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

The 19th MFC annual conference is entitled: “Microfinance in the Cloud”. The event will be held in Albania, which boasts a very dynamic and well-functioning microfinance sector. The conference will be held in partnership with the Albanian Microfinance Association (AMA).

The over-arching conference theme considers the space that microfinance could occupy if it fully embraces new technology, or the detachment it will suffer if it does not. But is it really a simple binary choice between technology and tradition?  Can we find a “third way” to maintain the unique value of microfinance within the digital world? What does a microfinance institution need to go digital, and what are the risks? This conference will be a key platform to debate the trade-offs, make the case for digital, and critically examine what aspects of traditional service delivery we need to preserve. Importantly, we’ll do all of this by putting the experience of real institutions under the microscope.