The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will open the Asia-Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit 2008 in Bali International Convention Center, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. As mentioned by the President when receiving Nobel Peace Price Laureate Muhammad Yunus, August 7 2007, President Yudhoyono said "Access to the financial services  or credit loan is the key to the  prosperity".

Recently, the Indonesian Government through the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Micro Enterprises, has lauched the KUR (Kredit Usaha Rakyat - People's Entrerpreneurship Credit) Program to facilitate poor people to get access to the financial services. This program hoped to reach the poor people to get capital to start their own micro enterprises. 

VISA INFORMATION: Please take this information into account when requesting your visa to the Asia-Pacific Regional Summit

We have been working to establish a standard procedure that will efficiently aid the visa process for delegates attending the Summit. The following information should provide a basis for the required visa processes. Please consult the information in this article before contacting the Microcredit Summit Secretariat with questions, as many have been answered here.

If you have not yet made a reservation for your accommodations at the Summit, or are finding it difficult to find something that matches your needs, please contact the following address as soon as possible.  Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the specifications you require, be sure to include: number of delegates, price range, and arrival and departure dates. Please do not hesitate to contact us as we are very happy to help.

Please note: make your reservation by June 21 to ensure that you have access to the Summit’s room blocks. All reservations made after June 21 will only be available on a first-come, first-served basis. In your e-mail please include your full name, contact details, desired check-in/check-out dates, and preferred budget range or hotel name.

Participants from more than 40 countries are already registered to attend the Asia-Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit!  Confirmed attendees also include the Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Discounted early registration has been extended by 9 days.  The deadline for early registration is now Monday, June 9, 2008. Both registration form and payment of fees must be submitted in order to receive the discount.  Register now to take advantage of lower registration fees!

The Asia-Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit will be held from July 28-30, 2008 in Bali, Indonesia.  Close to 1,000 delegates from over 40 countries are expected.  For online registration and more information, please click here . 

The President of Honduras, Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales will join Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus and other dignitaries and key leaders at the Asia-Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit, July 28-30, 2008 in Bali, Indonesia. President Zelaya has also agreed to serve as the chair of the Microcredit Summit Campaign's Council of Heads of State and Government.

President Zelaya has said that "support for microfinance is fundamental to the strengthening of democracy and governability. It is very important to generating employment, expanding productivity and competitiveness, and to reducing poverty."

Close to 1,000 delegates from over 40 countries are expected to join President Zelaya in Bali - will you be one of them? Register and submit payment by May 31, 2008 to take advantage of early registration rates. For online registration, please click here.

Mr. Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder and Chairperson of BRAC and 2007 Inaugural Clinton Global Citizen Award winner, is confirmed to attend and speak at the conference. Mr. Abed will speak at the plenary session entitled Building Financial Systems that Work for the Majority: Local Currency Borrowing, On-Lending Savings, Autonomous Credit Funds, and Appropriate Legal Framework as well as at the Council Meeting for Practitioners and Non-Governmental Organizations.

One of four Inaugural Clinton Global Citizen Award recipients, Mr. Abed has been applauded for his "[belief] that poverty must be tackled from a holistic viewpoint, transitioning individuals from being aid recipients to becoming empowered citizens in control of their own destinies."

BRAC, founded as the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee in 1972, has also been a key Campaign member since the Campaign was launched in 1997 and has continued to renew its dedication to the Campaign's goals through its annual submission of an Institutional Action Plan (IAP).  At the Asia-Pacific Regional Microcredit Summit, Mr. Abed will lead the Council Meeting for Practitioners and Non-Governmental Organizations by presenting BRAC's 2008 IAP and sharing BRAC's achievements and lessons learned.

2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus, Founder and Managing Director of Grameen Bank, will participate in the conference!  Join other leaders in the field of microfinance by registering today!

The Detailed Agenda has been updated with confirmed speakers including Mr. R.M. Malla (SIDBI, India), Mr. Md. Shafiqual Haque Choudhury (ASA, Bangladesh), Mr. A. Ramanathan (NABARD, India), Ms. Roshaneh Zafar (Kashf Foundation, Pakistan), Mr. Gregory Casagrande (SPBDF, Western Samoa), Ms. Anh-Tuyet Dinh (Binhminh CDC, Vietnam), and Mr. Fahmid Karim Bhuiya (Pact Myanmar, Myanmar).  The Detailed Agenda will be updated weekly with newly confirmed participants.  Click here to see the Detailed Agenda now.