e-MFP ROI AG Webinars

Session Description: Rural microfinance in Pakistan has been increasing in terms of numbers but the proportion of loans being given for women centric businesses are abysmally low. Kashf Foundation which is a pioneer in women centric urban microfinance has undertaken a detailed scoping of women led sectors in the rural economy along with MEDA to create a suite of products and services which can work for rural women in Pakistan. The speaker will present facets of women centric product development and preliminary outcomes and challenges from the pilot.

Bio: Ms. Zainab Saeed is the Head of Research and Development at Kashf Foundation. She has been working in the sphere of pro-poor economic development and sustainable livelihoods since 2008 and has extensive experience with understanding the needs of low-income women micro-entrepreneurs and translating lessons from the field into policy making and product development.
Ms. Saeed has been involved in multiples facets of Kashf Foundation’s work ranging from research and product development, business management, human resource development, grant raising and business development for Kashf. Ms. Saeed has also been an adjunct faculty member at the Lahore University of Management Sciences and a visiting faculty member the Lahore School of Economics. She has a post-graduate degree in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and an undergraduate degree in Social Sciences from the Lahore University of Management Sciences. She has also been part of the ACCION Strategic Leadership Training in Financial Exclusion at the Harvard Business School, and the Boulder Microfinance Training Course in Turin, Italy.

Session Description: In this session Justin McAuley will detail a product that VisionFund has implemented to automate the application process for loan officers in the field. Drawing on data from over 80 sources, the technology uses an algorithm to create loan terms appropriate to the financial situation of individual clients.

Bio: Justin has 30 years’ experience creating, selling and implementing FinTech solutions to solve retail banking problems. For the last 13 years he has focused on mobile banking and payment technologies, starting in 2004 as CTO of a mobile banking joint venture between Nokia, Accenture and a Nordic bank. He has worked extensively with banks in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. While working with banks in India he decided to devote his time to working with financially underserved communities, and has been working on digital technologies for Financial Inclusion ever since.

Session Description: Join Marina has she explores the most effective ways to facilitate communication across cultures and nurture communities that support green development. Building on her experience of establishing the BFC Green learning and communication platform, Marina will share insights into building networks, suggestions for tapping into social media, and lessons for the future.

Bio: Marina has over 20 years of business experience, and is driven to develop innovative solutions to deep-seated educational and business challenges.

Success factors in her professional life:

• Operating within a positive atmosphere with great teams
• Freedom of thought and encouraging creativity
• Readiness to lead in challenging situations

Marina’s passion is lifelong learning. She is inspired by great dreamers, entrepreneurs, visionaries, teachers, scientists, artists, and children.

Session Description: Join Ndumiso Mpofu as he describes market solutions which were used to increase the speed of recovery for communities affected by El Nino. Ndumiso will also present a summary of findings from recovery lending in fragile African states from November 2015 to June 2017.

Bio: Ndumiso Mpofu is an agricultural economist and microfinance specialist with extensive experience in the use of financial products and services to enhance the economics of rural agricultural farmers across Africa. Most recently, Ndumiso has led VisionFund’s pan-Africa response to the El Nino disaster, using insurance tools and techniques to mitigate the effects of climate change. Ndumiso’s work focuses on the application of specialized techniques that are used to adapt lending methodology to allow clients affected by disasters to rebuild their businesses and repay loans without becoming over-indebted.

Session Description: Join Birgit Galemann as she shares her experiences of using new methods of communication to facilitate more effective engagement with partners based around the world. Focusing on a recent project based in Uganda, Birgit will provide insights into establishing long-term, valuable relationships without the need for a continuous on-site presence.

Bio: Birgit has served as an advisor to microfinance institutions in rural Uganda since 1994. In 2007, she became an independent consultant developing tailor-made quantitative management tools for microfinance banks and SACCOs based in a variety of countries. Birgit has also worked towards the establishment of a self-dependent, 3-level cooperative network of Savings and Loan Associations. This network is strengthened by tailor-made tools which allow continuous internal auditing and accounting to be performed on a primary, secondary, and tertiary level.

Prior to concentrating on microfinance, Birgit gained 13 years of experience in international finance through working in risk management while being based in New York, London, and Frankfurt. In her latest role she was responsible for the methodological development and implementation of Deutsche Bank’s global credit exposure system for trading books.

Birgit holds a diploma in mathematics and economics from Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany, and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.

More about Birgit’s work can be found on her website: International Finance Development (IFD).

