Nane Annan, wife of UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan, opened the event with a presentation on her meetings with women who have benefited
from microfinance. Tom Easton, New York Bureau Chief of The Economist, moderated a technical
panel on how Wall Street can apply sophisticated financial solutions to the emerging sector of
microfinance. He talked of the need to view microfinance as a viable business and not just a charitable
process. The panelists included Jack Lowe, CEO of BlueOrchard Finance; Maria Otero, president
and CEO of ACCION International, and long time microfinance expert; David Satterwaite,
CEO of Prisma Microfinance; and Jonathan Morduch, Professor of Public Policy and Economics at
New York University. They discussed (among many other topics) the different forms of microfinance
institutions, the expectation that investors will begin to see microcredit as a viable asset class,
the financial viability that microfinance groups can gain through use of proven business models and
the challenges facing institutions between providing social services or providing money to create
those services.
The event was co-hosted by the United Nations Capital Development Fund, FWA, Women Advancing
Microfinance, Women's Association of Venture Equity, Women's Bond Club of New York and
85 Broads. Click here for photographs of the event:
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