Symposium 2007
2007 Financial Sector Development Symposium
Wolfgang Kroh, Member of the Board of Managing Directors, KfW Bankengruppe, kicking off the discussions by moderating the opening panel on how structured finance fits with development finance. Source: KfW
Mobilising Capital for the Poor - What Can Structured Finance Contribute?
The 2007 KfW Financial Sector Development Symposium brought together experts of structured finance and investment banking with development finance experts. The two-day conference was held at the KfW branch in Berlin on 15 and 16 November 2007. Its headline topic 'Mobilising Capital for the Poor' What can Structured Finance Contribute? led participants to explore structured finance as a means of improving access to finance as well as to advance capital markets and financial systems in developing and transition countries. Through expert presentations and practitioner discussions the Symposium offered a platform to highlight opportunities as well as to critically probe the developmental contributions of structured finance and to identify risks and limitations.
Ingrid Matthäus-Maier, Spokeswoman of the Board of Managing Directors of KfW Bankengruppe, set the agenda for the discussions at the Symposium by emphasising the importance structured finance has gained as a means of mobilising capital for developmental benefit. Source: KfW
Structured finance has moved onto the international development agenda because it offers the prospect of leveraging private capital for developing and emerging markets with limited public resources to an extent and in ways which were previously impossible. These new opportunities can mobilise sustainable finance such as for micro or small entrepreneurs and low-income housing.
The format of the Symposium helped foster knowledge exchange and engender lively debates. Each session was introduced by an expert presentation followed by a moderated panel and open floor discussion. In six thematic sessions participants covered the following topics:
- Mobilising Capital for the Poor - How does Structured Finance Fit?
- Mobilising New Means to Attract New Capital - Is Structured Finance Viable or Vulnerable to Crises?
- Mobilising the Right Mix - Competing or Complementary Investors?
- Mobilising Structured Finance for Development - Added Value or Just More of the Same?
- Mobilising Structured Finance for New Fields - Ready for New Applications?
- Mobilising Structured Finance to Benefit the Poor - More than Lofty Ideas?
