Events & Presentations

November 10-11, Zurich, Switzerland

The fall 2014 Financial Inclusion Equity Council (FIEC) meeting will be hosted by responsAbility in Zurich, Switzerland on Monday, November 10 and Tuesday, November 11. The meeting will bring together social equity investors to discuss investment trends, fund management, supporting the microfinance infrastructure, and impact investing in India. The FIEC is a membership council representing the leading private entities making active, long term, and sustainable equity investments in institutions focusing on under- or un-served clients, with the goal of achieving greater financial inclusion.

November 4-6, Guayaquil, Ecuador

Anticipating an attendance of over 1,600 participants, the 17th Foromic will be held in Guayaquil, Ecuador and hosted by the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) of the IDB Group. General topics at the event include financing of MSMEs and underserved entrepreneurs, the role of corporate governance, behavioral and consumer research, and financial inclusion and education. CFI’s Deborah Drake will be participating in a panel discussion on the challenges of corporate governance within microfinance institutions and cooperatives and the governance views of international investors and donors. The panel will also present a comprehensive initiative to improve governance practices in the LAC region.

October 21, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Mayer Brown LLP, 1675 Broadway, New York City, USA

The Accion Women’s Network is hosting a panel discussion on women in governance. Featured panelists Deborah Drake, Vice President of the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion, and Melissa Lumpkin Baez, Director of Global Operations in Africa, will discuss the importance of board gender diversity and will share how Accion is working to promote an increased presence of women in governance in our partner institutions, and in the greater microfinance industry. We anticipate a lively discussion and hope you can attend – if you have something to contribute based on your own experience with board service, your perspective is encouraged! The event will be held 6-8pm at Mayer Brown LLP, 1675 Broadway, New York, NY. To RSVP, contact Andrea Horak at 617.684.0245 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

October 9, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
New York City, USA

Organized by the Microfinance Club of New York and hosted at the Credit Suisse Madison Avenue offices, the panel will discuss various aspects of youth financial inclusion. They will address what constitutes a youth market, challenges and opportunities for financial institutions in addressing the youth segment, current products and services available to youth to meet their various needs in different markets, and regulatory factors. Panelists are Barbara Magnoni of EA Consultants, Nathan Byrd of Opportunity International, Maria Perdomo of UNCDF, Scott MacMillan of BRAC USA, and Simon Bailey of Aflatoun. The event will be moderated by CFI Communications Director Eric Zuehlke. More information here.

September 28-30, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

The third edition of the Exchange on the Future of Banking, organized by FMO, the Dutch Development Bank, will have the overarching theme “Empowering Entrepreneurs.” Over the course of three days, the conference will bring together top-bankers from financial institutions in emerging markets to share insights and ideas, exchange experiences and aspirations, and tackle those challenges and solutions relevant for the bank of the future. During this year's Exchange, the winner of the SME-Finance Innovation Award will be announced. This Award is the result of a contest organized by DEG, supported by FMO and Proparco, to promote innovative products and services for SME clients. For more information, visit the event website.