The outreach of financial services to poor women has increased dramatically, but development is still uneven and limited. Leading Microfinance Institutions (MFI) and banks have demonstrated that financial services to the poor is 'good business'.

The number of MFIs have grown, their services more efficient and diversified. There are many more key actors than earlier days who have been playing effective role in policy interventions, creating regulations and legal structures to serve the poor majority. Microcredit has moved to microfinance which is an achievement in our sector.

However, poverty still persists among the working poor. Amongst poor, women are poorer. Their income is very crucial to the family's survival. As long as these women are powerless, poverty remains a permanent reality in our country. Like finance and work, knowledge is power. Let not the women in the microfinance movement be left behind or sidelined from the movement and remain 'just clients'. Building women's leadership and capacity of the locals to scale up is the call of the day. Equipping our colleagues in the microfinance sector with the knowledge and skills to bring women in the mainstream is the role we perceive for the Indian School of Micro Finance for Women.

In the coming years, the priority areas to work on will be three: women's financial literacy covering their life cycle needs, building women's leadership and women's asset ownership.

My colleagues in WWB, FWWB, SEWA Bank, Sa-dhan among others have been constantly engaged in building the sector to become efficient providers of financial services to the poor. The Indian School of Micro Finance for Women will further add to build the women's capacity to manage and lead their own affairs in finance and livelihoods.