Capital Markets Stream: Conference Summary

This report discusses proposals to establish Luxembourg as a center for excellence for microfinance investment funds (MIVs).  A number of proposals to help build Luxembourg's reputation as a center of excellence in the field of microfinance, and more particularly in the MIV field, were made and debated upon during the two-day conference. The main proposals include:

• Creation of a quality label in Luxembourg for MIVs;
• Exemption from the Taxe d'Abonnement for MIVs;
• Fiscal stimulus for Luxembourg tax payers investing in MIVs;
• Establishment of the Microfinance Investment Forum as a yearly event in Luxembourg;
• Additional marketing effort to promote the competencies of the Luxembourg market place;
• Provision of microfinance training.

The report also document findings from a study on remittances and its impact on microfinance in Cape Verde. The study identifies formal and informal ways to transfer money from Luxembourg to Cape Verde and discusses the importance of these remittance flows.