Research Symposium: Credit Markets for the Poor
Friday, April 20, 2007
8:30 a.m.– 4:15 p.m.
This research symposium brought together practitioners, scholars, and policymakers interested in improving the access to credit markets for the poor. Topics included the existing state of borrowing rates, default rates, and the methods used for financing and risk management of microloans, which is a specific method for lending to underserved communities. In addition to informing the participants about the existing state-of-the-art practices in microfinance, the symposium also identified major research questions facing this area in the years to come and resulted in a publication: Microfinance: Emerging Trends and Challenges, edited by Suresh Sundaresan, the Chase Manhattan Bank Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia Business School.
Researchers and faculty who would like to attend future symposia can contact [email protected].
Agenda
8:30-8:45 a.m.
Breakfast and Registration
8:45-8:55 a.m.
Welcome and Introductions
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9:00-9:30 a.m.
Academic Presentation: Overview of Credit Markets for the Poor
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9:30-10:15 a.m.
Academic Presentation: The Next Billion Microfinance Customers
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10:15-10:30 a.m.
Coffee Break
10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Practitioner Panel Discussion: Risk Assessment and Management with Capital Markets
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12:00-1:30 p.m.
Lunch
1:00-1:30 p.m.
Lunch Discussion
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1:30-2:00 p.m.
Academic Presentation: Gender Empowerment
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2:00-2:30 p.m.
Academic Presentation: Defaults and Borrowing Rates in Microloans: Some Evidence, and the Role of Contract Design and Competition
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2:30-2:45 p.m.
Break
2:45-4:15 p.m.
Practitioner Panel Discussion: Risk Sharing with Banks, Regulatory Challenges, and Technology in Lending
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