Linkages and Partnerships in Microfinance - Report on India Workshop Proceedings

This report presents details of a workshop that the Banking with the Poor Network (BWTP) organized along with the Citigroup Foundation in Haryana, India, to promote the partnership approach among microfinance practitioners, while building their managerial and technical capacity to develop linkages with partners at all levels.The report presents the following workshop details:

• Objective: to raise the awareness and capacity of participating financial service organizations to enter into innovative partnerships to address core issues of service.
• Structure: the workshop was a two and a half days event that included a half day symposium, a residential program, training sessions and panel discussions.
• Participants: representatives of younger microfinance institutions (MFIs) and MFIs that had limited or no experience of bank-MFI linkages as well as speakers from experienced Indian organizations.
• Discussions:
  • Linkages and partnerships in microfinance,
  • Bank-MFI financial linkages in India,
  • Linkages for provision of insurance services,
  • Equity capital for MFIs.

The report concludes that:

• The workshop targeted participants from MFIs with limited experience with linkages,
• Participants were able understand the role and value of different types of linkages and were able to increase their skills in exploring and approaching potential partners,
• The workshop also enabled participants to hear from experienced practitioners and to directly engage with potential partners.

The report ends by outlining the BWTPs plans for future workshops to disseminate information about microfinance linkages and partnerships.