Events 

Banking Agents:  Building and maintaining bank branches can be very expensive. At this CGAP lunchtime event in Washington DC on 22 July, Ignacio Mas talked about how networks of agents can be used to optimize access for poor clients.

Technology Forum 2008:  The third Technology Forum was held in Yaoundé, Cameroon July 1 and 2, 2008.

Gender Workshop:  CGAP co-hosted a workshop on Finance and Gender with Women's World Banking and the World Bank Group's Gender Action Plan.

Announcements 

Mobile Phone Banking to Reach Rural Mongolia:  As many as 300,000 Mongolians will be reached by a new mobile phone banking service to be launched by XacBank. The global microfinance body CGAP is supporting XacBank with technical assistance and funding.

Microfinance Technology Survey Offers Chance to Win Free Consulting Services:  Whether you're a small MFI with just a few dozen clients, or a big organization, your responses will help build a picture and create greater awareness of what's going on around information technology for the microfinance industry. The survey is available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.

Funder Training Registration:  The next CGAP/MFMI training course for funders, "Building Inclusive Financial Systems: How Can Funders Make a Difference?", will be held in Croatia, September 8-12, 2008.

Latest Publications

Transforming NGO MFIs:  As sustainable microfinance business models mature, many nonprofit microfinance institutions are considering transforming into for-profit institutions. This Occasional Paper provides insight and guidance on the various ownership-related issues.

National Microfinance Strategies:  An increasing number of countries are developing national microfinance strategies, bringing the topic to the forefront of national development priorities. This Brief summarizes a study of several national microfinance strategy/policy documents.

Linking Financial Service Providers to Commercial Capital:  This Brief addresses guarantees used by microfinance institutions as funding instruments. It is based on a joint CGAP/USAID study of 96 transactions executed by eight guarantor agencies.

Banking on Mobiles:  This Focus Note examines how banks can translate the potential of mobile phones into greater financial access for poor people.