Session Description: Join Johanna Ryan as she presents the Women’s Empowerment Fund. According to the World Bank, 42% of women across the world are outside the formal financial system. This statistic encapsulates the impetus for VisionFund’s new initiative, which is expected to impact two million women and six million children annually by 2021. Johanna will describe the fund’s goals and the six key pillars of activity which will be integral to successfully tailoring financial services to the needs of women in emerging economies.

Bio: As part of WorldVision, VisionFund’s staff are motivated to create hope for the most vulnerable children in the world. As Director of Social Performance, Johanna measures and evaluates VisionFund’s products and services, making sure provision is focused to maximise real transformation of communities and individuals.

Through over 1.2 million clients, VisionFund impacted the lives of 4.4 million children in 2016. This is measured through child wellbeing benefits such as sufficient food, improved education, additional clothes/shoes, and covering health costs. Johanna leads efforts to measure and report this impact.

With VisionFund since 2009, Johanna has had a wide-ranging career that includes a stint as a tutor at Oxford, lecturing at a university in Texas, and 18 years in global banking operations.

Session Description: Technology is transforming rural finance. Join Etienne Mottet as he explores innovative services being delivered through tech, the rise and limitations of the smartphone, and the rapidly evolving future of rural finance.

Bio: Etienne Mottet has 10 years of experience managing financial operations and FinTech projects in Central Asia and beyond. He began his career with OXUS development network, a French microfinance group, where he was in charge of implementing open-source microfinance software into the operations of a group based in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. He later joined OXUS Afghanistan as Chief Operations Officer, where he helped the company become the most successful microfinance organization in the country. He went on to create OPENCBS, an open-source software for microfinance which targeted fast growing small and middle-sized financial institutions. The system is now used by dozens of financial companies in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. At the end of 2015, Etienne joined Business and Finance Consulting (BFC) to take charge of the company’s digital and FinTech development.

Session Description: Join Leigh Marwick, an education professional based in New York, as she speaks about her experience leading a food education and gardening initiative. The programme aims to improve knowledge of food, deepen local communities, and develop entrepreneurial experience. Leigh will share insights into the widespread benefits of getting teenagers interested in growing food, running a successful gardening group, and how to facilitate community development.

Bio: Leigh holds an MSc in teaching methods and an MPhil in education theory. She is an alumna of the Teach For America programme, which places top-level graduates into schools based in disadvantaged American neighbourhoods.

Daniel is a microfinance consultant based in Brussels, Belgium. He has broad-ranging expertise, including risk and crisis management, business strategy, market analysis, funding, and client protection.  Daniel has carried out practical research in many of these areas and advised clients across all levels of the sector, including MFIs, regulators, investors and investment managers, networks, and support organizations.

Prior to entering microfinance, Daniel worked for the US mortgage investment company Fannie Mae, where he held multiple roles between 2001-2008. This first-hand experience with the extraordinary boom-and-bust cycle that took place in the US mortgage market during this period was instrumental in shaping his approach to microfinance.

You can find out more about Daniel’s work by visiting his website, or following him on Twitter.

Together with Microfinanza, and within the framework of a EU funded project in Africa, Francois designed a specific methodology to distribute low cost renewable energy products (solar, ICS, biogas) through microfinance institutions. The main feature of the REEP-DEMO is to base the repayment scheme on the forecasted savings from energy expenses at the household level. It also strives to strengthen the collaboration between the MFI and the Renewable Energy Product Supplier.

Francois previously worked for 22 years as a microfinance expert in 46 countries (Africa, Asia, CIS, Europe & MENA). He specialized in strategy and business plans, financial projections, product development, project evaluation, due diligences, and business models for social enterprises.
In March 2013, he created Senbumo (Social Enterprise Business Models) to broaden his activities towards social enterprises and cooperatives. In line with this new direction, he is also involved with:

• Codha, a Swiss housing cooperative, member of the committee.
• Microfinanza, Italian consultancy firm, senior consultant.
• Monnaie-leman, Swiss-French complementary currency, technical advisor.
• Naxoo, Internet provider owned by the City of Geneva, board member.
• Socialbusinessmodels, Tools for social business models, member of the Committee.
• Socoop, Consulting for cooperatives at the bop, founder & board member.

Francois holds a degree in human geography from the University of Geneva (Switzerland) and a masters in anthropology from the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium).

