et des systèmes financiers engagés dans la microfinance et la bancarisation de masse.
Si vous êtes intéressé(e)s par la possibilité de faire partie de ce réseau mondial, nous vous invitons à remplir le formulaire d'application et de le renvoyer à ngoronja@themfmi.org,
responsable du réseau et marketing, ou bien cliquez
ci-dessous.
MFMI News