Unitus Leadership Summit 2008

October 1, 2008 Posted by Update

Unitus partners convene in Bali, Indonesia

How are microfinance institutions (MFIs) dealing with the credit crunch, and what advice do they have for their peers? How do you grow an MFI rapidly while maintaining its core mission? What products and services are working beyond microcredit loans, and how do you design and implement them? How do you measure your organization’s—and your clients’—success?

These questions among many were heard last week as industry experts, executive coaches, and more than 20 microfinance innovators met in Bali, Indonesia, for the 2008 Unitus Leadership Summit. This was the third annual gathering of Unitus partners, a select network of social entrepreneurs representing four continents, eight countries, and unlimited potential for changing the lives of millions.

“The Unitus Leadership Summit is a cornerstone of our network offering, which facilitates peer-to-peer learning across the microfinance industry,” said Windy Wilkins, Global Network Lead. “We focused this year on the themes of leadership and innovation—two topics we think will be increasingly important as the microfinance industry matures.”

Sessions covered a wide range of practitioner topics, including the latest trends in mobile banking; identifying and serving the poorest of the poor; developing social performance management best practices; and examining the latest trends in insurance, savings, and remittance products.

As partner panelists advised their peers in these areas of interest, lively discussions soon followed. In a room overflowing with deep microfinance expertise, partners were generous with their insights, connections, and lessons learned.

Also during the Leadership Summit, Unitus presented the Unitus Acceleration Award to Equitas, a recent partner that reached 100,000 clients after only nine months of operation. The Unitus Acceleration Award is presented each year to a Unitus partner who best exemplifies the goal of accelerating microfinance through innovation, growth, and commitment to client needs.

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