4th Financial Expert Day of the Strategic Partners AFC and ADG

Internal Financial Expert Days are organized by AFC/ADG in Montabaur annually in order to discuss new topics in the field of financial sector development and to exchange experiences from ongoing projects. On January 08 and 09, 2012, the strategic partners of AFC and ADG were pleased to welcome 24 associated international experts of the financial sector development field to ADG’s premises of Montabaur Castle. The 4th of the successful internal annual event was headed under the topic “Transforming Microfinance Institutions” and created a platform to discuss recent trends and innovations amongst colleagues and partners. After a brainstorming session, which served to establish a common understanding of the term “Transformation” and the factors influencing the process, three case studies were presented: The case of a transformation of a microfinance association to an MFI in China was based on AFC's ongoing project “Microfinance Programme – Phase A” and presented by our team leader Indrajith Wijesiriwadarna; Our colleague Sigitas Bubnys introduced the experience of the Lithuanian cooperative sector, in which he has worked for many years; and Prof Dr Hans Dieter Seibel, professor for economics, sociology and banking, shared his hands-on experience during the transformation of the Rural Development Trust into the renown Centenary Bank in Uganda. The three examples were chosen to not only represent the regional diversity, but also the different stages of transformation. Whilst the Uganda case demonstrated a successfully completed transformation, the China example allowed insights into an ongoing process, and the Lithuanian illustration anchored a discussion on the future development of a whole sector. Following the presentations, we split up into three working groups and prepared a SWOT analysis and transformation plan for each case, which were then later on presented and discussed with all participants. Besides creating a forum for debating topics in financial sector development with highly qualified and experienced experts, the Financial Expert Day has been appreciated by AFC-ADG and equally by its participants as a social event, which allows us to exchange views in a friendly and professional setting. We are honored by the acceptance the event has found with our partners and are already looking forward to next year’s event! For further information, please do not hesitate to contact Simona Helmsmüller: simona.helmsmueller [at] afci.de.