There’s an upcoming microfinance event taking place in Cambodia, put on by BWTP (Banking With the Poor).

What (main event): Workshop Building Partnerships in Microfinance

This three (3) day training course is designed for management of a range of microfinance providers and other stakeholders, including MFIs, banks, insurance companies, NGOs and government agencies. The course content aims to:

• Raise awareness of the potential of partnership approaches in microfinance;
• Better equip managers of financial and other institutions to assess, enter into and maintain mutually satisfactory partnerships that enable them to better deliver sustainable and appropriate financial services to the poor.

When: February 20-22, 2012
Where: Siem Reap, Cambodia

What (side event): Invest in Mekong Region Marketplace

When: February 22, 2012 – 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Where: Siem Reap, Cambodia

It’s a bummer this event isn’t a month earlier given that I’m in Siem Reap right now. I plan to be in Chiang Mai starting on the 11th or 12th of February, but we’ll see if I can make it back here in a month to attend.

About Deloitte:
Deloitte Consulting’s Emerging Markets practice has worked with governments and donor agencies to build the institutions, legal framework, and policies required for effective economic governance and private sector growth since 1988.

About the Microfinance and SME Finance Specialist
Deloitte is currently looking for an experienced, senior level Microfinance and SME Finance Specialist for recurring short-term and medium-term deployments in developing and emerging markets to advise government agencies and other counterpart organizations on various aspects of Microfinance and SME policy.  Examples of work that may be undertaken include:

• Review of existing policy and tools/mechanisms and development of actionable recommendations to improve overall climate for microfinance and finance support for SMEs.
• Support with SME financing mechanisms to include development of lending, microfinance and guarantee products.
• Support for the development of business enabling environments, to include recommendations for the establishment of business accelerators/business incubators and diagnostic analysis on underperforming incubator systems.
• Support on trade litigation issues.
• Other related tasks as appropriate

Requirements for the Microfinance and SME Finance Specialists:

• Bachelor’s degree required;  Masters or higher preferred
• Minimum 10-years of professional experience, to include at least 3-years in a developing country context
• In-depth knowledge of USAID  programmatic, compliance and reporting requirements
• Superior written and verbal communication skills in English

To Apply
Qualified candidates please submit your CV with a cover letter to moc.ettioled@ettuhcsm.  No telephone calls please. Deloitte is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We appreciate all responses, but due to expected high volumes, we will only contact those applicants whose qualifications best match the position requirements.

Source: Devex.com

From Microrate:

January 12, 2012, Washington D.C. – On December 20, 2011, MicroRate, with the support of LuxFLAG and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, launched Luminis™ the first web-based, analytical platform focused on microfinance funds, also known as microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs).

With the success of microfinance and the growing interest in impact investments that deliver both financial returns and social impact, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of global funds that invest in microfinance institutions (MFIs). Until now, there was no single resource to assist investors in identifying and analyzing the wide range of investment options in this growing category of socially responsible investments.

Responding to this need, MicroRate’s team of microfinance and capital market analysts developed a proprietary approach to analyzing impact investment funds, called PRSM™, to assess the funds’ performance, risk, social, and management components. This in-depth analysis forms the core of Luminis, which also provides investors with search and comparison tools, detailed fund profiles and reports, research, and relevant market news.

“MicroRate’s core mission has always been to facilitate the flow of capital-market funding to microfinance to promote the long-term sustainability of this poverty-alleviation tool,” stated Damian von Stauffenberg, founder and chairman of MicroRate. “Since 1996, MicroRate has rated MFIs to achieve this goal. Luminis will now provide unprecedented transparency on the investment-fund level, which will further develop the microfinance industry.”

The current Beta version of the Luminis site includes basic profiles on over 80 MIVs. Users can also preview samples of detailed fund profiles and reports that will be part of the full-release version of the site which is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2012.

“Luminis would not be possible without the cooperation of forward-thinking MIV managers, who have agreed to contribute the data that enable us to deliver clear and comprehensive reports to the investment community,” stated Luis A. Viada, Executive VP of MicroRate and Luminis Director. “Already capital markets investors have responded positively to the Luminis approach and see it as a key tool in researching and differentiating among social investment funds.”

According to Kenneth Hay, Chairman of LuxFLAG “We see the launch of Luminis as a critical step forward, providing the detailed and reliable industry information necessary for investors to evaluate MIVs as a valid impact investment option and a potential alternative asset class producing both financial and social returns.” Of the funds featured on Luminis, 15 hold the LuxFLAG Microfinance Label.

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Luminis Background
The critical need to create transparency on microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs) was recognized both by MicroRate and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg who together in May 2010 signed a collaboration agreement providing public seed capital, through the Luxembourg labeling service, LuxFLAG, to help launch Luminis.

Each of the parties is a leader in the field of microfinance investments, which made the initiative a natural alliance. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a staunch advocate of microfinance and hosts the largest number of MIVs of any global financial center. MicroRate has a long-standing and respected reputation as the premier rating agency of microfinance institutions (MFIs). It is also the industry leader in microfinance investment vehicle evaluation.

Luminis is a service of MicroRate which developed the Luminis approach and is solely responsible for providing the analysis, deliberation, conclusions and opinions reflected in all reporting.

About MicroRate (www.microrate.com)
MicroRate is the first microfinance rating agency dedicated to evaluating performance and risk in microfinance institutions (MFIs) and microfinance funds, also known as microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs). As the oldest and most well-respected organization of its kind, MicroRate has conducted over 600 ratings of 200+ MFIs throughout Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Central Asia. MicroRate is a leading social rater and has also become the largest MIV evaluator in the industry.

About LuxFLAG (www.luxflag.org)
The LUXEMBOURG FUND LABELLING AGENCY (LuxFLAG) is an independent, non-profit-making association created in Luxembourg in July 2006. LuxFLAG supports the financing of sustainable development by providing clarity for investors through awarding its Labels to eligible Microfinance Investment Vehicles (MIVs) and Environment-related Investment Vehicles (EIVs). Its objective is to reassure investors that the labelled investment fund invests most of its assets, directly or indirectly, in the microfinance or environment sectors. The MIV/EIV may be domiciled in any jurisdiction that is subject to a level of national supervision equivalent to that available in European Union countries.