8th "University meets Microfinance" Workshop - July 19th & July 20th 2012

Microfinance in crisis? Impact and financial transparency

Conference on 19th and 20th July 2012 at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

8th University meets Microfinance Workshop
organised by the e-MFP Action Group “University Meets Microfinance” at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.

Date: July 19th and July 20th 2012
Location: Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, Sonnemannstr. 9-11, 60314 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Experts from ADA, African Microfinance Transparency Forum, e-MFP, Finance in Motion, GIZ, KfW, Interational Advisory Services, Internationale Project Consult (IPC), Microfinance Transparency and PlaNet Finance, responsAbility and students and professors from CERGE-EI, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, Solvay Brussels School, Universidad Europea de Madrid, University of Bath, University of Mannheim will present and discuss their findings.

About the topic
Throughout the past three decades various microfinance actors have strived to improve the lives of low income households and businesses that have been excluded from formal financial services. So far, however, only little academic evidence exists clearly documenting the impact of those efforts. This has triggered a need to provide information about the social performance of microfinance borrowers. Moreover, critical cases of over-indebtedness in certain markets have increased the awareness of social investors, thereby intensifying efforts to conduct responsible finance practices and strengthen the transparency at the level of the microfinance clients. Throughout the workshop participants will discuss the topics of impact and transparency, contributing to find an answer to the question whether microfinance is living up to its expectations.

Registration

Please register for the UMM Workshop by July 8th 2011 at www.universitymeetsmicrofinance.eu. You will receive all organizational details upon registration.

Registration fees: Students 20,-€/Practitioners 40,-€

Please register by July 8th 2012!

About University Meets Microfinance
University Meets Microfinance (UMM) is a joint initiative of PlaNet Finance and the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP). The initiative brings together e-MFP members, microfinance practitioners, researchers and funders, to further enhance microfinance education, encourage research projects and disseminate quality research outputs in partnership with European universities. The initiative focuses on microfinance education (seminars), microfinance research (scholarships, field exposure and field research opportunities) and capitalizes information by producing case studies, publication of master theses and thematic series papers. There is also an important component of professional exchange and information dissemination (workshops and awareness raising events).

As of January 2012, 47 academics from 32 universities and 49 microfinance practitioners from 25 organizations volunteer to support UMM as Selection Committee members. Currently, the UMM activities gather 2000 students, professors and microfinance practitioners from 10 European countries. www.universitymeetsmicrofinance.eu