IDLO Microfinance program has reached the last of the scheduled twelve regional Microfinance Seminars worldwide. This Seminar is taking place in Amman, from June 7 to 18, 2009, and it aims at building legal and regulatory frameworks which support financial inclusion and poverty alleviation in the Arab States' Region.

Participants include 29 legal professionals (6 women, 23 men) working in the microfinance sector in eleven countries of the region. Both local and international microfinance experts will be presenting throughout the two week period.

The specific topics selected for the Arab States regional seminar are: transactions & negotiations related to accessing capital, transforming a NGO to a licensed MFI, consumer protection, the legal/regulatory frameworks, Shari'a & microfinance, interpreting financial ratios of a MFI & rolling out new products like mobile banking & micro insurance, agricultural finance and international investments in the microfinance sphere, and utilizing technology for community building and dissemination of information in the microfinance and development contexts.

Another important goal of this seminar is to form an enduring regional community of legal professionals, law & policy makers, financial regulators and microfinance practitioners.