The Twelfth Annual Conference 2016 - Casablanca, Morocco:

Sanabel Annual Conferences have become over the years the major regional event for the microfinance sector, which we have seen grow over the years to include not only Sanabel members, practitioners and partners, but also regional and global funders, investors, government representatives, as well as policy makers and supervisory authorities.  In recent years, we have also seen an increase in the engagement from the private sector, most notably insurance and fintech companies, as well as banks and others. 

This year’s conference was the 12th annual conference and as usual it provided a platform for knowledge sharing, peer learning, roundtable discussions and debates, training workshops, study visits, and networking opportunities amongst old colleagues and partners, as well as new ones. 

Our conference agenda this year was formed based on a rich set of speakers representing both regional and global experts and peers to present the latest frontiers in financial inclusion. Three plenary sessions were planned around: 1) the human touch; lessons learned from building strong human resource functions within microfinance institutions; 2) the state of the practice in risk management; and 3) our new financial inclusion frontier; serving refugee populations. Furthermore, the conference program offered parallel sessions under four overarching themes tackling the evolving regulatory landscape in the Arab countries, looking at alternative approaches to the provision of financial services, exploring niche markets and how to reach out to them, and peer learning from countries in the region.

Sanabel also has celebrated announcing during the Conference Closing Ceremony the recipients of its 2016 Awards; Transparency and Excellence. After the closing, Sanabel held its Annual General Assembly Meeting to reflect on current status and provide strategic guidance for the future. 

Sanabel, established in 2002 as the Microfinance Network of Arab Countries,   proudly represents its members from 13 Arab countries, which together serve over 3 million clients representing around 80% of the total microfinance clients in the region. 

Next year’s conference will be another benchmark for us as we celebrate our 15th anniversary. We are looking forward to working with our members and partners in shaping the agenda based on our collective aspirations of a financially inclusive region.