Johanna has worked at the Thünen Institute for Rural Studies, based in Germany, for over five years. Her responsibilities include the coordination of an inter-disciplinary joint project CC- LandStraD (interdependencies between climate change and land use in Germany; www.cc-landstrad.de): including organization of events, documentations and reporting, strategic finance management, project- internal communication and public relation, project publication.

Johanna has a PhD in Agricultural Science and an MSc in Agribusiness.

Bart graduated in applied Economics at the University of Antwerp (1997) and in Development Studies in Louvain-la-Neuve (1998). He worked for over 15 years on improving rural access to microfinance. For TRIAS based in Tanzania and for ICCO/Terrafina based in Mali, he developed rural finance products in the field, through various approaches such as rural solidarity lending, warehouse receipt lending, and value chain finance.  In the last three years, Bart has worked as an independent consultant (and as an associate consultant for FSAS Advisory Services) further deepening his insights into rural finance.

Recent experiences have reaffirmed that working through farmer associations and cooperatives is a high potential approach for reaching out to smallholder farmers.  Although significant barriers remain, such as cooperative governance and market risks, these can be managed through solid risk analysis and risk mitigation. Join the webinar to find out more about this compelling subject.

Mariel Mensink has over 25 years of work experience in microfinance and rural finance in Tanzania, India, Bhutan, and Uganda. She is now working as a Senior Program Officer with Terrafina Microfinance.

As Chief Partnerships Officer at both Elva and Mosavali, Mark is in charge of finding new and effective ways to apply these initiatives worldwide. He oversaw Elva’s steady international expansion to 12 new countries in 2014. He has several years of experience in working on development, democratization, conflict transformation, and humanitarian relief.

Before joining Elva, Mark worked on international development in Georgia and Albania for the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has volunteered for various causes and non-profit organizations worldwide, including child education and poverty reduction in Guatemala, and HIV/AIDS prevention in Colombia.

Mark is a graduate of the London School of Economics, l’Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris, and the University of Groningen.

A development finance professional with over fifteen years of experience, Patricia’s expertise covers areas of social performance and impact measurement, rural finance, and risk management, with a regional focus on Africa and Asia & Pacific. Patricia is currently managing the Social Finance Programme’s collaboration with the Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund (AATIF) looking at how positive social and environmental impact of agricultural investments can be ensured and improved. She is also leading the unit’s work on social and environmental management systems with development finance institutions in Africa and Asia & Pacific.

Before joining the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2007, Patricia researched financial system development and microfinance in East Africa, served on the Board of the Melton Foundation, and worked as an advisor on economic development at a regional parliament in Germany.

Patricia holds a PhD in Economics and an M.A. in Intercultural Management and Business Administration. She also serves on the Technical Review Committee of the Social Performance Task Force, a position she has held since 2015.

Michael Kortenbusch is the Principal Founder and Managing Director of Business & Finance Consulting (BFC). With 18 years of experience in banking and development finance, and 13 years as the Managing Director of BFC, Mr. Kortenbusch has guided and backstopped most of the 138 BFC projects, with a specific focus on the NIS and Eastern European regions. Over the last 5 years, Mr. Kortenbusch has been actively involved in agricultural, rural, and value chain finance, studying the increasing support provided to the development of this sector. Mr. Kortenbusch is leading and backstopping BFC’s implementation projects on value chain finance, agricultural insurance, financial product development, and innovative delivery channel mechanisms; current projects include: Financial Sector Program Value Chain Agro-finance and Kyrgyz Rural Finance Program in Kyrgyzstan, Support for the Financing of the Agriculture Sector in Armenia, Strengthening Core Functions of Strategic Planning and Credit Process for an MFI in Tajikistan, Agricultural Finance Programme in Georgia, Promoting Access to Finance and Agri-insurance for Agricultural Value Chain Actors in Georgia, Development of Financial System in Rural Areas in Serbia, etc.

Also, Mr. Kortenbusch has more than 10 years of training design and delivery expertise, in topics including agriculture and MSME finance, strategic planning, and risk management. He is a prolific public speaker and contributor at international conferences, having attended over 50 conferences. Mr. Kortenbusch has authored numerous reports and publications on microlending, feasibility studies, institutional assessments and due diligence reports, as well as organized and delivered trainings and workshops on related topics.

Mr. Kortenbusch holds a Masters of Business Administration degree, he is native in German, and speaks fluent English and Russian.

Roman holds a BSc in Applied Geography, his key areas of interest include Economic Geography, Political Science, and Social History.

Roman previously worked in software development, an E-Commerce start up, and also held an internship in Kenya, a rewarding experience which focused his attention toward international development.

