Sanabel’s Eighth Annual Conference was held under the patronage of H.E. Prime Minister Dr. Maarouf Al-Bakhit, at the Convention Center of Le Meridien Hotel in Amman, Jordan from June 7th – 9th, 2011. His Excellency, the Minister of State Planning Commission, Dr. Jaafar Hassan, representing His Excellency the Prime Minister of Jordan, inaugurated the conference.

The theme of this year’s conference was “Microfinance in the Arab Region: Challenges of the Past and Opportunities of the Future” which was designed under three main tracks; namely: Risk Management, Responsible Finance, and Product Development & Innovation.

The course of three days, more than 500 participants, including microfinance practitioners, government officials, investors, donors and other industry stakeholders from the Arab region as well as 70 regional and international speakers, attended the conference.

The conference focused on addressing the challenges and opportunities facing the Arab region as it continues to grow, and the implications that global trends and developments have on the region. In addition to the wide-ranging conference program, the conference also presented a significant networking opportunity for all the conference participants.

Table below shows the comparison of the conference participants from 2008 - 2011: