How can MFIs survive the pandemic storm ?
What will the recovery look like ?

SUMMARY

The past 18 months have been a trying time for both microfinance clients and the financial institutions that serve them. Many poor households – and women in particular – have suffered large declines in income as a result of lockdowns, decreases in economic activity and trade, and the collapse of entire economic sectors, like tourism. The result has created the largest and deepest crisis in the nearly 50-year history of microfinance. Looking at the present situation and drawing on examples of crises over the past decade, the speakers will look at how microfinance clients and institutions have been coping with the pandemic and what the post-pandemic recovery might look like.

Daniel Rozas,

Senior Microfinance Expert, European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP)

Daniel Rozas is a Senior Microfinance Expert at e-MFP and a consultant and researcher on a broad range of financial inclusion topics. Among his areas of focus is crisis management, and over the past decade Daniel has authored two of the most widely-read studies on the topic: Weathering the Storm (2011) and Weathering the Storm II (2021), which examine the experience of 16 institutions struggling with crisis. Prior to his microfinance career, Daniel worked for the US mortgage investment company Fannie Mae during 2001-08, where he had first-hand experience with the extraordinary boom-and-bust cycle that took place in the US mortgage market during this period. Daniel resides in Brussels, Belgium, and holds an MBA from the University of Maryland and an undergraduate degree in music from the Peabody Conservatory.

Antoniqe Koning

Senior Financial Sector Specialist, CGAP

Antonique Koning is a Senior financial sector specialist with more than 20 years of experience working on a range of topics related to microfinance and financial inclusion. Antonique has expertise in consumer protection and responsible finance, customer centricity and empowerment. She currently serves as CGAP’s Gender Lead and focuses on women’s economic empowerment. Before joining CGAP in 2004, she gained hands-on experience developing and implementing micro-credit programs in El Salvador and working with savings banks globally.

Watch the full video report hereunder.