Within the increasingly-challenging world economic dynamics, the topic of access to finance – particularly for vulnerable and poor populations – is becoming even more restrictive. While many countries have adapted their financial products for enterprise development and supporting income-generating economic activities, especially microfinance institutions (MFIs), housing finance remains one of the most underserved areas with limited access, often with a rather ambiguous regulatory and policy framework and an evident need for further exploration and development.

Housing finance is also characterized by under-developed and ‘quiet’ distorted – or unbalanced, to say the least- market system dynamics, where key stakeholders are yet to meet on common ground and where demand and supply for affordable housing for the vulnerable are operating within a more functional pro-poor structure.Our panel discussion today aims to look at different aspects of housing finance for the vulnerable – often un-bankable populations, learn about different country experiences, and look at the way ahead for making access to affordable housing a reality for those groups most in need of it.

While there has been significant improvement and evident progress in practices relating to access to housing finance in general as well as microfinance for supporting housing, affordable and accessible microfinance products designed specifically for housing for low-income and vulnerable groups remain scarce and not market-responsive, especially in poor countries.

This panel aims to present some existing best practices and market options that enable access to affordable housing to poor and vulnerable populations, reflecting on how market system actors can develop long-term sustainable impact on adequate housing and how government authorities can improve housing financing and build capacities to optimize funding opportunities to simplify and ensure housing access to low-income and vulnerable populations.

Moderator

Ghada Kabesh

Economic Development, Microfinance and Financial Inclusion Expert
WHOLIST Development

Ghada Kabesh has worked in sustainable economic growth and development for over twenty years; specializing in economic development, microfinance, financial inclusion, and MSME development.

May Abdel Hamid

CEO
Social Housing and Mortgage Finance Fund

Margrite Saroufim

Director for Local Development
Coptic Evangelical Organization For Social Service (CEOSS)

Margrit Saroufim Mina is a Director for Local Development, joined CEOSS in 1990.

Mudassir Khan

CEO
Pakistan Mortgage Refinance Company

Mr. Mudassir H. Khan is the Managing Director/CEO of Pakistan Mortgage Refinance Company. Mr. Khan holds an Executive Update of Masters in Business Administration from Stern School of Business, New York, USA

Abed Moukadem

Operations Manager
Al-Majmoua, Lebanon

Abed Moukadem is the Operation Manager at the Lebanese Association for Development – Al Majmoua. He has nineteen years of experience in the microfinance sector

Aseel Hamdan

Head of Product Management
Microfund for Women

A high-energetic and proactive business development professional. A product development & product management specialist, ready to tackle challenging situations, design market driven product lines

Jitendra Balani

Global Director-Program Design, Housing Finance Systems
TCIS

Jitendra works as Global Director, Program Design-Housing Finance System with Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter.