Malawi Data Launch Webinar: Register Now

On February 9, 2011 MFTransparency will host a webinar to launch the transparent microloan pricing data collected in the Transparent Pricing Initiative in Malawi. In this webinar MFTransparency will present transparent prices for microloans offered in Malawi, information never before available, and discuss other outcomes of the Transparent Pricing Initiative in Malawi.

We invite you to participate in this webinar to discuss the Transparent Pricing Initiative in Malawi, the first country in the enabling APR & EIR Program. MFTransparency pricing experts will address the following topics in the webinar:

• Pricing dynamics in the Malawian microfinance market: Using actual pricing data collected from microfinance institutions in Malawi and published on the MFTransparency website, MFTransparency pricing experts will present their analysis of pricing of microloans in the context of the Malawian microfinance market characteristics.
• Training on transparent communication of prices to clients: MFTransparency Vice President Alexandra Fiorillo will present best practices for transparent communication of pricing to clients, through loan documentation, loan officer interactions with borrowers and price-setting decisions for maximum transparency. This training will build off of trends observed through the Transparent Pricing Initiative in Malawi as well as MFTransparency’s experiences in microfinance markets internationally.
• Discussion of the results of the Initiative: This virtual event will provide a unique opportunity for stakeholders of the Malawian microfinance market, as well as the international microfinance industry, to engage in discussing the results of the Transparent Pricing Initiative in Malawi. MFTransparency experts will take questions and lead the discussion on particular topics of interest.

We will be using GoToMeeting to host this webinar so that you will be able to follow our graphs of the data and send us your questions about it.  You will need to register with GoToMeeting in advance.  Please click on the following link to register as soon as possible, since spaces are limited.

This virtual event will include both a presentation that you can view through your computer as well as an audio component that you can access through your computer’s speakers or by phone. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing more information about joining the Webinar. In order to access the webinar, you must register first by clicking here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/848792128

Please send any questions to Christabel Dadzie at [email protected]. We look forward to discussing the Malawi data launch with you on February 9!

About the enabling APR & EIR Program

MFTransparency, the global leader in pricing transparency, has partnered with the MasterCard Foundation on a new project called enabling Africa to Price Responsibly & Educate on Interest Rates, known as the enabling APR & EIR Program for short. Through the enabling APR & EIR Program, MFTransparency will raise awareness of transparent pricing issues in 8 countries in Africa. The project, which began in May 2010, will include Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa and Mozambique. The main objective of the enabling APR & EIR Program is to promote improved consumer protection principles through microfinance product pricing transparency. Malawi was the first country to launch in August 2010 followed by Uganda and Rwanda, with launches in South Africa and Ghana scheduled for February 2011.

About MFTransparency

MicroFinance Transparency is an international non-governmental organization founded in 2008 with the purpose of facilitating transparent markets through the dissemination of true cost information to all market stakeholders. MFTransparency represents an industry movement toward fair practices and responsibility. Based in the United States, the group has organized transparent pricing efforts in Bosnia, Peru, Cambodia, Azerbaijan, Kenya, Bangladesh, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia, India, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Malawi, Uganda and Rwanda. For more information please visit www.mftransparency.org.  Grameen Bank’s Dr. Mohammad Yunus and Elizabeth Littlefield, former CEO of CGAP, as well as nearly 700 industry professionals and organizations have committed to transparent pricing by endorsing MFTransparency and its initiative. For information on MFTransparency staff, please see Who We Are.