PRESS RELEASES

Women’s World Banking, Federation of Latin American Banks and Mexican Bankers Association Host Major Meeting on Microfinance for Mexican Bankers on May 17, 2007

For Immediate Release
April 26, 2007
Contact: Petra Tuomi, Women's World Banking,
212-768-8513, cell 646-873-0763, ptuomi@swwb.org

New York, NY — Women’s World Banking (WWB), a leader in developing financial services for low-income women entrepreneurs, the Federation of Latin American Banks (FELABAN), the Mexican Bankers Association, the Inter-American Development Bank- Multilateral Fund and the Andean Finance Corporation will sponsor a major conference on strategies for deepening the penetration of microfinance in Mexico. The one-day conference will be held May 17 in Mexico City and will gather over 50 top banking executives, policy makers and microfinance experts from Latin America and the United States. The conference will be opened by Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President of Women’s World Banking, Enrique Castillo Sánchez Mejorada, President of the Mexican Banking Association and President and General Manager of Grupo Ixe, Mexico, and Fernando Pozo, President of FELABAN and General Manager of Banco Pichincha of Ecuador.

“This event will bring the leading bankers and microfinance leaders of Mexico and Latin America to share with the Mexican banking industry strategies that have been successful in developing microfinance as a business,” said Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President of WWB. “We are pleased that many Mexican institutions have entered microfinance market in a responsible and committed way and are eager to further develop their services for this sector.”

The meeting will feature presentations from several CEOs and top executives from major Latin American and Mexican banks and microfinance institutions, such as Grupo Financiero Banorte and Santander Banefe that are part of WWB’s Global Network for Banking Innovation, a network of 24 regulated institutions that has been a valuable resource at WWB-FELABAN events. Bank Representatives from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru will share their vision and strategies on how to develop a diversified product portfolio for microentrepreneurs and how to build efficient and scalable operations. Leaders from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru will also discuss country-based regulatory frameworks and the lessons learned from them.

This meeting is a part of the ongoing initiative spearheaded by WWB and FELABAN to encourage banks to enter the microfinance sector and share experiences, successes, and best banking practices in the region. The WWB-FELABAN initiative, launched in 2003, promotes bank entry into microfinance in Latin America and serves as a model for similar initiatives that WWB will roll out in other regions of the world.

“WWB’s partnership with FELABAN, banking associations, and banks in Latin America has created a platform for exchanging ideas, experiences and successful banking strategies among banks engaged in microfinance,” said Mercedes Benavides, Manager of the Global Network for Banking Innovation. “Together, we can accelerate the reach of microfinance to more low-income families, reduce costs through innovation and introduce products and services that are truly responsive to their needs.”

For full program and press release for this conference, please click here. For further information on the conference, please contact Mercedes Benavides at mbenavides@swwb.org.