MicroSave's bi-annual event, the CEOs' workshop was held in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, from the 23rd to the 25th of February, 2010. The theme for this CEOs' workshop was "Responding to Competitive Microfinance Markets".
Time with Stuart Rutherford
The highlights of the event were presentations and detailed discussions with Stuart Rutherford on his research in Bangladesh, a highly competitive microfinance market. Hearing a diverse range of experiences from a person who has spent 25 years in Bangladesh and followed the changes in the microfinance sector very closely, as a researcher, writer and practitioner was a great learning for the participants. Practitioners from India got the opportunity to hear the details of the Stuart's research which are captured in his ground breaking books "The Poor and Their Money" and "Portfolios of the Poor".
Field Visit to P-KGFS
Pudhuaaru-Kshetriya Gramin Financial Services (P-KGFS) an Action Research Partner of MicroSave is a third generation MFI, based on a very strategic approach and built on excellent systems with a focus on client orientation. It is a 'local financial institution' (LFI) promoted by IFMR Trust Holding Company Rural Finance (ITHC) with a view to provide diversified and full suite of financial services to the un-served and underserved customers in remote rural parts of Thanjavur and Thiruvarur districts. P-KGFS is set to grow rapidly in terms of both scale (outreach) and scope (diversification of products). MicroSave has been working with P-KGFS to develop/refine products and a comprehensive Risk Management System. A core component of the CEOs' workshop was a day visit to three branches of KGFS in Thanjavur, an opportunity to get a glimpse of some great processes and to interact with the staff.
Presentations from Key Speakers
Addressing competition has been a key concern for MFIs in India. Chandra Shekar Ghosh from Bandhan, Bindu Ananth from IFMR Trust, Venkatesh from Equitas, Abhishek Sinha from Eko, Suresh Krishna from Grameen Financial Services, Anil S.G. from IFMR Trust and Graham A.N. Wright from MicroSave were the other presenters at the workshop. The participants also appreciated the scope this platform creates for a lot of sharing and interaction!
Information Dissemination
MicroSave introduced its yet another booklet of the Optimising Productivity and Efficiency Series on Product Development. It has publications on how client oriented product development has helped MFIs address competition across the world. Other publications which were shared and discussed were:
IFN 8: What Does Competition Mean For Indian MFIs?
IFN 12: Are There Lessons For India From Bangladesh?
IFN 24: Making Business Correspondence Work in India
The videos shared on BRAC, Grameen Bank and other videos of interviews are available on www.microfinancepodcast.com. (Podcast numbers 1, 2, 24, 26)
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