NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

ACCION International has been instrumental in the rise and mainstreaming of microfinance as a key component of bottom-up approaches to poverty alleviation. It has played a key role in promoting thriving organizations that are bringing financial services to the poor.

Under the leadership of prominent figures like Maria Otero and Michael Chu, ACCION has built an impressive portfolio partners that they are often trendsetters in their countries. Take Bancosol, for instance, a central player in the rise of the increasingly efficient and competitive Bolivian microfinance industry. The same can be said about Peru’s Mibanco and, naturally, Mexico’s Compartamos, whose groundbreaking incursion into the capital markets has been widely commented here in Nextbillion.net.

Such an impressive track record provides a remarkable platform to draw lessons learned, identify key trends and factors of success in the purpose of extending high quality financial services to the poor. Thus I was pleased to learn about the launch of the Center for Financial Inclusion, its latest venture. The center will bring together private sector, non-profit and academic expertise to advance the dialogue around and implementation of innovative practices in three key areas: consumer protection in microfinance, product innovation and microfinance investment.I encourage you to visit the Center’s website and learn more about this promising initiative. Moreover, if you are around, register for the launch of the center next Tuesday by e-mailing center@accion.org. If you are not in DC but want to join and follow a vibrant and fresh conversation about microfinance and the issues listed above, here are two suggestions: bookmark their website and add its new blog to your RSS feeds.

Best of luck to the team on board of this new and exciting initiative. We look forward to joining the conversation and seeing how it translates into increased activity in the development through enterprise space.?????