The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the National Bank of Cambodia in cooperation with the Australian Government are organising an upcoming stakeholders’ conference on, "Women and Enterprises Driving Financial Inclusion and Investment Returns”.

Purpose of the Conference

To develop a framework for action to incentivise greater private and quasi-private sector investment and financing for MSMEs, contributing in particular to women’s economic empowerment in frontier markets in the ASEAN region.

The event is being held under the auspices of the Shaping Inclusive Finance Transformation (SHIFT) program, which is a grant and advocacy facility seeking to transition 6 million people into regulated financial market by 2020 through expanding markets for consumer finance to low-income people and business finance to micro-small-medium enterprises (MSMEs). SHIFT is currently in design/inception phase and looking for innovative partnerships with social venture funds, NGOs and financial institutions. We hope this conference will help us expand our networks.

This two-day conference is being held on 29th -30th April 2015 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Objectives of the Conference

• To introduce and up-scale alternative financing models;
• To enhance role of private sector in financing to MSMEs;
• To mobilise local capital, international financial flows, have risk financing arrangements for investing in MSMEs;
• To collaborate and engage with existing initiatives and stakeholders for addressing the MSME financing gap;

The conference specifically focuses on emerging ASEAN countries - Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV), and how they can collaborate with and leverage efforts of other ASEAN countries for MSME growth. The conference outcomes will provide a platform for sharing, gaining insights, networking and partnerships, as well as contribute to the development of a regional level programme in ASEAN.

The conference will bring together private sector (particularly MSMEs, impact investors and ASEAN’s women entrepreneurs network), civil society organisations working in the CSR/shared value/social enterprises space, national banks and financial institutions in the ASEAN region to identify innovations in both financial and non-financial markets that support low-income people and women’s inclusion in the formal economy. The conference will particularly hone in on the business case for, and role of, the private sector and financial providers in investing in responsible products and services that could bring in under-banked sections of the population in ASEAN. This includes a strong focus on supply and demand side issues affecting women’s use of formal financial products and services as both consumers, employees and enterprise owners. We are also keen to showcase businesses and financial institutions that have not only gender-sensitive products and services, but good gender equality work practices.

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