2nd Annual Asia Pacific Microfinance Forum 2019 | Uniglobal Events | 22 October 2019 | Singapore

Some of the biggest challenges MFIs struggle to overcome today are high operating costs, scalability and low earnings. And it is widely believed today that the provision of financial technology (fintech) innovations is expected to help MFIs reduce their costs, increase operational efficiency and remain competitive in the rapidly changing financial landscape. Additionally, new players like fintech-based lenders and mobile network operators are entering the microfinance industry and targeting the unbanked and the financially excluded segments. How successfully MFIs respond to this dynamic and competitive environment will also determine which actors will survive (remain more relevant) within the financial inclusion industry in the near future.

What’s more, investment in the fintech industry has globally raced ahead to the levels unseen before. In 2018, global investment in fintech companies hit a record high 111.8 billion USD. Fintech investments in Asia increased from $12 billion* in 2017 to $22.7 billion in 2018, dominated by Ant Financial’s record-setting deal ($14 billion). Even though the investments slowed significantly in the second half of the year, it is highly expected that fintech investments will remain strong in Asia and play a crucial role in shaping the dynamics of the financial inclusion industry.**

The 2nd Annual Asia Pacific Microfinance Forum will shed light on how the pioneering microfinance sector players (MFIs, social impact investors, banks, international finance organizations, among many others) evaluate the potential uses, critical success factors as well as implementation challenges of the recent fintech developments in the financial inclusion sector. It will be an invaluable opportunity for sector players to meet their potential/existing business partners and help shape the future of microfinancing in the Asia Pacific region.

2019 Speakers

Swapnil Kant Neeraj
Principal Investment Officer – Microfinance Lead, IFC (International Finance Corporation), Singapore

Fay Chetnakarnkul
Investment Director – Head of Asia, Norfund, Thailand

Amit Kumar Rathi
Managing Director, Unitus Capital, India

Pierrick Balmain
Head of APAC Business Development, BlueOrchard Investments, Singapore

Bernhard Eikenberg
Fund Manager, Bamboo Capital Partners, Luxembourg

Estelle Darie-Rousseaux
Executive Director, Amret – Advans Group, Cambodia

Pranav Kumar
Associate Director, Leapfrog Investments, Singapore

Daphne Ng
Chief Executive Officer, JEDTrade, Singapore

Anshukant Taneja
Principal Investment Officer – Microfinance Lead, Asian Development Bank, Philippines

Smita Aggarwal
Global Investments Advisor, Flourish Ventures, India

Abhishek Agrawal
Senior Vice President & Chief Regional Officer, Accion, India

Nyi Nyein Aye
Chief Executive Officer, ThitsaWorks, Myanmar

Cameron Goldie-Scot
Chief Executive Officer, Musoni, The Netherlands

2019 Sponsors

• Musoni
• ThitsaWorks