Financial Services Working Group
Financial Services Working Group
The Financial Services Working Group (FSWG) produces resources and trainings that (1) set and promote industry standards in financial performance measurement and monitoring, (2) increase the financial management skills of SEEP members and partners, and (3) promote awareness of new developments in microfinance institutions' products and management.
FSWG also oversees the Microfinance Reporting Standard Initiative. This initiative seeks to put forth a process and permanent coordinating body for establishing financial reporting standards that can be agreed upon by stakeholders.
2012 work plan
The Financial Services Working Group will focus their work in 2012 on developing responses to mobile banking risks for MFI service providers, and disseminating the MFRS pocket guides in multiple languages including Russian, Chinese and Arabic. In addition to this dissemination effort, the Financial Services Working Group will encourage adoption and implementation of the IA Guide for MFI Boards pocket guide by making it available in at least three major languages, likely French, Spanish, and Arabic.
Secondary objectives of this working group in 2012 include determining the most appropriate vehicle for further market up-take of the revised FRAME ratios and manual, and developing a concept paper through facilitated online or onsite discussions on the subject of soliciting external funding for Financial Services Working Group activities in subsequent years.
Learning Products
- Pocket Guide to the Microfinance Financial Reporting Standards Measuring Financial Performance of Microfinance Institutions (October 2010)
- Internal Audit Activity Guide for Board of Directors of Microfinance Institutions (May 2010)
- Microfinance Internal Audit Toolkit and Resources (May 2010)
- SEEP FRAME, an Excel-based tool for reporting, analysis and monitoring
- A focus note and case study series: "Setting Standards and Sticking to Them: When Microfinance Network NGOs Decide to Exit" (2008)
- Progress Note: Top 5 Recommendations and Strategies for Minimizing MFIs' Foreign Exchange Risk— unpublished (2005)
- Measuring Performance of Microfinance Institutions, A Framework for Reporting, Analysis and Monitoring (March 2005)
- Progress Note: Conflict and Post-Conflict Environments: Ten Short Lessons to Make Microfinance Work (September 2004)
- Financial Performance Monitoring: A Manual for Board Members of Microfinance Institutions (2003)
- "Glossary of Financial Terms, Ratios, and Adjustments for Microfinance Institutions" with CGAP et al. (2003)
- Focus Note: How Do International Networks Manage Grants, Investments, and Loans to Their Partners and Affiliates? (May 2003)
- "SEEP's Financial Services Working Group Performance Monitoring Project" (2000)
- Microenterprise Credit Programs: Projecting financial Viability (1998)
- "Financial Ratio Analysis of Microfinance Institutions" with Calmeadow (1995)
- "Management Information Systems for Microenterprise Development Programs" with USAID/GEMINI (1995)
Get Involved
The Facilitator for the Financial Services Working Group is Terry Isert. Working group members must be staff of SEEP Network institutional members. Click here to find out how you can contribute.
What's New
Added NOV 01, 2011