Join Roman as he gives an overview of off-grid energy solutions across Kyrgyzstan, and shares his insights into when it is best to use this technology.

Polina is a Project Assistant at Berlin-Brandenburg Energy Network, working with renewable energy and Cleantech start-ups. Previously, she gained experience in project development and implementation in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy in the context of developing countries.

Additionally, as the Healthy Planet Schools Coordinator, Polina expanded her expertise to climate change related health risks.

Polina holds an MSc in Economics and Politics in combination with Energy and the Environment from University College London, UK. She is fluent in German, English, Russian and Spanish.

Peter Hauser is a senior development finance expert with 20 years of professional experience in analytics, credit scoring, MSME lending, risk management, financial product development and financial institution due diligence. He is one of BFC’s key staff members, joining the company back in 2004; since then, Peter has been involved as Team Leader and Senior Consultant in more than 35 projects in 25 developing countries.

While at BFC, Peter has specialized in the development and implementation of statistical credit scoring systems for banks and MFIs, specifically from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. He is also a frequent conference speaker, actively promoting the use of advanced data solutions in emerging economies and the value of effective due diligence procedures.

Peter holds an MBA from Georgetown University (USA) and is fluent in English and Russian.

Davide Forcella is associate researcher at the Centre for European Research in Microfinance (CERMi), head of the Action Group Microfinance and Environment for the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP), and green inclusive finance expert for various international organisations. He own a PhD in Physics from the International School for Advanced Studies (ISAS/SISSA) and a Complementary Master in Microfinance (EMP) from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management.

He has extensive expertise in microfinance and environment in all its dimensions: energy, climate change, ecosystems, rural development, environmental risk management and environmental indicators for MFIs. He moreover has sound expertise in rural finance, microfinance credit risk, over indebtedness, microfinance crisis, and microfinance and communities in post-disasters areas.

He has extensive experience both in developing and developed countries, at academic, advisory and practical level with expertise both in the field and remotely.

His research activity received in 2013 the UN backed FIR-PRI Finance and Sustainability European Research Award.

Dr. Matthias Staudt is a Project Manager at BFC. His main focus is on Agricultural Insurance and he is keen to learn about fresh approaches to Agricultural Insurance in emerging markets. He previously conducted research on Quantum Physics.

Mathieu Dubreuil is a Microinsurance Specialist at the R4 team for the World Food Programme. His particular focus is index insurance.

Based in Dakar, he currently covers Senegal, Zambia and Malawi. Previously, he managed five microinsurance brokerage companies in West Africa for PlaNet Guarantee, and also headed a regional index insurance programme.

Value chain finance case studies from Georgia. Includes description of VCF tools along with challenges and solutions from recent experiences of implementing VCF.

Tyler Green is a Project Coordinator with 7 years of professional experience in community development, accounting, communications, public relations, and project management. He has been a member of BFC since 2015; since then, Tyler has been involved as a project coordinator for the PAFAI (Promoting Access to Finance and Agricultural Insurance) project in the Republic of Georgia, where he specializes in the development of Value Chain Finance partners and products. Tyler holds a MA from George Mason University (USA) and is fluent in English and Romanian.

Value chain finance case studies from Georgia. This will include descriptions of VCF tools along with challenges and solutions from recent experiences of implementing VCF.

Exploration of the technology specifics of CIS countries (especially Kyrgyzstan) and how this impacts innovation in rural finance. There will also be a discussion of why African or Latin American success stories may not be transposable to the CIS region and how the concept of these stories should be adapted to fit the CIS context.

Etienne Mottet has 10 years of experience managing financial operations and FinTech projects in Central Asian region and further. He started with OXUS development network, a French microfinance group, where he was in charge of the implementation of an open source microfinance software into the operations of the group in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. He later joined OXUS Afghanistan as Chief Operations Officer where he helped the company become the most successful microfinance organization in this very challenging environment. He then created OPENCBS, an opensource software for microfinance, targeting fast growing small and middle size financial institutions. The system is now used by dozens of financial companies in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. At the end of 2015, Etienne joined Business and Finance Consulting where he is in charge of the digital and FinTech development of the company.

Exploration of the technology specifics of CIS countries (especially Kyrgyzstan) and how this impacts innovation in rural finance. There will also be a discussion of why African or Latin American success stories may not be transposable to the CIS region and how the concept of these stories should be adapted to fit the CIS context.

Presentation Slides:

Mobile Wallets in Kyrgyzstan and Kenya