The Tenth Annual Conference 2014:

• Sanabel’s 10th annual conference was held under the theme “Micro-finance at Crossroads; Current Developments and Future Prospects in the Arab States” from September 29th – 30th, 2014 in Intercontinental Hotel – Dubai Festival City. The conference was held under the patronage of Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Bint Khaled Al Qasimi, Minister of Development and International Cooperation.

• Through the conference’s technical sessions and symposiums, the event provided an overview on the state of the micro-finance industry in Arab countries, highlighting current developments and discussing present and future potential opportunities for growth. 

• The conference addressed the legal and regulatory framework of the industry in the Arab region, and presented alternative approaches to better serve different target segments through various product types.

• The conference also provided a platform for exchanging experiences and knowledge sharing among various types of stakeholders including MFIs, regulatory bodies, authorities, banks, donor agencies, investors, private sector, and consultants. It also served as a beneficial networking opportunity for participants through the Gala Dinner and extended coffee and lunch breaks.

• In addition, the conference addressed the most hot and argumentative topics in the industry including transformation, digital finance, Islamic finance, donor funding, value chain finance and missing middle opportunities among others.

• The conference also focused on building the capacity of the industry at large by offering 2 interactive training workshops during the conference proceedings on Asset and Liability Management, and Corporate Governance.

• One of the main highlights of the conference was the Awards Ceremony, which featured the achievements of the most successful MFIs in the Arab region in 4 different categories including Leadership, Innovation, Sustainable Growth and Excellency in Serving Women Clients.

• Sanabel's 2014 conference was attended by more than 350 participants including more than 70 speakers. Attendance was characterized by diversity as participants represented 36 banks, 20 donor organizations, 23 government authorities, 161 investors, 2 media organizations and 83 MFIs.

• The discussions and interaction that took place during the conference have assisted in paving the way to appropriate planning for financial inclusion in the Arab microfinance industry based on regional and international experiences.