It is organised by the Foundation for Development Cooperation (FDC) with the lead sponsorship by Citi Foundation and Hatton National Bank as the local host.

This year, the third Asia Micro finance forum will be held from October 12 – 15 in Colombo, with the theme ‘Financial Inclusion – Achieving Asia’s Potential’.

The event organizers said they are expecting over 550 delegates where a majority will be from the Asian region. Amongst these delegates over 20 of them will include some of the largest leading global investors.

Sri Lanka is an ideal location for such forums," Country Director Citi Bank, Glen Rase said. "Sri Lanka has several micro finance providers, this factor will be an additional advantage for the forum as it has a live case-study."

The Asia Micro Finance Forum is held every two years and is considered to be one of the largest gatherings of all stakeholders involved in microfinance activities in Asia.

The Asia Micro Finance Forum organized by the Banking With The Poor Network (BWTP) is currently the largest Asia based micro finance network. It has been in existence for over 15 years, with over 50 members located in 15 different countries in Asia. The BWTP network consists of a unique diversity of membership that works towards building efficient large-scale sustainable organizations through co-operation, training and capacity building with the aim of achieving innovative, appropriate and demand-driven financial services for the poor.