The CGAP Technology Blog will be hosting a virtual conference on Microfinance and Mobile Banking next week on September 8 and 9.  Kabir Kumar, Sarah Rotman and I recently published a Focus Note on this topic describing how microfinance organizations around the world are responding to the potential and challenges of mobile banking.  We studied 15 microfinance organizations that are pioneers in the mobile banking space in different ways.

For the virtual conference, we’ll be joined by several of these industry experts who will discuss their experiences and lead conversations on four themes.

Day One: Wednesday, September 8, 2010

• What benefits can MFIs expect to gain by using m-banking? - Moderated by Sarah Rotman, co-author of paper [6am ET / 10am GMT]

• Should an MFI in a country without any existing m-banking infrastructure create its own m-banking system? - Moderated by Aleksandr-Alain Kalanda, CEO of Opportunity Bank Malawi [9am ET / 1pm GMT]

Day Two: Thursday, September 9, 2010

• When should an MFI consider being an agent in an m-banking system? - Moderated by David Kleiman, Managing Director, WING Money, with participation by Veasna Chumsam, Business Initiative Manager, VisionFund Cambodia [6am ET / 10am GMT]

• Can mobile banking be used to collect loan repayments and deposits? -  Moderated by Kenyan MFI [9am ET / 1pm GMT]

No advance registration is required – simply come to the CGAP Technology Blog next Wednesday morning at 10am GMT to join the conversation by submitting comments under each conversation. This is your chance to interact with microfinance practitioners who are daily experiencing the opportunities and the challenges associated with mobile banking.

- Claudia McKay