The Centre for Micro Finance (CMF) in partnership with the College of Agricultural Banking – Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Pune, India organized their third annual conference on microfinance on January 8/9th 2010. Titled, "Microfinance: Translating Research into Practice," it brought together researchers, practitioners and bankers to share results from various experiments they have conducted that have led or could lead to improvements in microfinance programmes or policies. The conference provided a platform for microfinance practitioners, bankers and policy makers involved in the sector to learn from field experiments, discuss policy implications and develop a complementary policy framework. The conference also helped to identify areas for further research and experimentation of relevance to both practitioners and policy makers. Professors Abhijit Banerjee, Rohini Pande and Jonathan Morduch were all present and highlighted their recent research results.

Over seven sessions, original research findings were presented on issues of product design, the impact of micro-credit, competition, and emerging issues in the microfinance sector. Some of the projects showcased by academics from J-PAL and the Financial Access Initiative working closely with researchers at CMF include recommendations from experiments with loan repayment schedules in the state of West Bengal, the impact of micro-credit on urban slums in Hyderabad, and research on interest rates and competition. Download notes, powerpoints, and other materials from the conference below. Check back again soon for official conference proceedings as well as photos from the two days.

Conference Packet

Session I: The Impact of Microfinance
a) The Impacts of Microfinance: A Randomized Evaluation of Spandana's program in Hyderabad, Dr. Abhijit Banerjee [Presentation]; b) Experiences and Learning from an Impact Assessment, Spandana [Presentation]

Session II: Microfinance, Social Capital and Empowerment
a) Social Capital and Female Empowerment: findings from two microfinance studies, Dr. Rohini Pande [Presentation]; b) Microfinance, Social Capital and Empowerment, Frances Sinha [Presentation]; c) Social Capital, Empowerment: Examining Meanings and Conceptualisations, Dr. Premchander [Presentation]

Session III: Disbursing Government Benefits and Implications for Financial Services
a) A Quantitative Analysis of Participation in MREGA in Andhra Pradesh, Doug Johnson [Presentation]; b) Disbursing Government Benefits - Implications for Financial Services , G. Banerjee, PNB[Presentation]

Session IV : Tailoring Financial Services to the Needs of the Poor
a) Repayment Flexibility and Microfinance and Client Outcomes, Dr. Rohini Pande[Presentation]; b) Chit Funds Research, Dr. Mudit Kapoor, [Presentation]

Session V: Portfolios of the Poor
a) Portfolios of the Poor, Dr. Jonathan Morduch [Presentation]; b) Sumitha's Household, IFMR Trust [Presentation]

Session VI: Competition, Multiple Borrowing and Information Sharing Among MFIs
a) Multiple Borrowing and Lending - All Competition is Fair?, N Srinivasan, [Presentation];b)Competition, Sucharita Mukerjee [Presentation]