Announcement on Call for Papers & Research Competition

The BWTP Network is pleased to announce a call for presentations/papers and research competition based on the forum theme to encourage regionally stakeholders to participate in this much anticipated event.

Forum theme: Financial Inclusion – Achieving Asia’s Potential

Asia Microfinance Forum’s are practitioner-focused events, and as such encourages submissions from all microfinance stakeholders on the issue of financial inclusion. A survey of BWTP Network member organisations determined a range of issues of great importance when discussing financial inclusion. These issues address some of the key limitation in achieving financial inclusion, such as institutional capacity, diversification of products and services, geography, gender, socio-economic or cultural exclusion, financial literacy, limitation of income-generating activities, lack of data and policy and regulation.

The guidelines on conference presentations types, selection process and submission are available here.

Deadline for all submission has been extended: 30th June 2010

 

BWTP Network Research Competition - Financial Inclusion in Asia

Background

The BWTP Network promotes financial inclusion in the following ways:

  • identifying and promoting institutional models, technologies and products, including savings and payments instruments, credit and other financial services;
  • faciliatating microfinance service provision, capacity-building and technological upgrading for institutions engaged in banking with the poor;
  • monitoring and reporting on the policies and practices of governments, financial and other regulatory authorities, financial sector institutions, NGOs and technical service providers, national associations of microfinance service providers for this purpose;
  • research, advocacy, policy dialogue and information-sharing and capacity-building;
  • promoting a diversity of institutional models, technologies or financial products.

As a part of the Citi Network Strengthening Program, the BWTP Network wishes to provide four research consultants from the Asia region with the opportunity to undertake research into the area of financial inclusion in Asia. A summary of the research will be published in upcoming BWTP Network Bulletin and the full document made available online via the BWTP Network and Asia Microfinance Forum 2010 websites. Researches will also be considered to present their work at the Asia Microfinance Forum 2010 in Colombo, 12 - 15 October.

The guidelines on submissions, expected outputs and deadlines are avaialble here.

Deadline for abstract: (max 1,000 words): 25th June 2010