MCPI participates in 2014 Asia Microfinance Forum

The Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. joined stakeholders including central banks, microfinance practitioners, donor agencies, commercial banks, and technology and software companies from across Asia and outside the region in the 2014 Asia Microfinance Forum (AMF) last August 4-8 in Shanghai, China.

Organized by the Banking with the Poor (BWTP) and the Foundation for Development Cooperation, the AMF promotes inclusive and sustainable financial services in Asia and provides a platform for discourse on emerging issues in microfinance.

MCPI participated in the Annual General Meeting of BWTP Network member institutions on day one of the five-day forum.

The three-day conference proper with the theme Financial Inclusion in Asia: Creating Dynamic Financial Ecosystems for the Poor followed a line-up of panel sessions and capacity building workshops for stakeholders and institutions revolved on areas such as digital financial services, agri-microfinance, peer to peer microfinance, and responsible inclusive finance. MCPI Executive Director Allan Sicat presented MCPI’s Social Performance Management initiatives during the panel session on Reaching the Financially Excluded and Demonstrating Impact.

The fifth day was dedicated to the Asia Network Summit (ANS), a one-day event of learning and exchanges for the representatives of microfinance associations in Asia. The ANS gave participants from 14 networks a venue for discussions of the networks’ next steps taking off from the AMF that was held from August 5–7.

MCPI discussed its Developing Sustainable Energy Access (DevSEA) initiative, a renewable energy project of MCPI and Appui au Développement Autonome (ADA), in the session on the Role of Microfinance Associations in Promoting Financial Inclusion through Products and Services.

BWTP is an Asian network of microfinance stakeholders committed to improving the quality of life of the poor through promoting and facilitating their access to sustainable financial services. To learn more about the association, follow this link http://www.bwtp.org/. The AMF summary report can be downloaded here.