FINCA International's Microfinance Research Symposia

Through generous support from the Templeton Foundation, FINCA’s Research Symposia have recognized graduate students and young professionals for their outstanding contributions to research and analysis in the field of microfinance. The Symposia have featured presentations by winners of FINCA’s research monograph competition, with commentary by leading microfinance experts.

FINCA is pleased to present Inspiring a New Generation: FINCA's Research Fellows Program and Insights from the First Four Years*, the anthology of winning monographs from 2006 to 2009. This publication is the fruit of a multi-year collaboration among young researchers and other leading thinkers and practitioners in the microfinance industry. For more information about the Annual Research Symposium or Inspiring a New Generation, please contact Alexi Taylor-Grosman.

2009 From Information to Innovation: Harnessing Social Data to Empower Change

FINCA's 2009 Research Symposium Participants

2009 Symposium Participants, (L to R): Dr. Antonio Gayoso, Beth Porter, Dr. Francis Fukuyama, RC Schrader, Kadiri Liassou, Nicola Armacost, Benjamin Rae, Yulya Spantchak, Amy Davis. Photo by Anne Lord Photography

FINCA International's fourth Annual Microfinance Research Symposium, From Information to Innovation: Harnessing Social Data to Empower Change, was a resounding success. The event was cosponsored by the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies International Development Program (SAIS) on April 17, 2009 and hosted over 250 members of the academic community, microfinance practitioners and development professionals.

The event featured:

A Keynote Address delivered by Dr. Francis Fukuyama, available on our YouTube channel
Kadiri Liassou’s "Prevention through Prediction: A Quantitative Approach to Target Client Churn"
Benjamin Rae’s "Those Who Leave and Those Who Remain: A Review of Client Exit in FINCA Mexico"
Yulya Spantchak’s "Capitalizing on Remittances: FINCA Latin American and Remittance Product Design"
Informative address on MIX 2.0 by Peter Wall, Former Executive Director of Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) Market
2008 Field to Function: Harnessing Social Data to Empower Change

*Please note that the opinions and assumptions reflected in the attached publication are not necessarily those of FINCA, but those of the monograph authors.