SG 2013 Conference

Learn how Savings Groups contribute to financial inclusion and development: Join the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Oxfam America, and others active in the Savings Group sector for the SG 2013 Savings Groups Conference.

Savings Groups

Savings Groups provide access to basic financial services to over six million rural poor people, mostly women, worldwide. These self-selected and self- managed groups, predominately found in remote areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Central America, provide their members with a secure place to save and easy access to loans.

Meeting regularly, the group decides on the amount they want to save each week, the interest rate charged on loans to members, and whether or not they will have a social fund to help vulnerable families cope during emergencies. On a regular basis, such as a year, the group distributes the savings and starts a new cycle.

SGs stabilize income, increase household financial assets and decrease vulnerability to financial and other shocks. SGs are a simple, transparent, cost-effective and sustainable means of providing adapted financial services to the poor.

SG 2013 Conference

This year’s conference will be held March 4th and 5th, 2013 at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, VA. The theme of this year’s conference is Expanding Financial Inclusion and Development.

At the Savings Groups 2013 conference, you will learn about:

  • The place that Saving Groups occupy within the current financial landscape
  • How Savings Groups can be linked to the formal financial sector
  • How Savings Groups reach the rural poor in remote areas
  • How to scale up Savings Groups
  • How Savings Groups can be platforms for other services, products, and types of education
  • How to link Savings Groups to mobile technology

Working within this efficient model, they can evolve into more than just savings and credit groups. We invite you to join us in considering the future of Savings Groups.

Who should attend?

Foundations, corporations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, financial institutions, microfinance institutions (MFIs), central banks, academic institutions, policy and research institutions, international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs), and local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) interested in learning more about SGs will benefit from this conference.

Sponsors, Partners and Advisors

Sponsors: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Oxfam America

Partner: The SEEP Network

Advisory Committee: Aga Khan Foundation, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Freedom from Hunger, MasterCard Foundation, Plan and USAID

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