Omidyar Network and the SEEP Network Microfinance Investor Roundtable: Major Themes & Next Steps

This report provides an overview of the Microfinance Investor Roundtable convened by Omidyar Network and the SEEP Network.It outlines a list of areas where non-commercial capital could be used most effectively:

• Product innovation and new technologies;
• Promising microfinance institutions (MFIs) in their early stages of growth that cannot yet attract commercial capital;
• Livelihood or microfinance-plus programs;
• New geographies and models in new areas;
• Credit bureaus, rating agencies and other public good infrastructure projects.

The report further provides details of the discussions and debates that took place under various themes during the Roundtable. The discussions revolved around:

• Capacity building;
• Social performance metrics;
• Consensus on basic assumptions.

The report concludes that an Investor Association could serve as a first-stop information clearing house for potential investors investigating microfinance, a connection between investors and MFIs, and could tackle major themes brought up during the Roundtable.