The Citi Network Strengthening Program is an $11.2 million grant program launched in 2008 in collaboration with the SEEP Network and assistance from local employees of Citi and its affiliates (Citi) around the world.

The mission of the Citi Network Strengthening Program, the largest global grant program to be implemented in support of the Citi Foundation’s microfinance strategy, is to increase the capacity and scale of the microfinance sector by strengthening the operational, technical, and financial capacity of twelve national and regional microfinance networks, addressing the challenges which the sector is facing and promoting growth and development in the sector.

Twelve microfinance networks have been selected to participate in the Citi Network Strengthening Program. In total they represent nearly 60 countries, over 1,300 MFIs and microfinance organization members, and more than 36 million clients. The participating networks are:

• Banking With the Poor Network, Asia Pacific
• China Association for Microfinance
• Microfinance Council of the Philippines
• Sa-Dhan, India
• Association of Microfinance Institutions of Uganda (AMFIU)
• Microfinance Centre for Central & Eastern Europe & New Independent States (MFC)
• Pakistan Microfinance Network (PMN)
• Russian Microfinance Center (RMC)
• Sanabel, Middle East
• ProDesarrollo, Mexico
• Red Financiera Rural, Ecuador (RFR)
• REDCAMIF, Central America

Throughout this three-year initiative, which will engage the networks in such activities as strategic business planning; goal setting; management training; partnership building; thought leadership, product development; peer learning, and ongoing evaluation, the Citi Network Strengthening Program aims to strengthen microfinance networks’ capacity at the national and regional level to:

1. Provide demand driven services to member MFIs, so that they may be better equipped to provide high-quality financial products and services to their clients, including attracting, training and retaining high quality human resources and talent.

2. Become influential representatives on behalf of the national or regional microfinance sector, including developing strong ties with relevant government and regulatory agencies, the mainstream financial sector, and other relevant stakeholders leading to an enabling legal and regulatory environment for microfinance.

3. Develop industry infrastructure, setting standards and processes such as credit bureaus or investment funds; promoting best practices such as transparent and consistent performance indicators; and engaging in more comprehensive monitoring and reporting.

4. Build cross-sector support and help stimulate progress among microfinance networks in other countries, as well as contribute to international innovations in the field through peer learning and sharing.