Leading through Crises: Taking stock of Businesses in the Microfinance sector

Bradley Kopsick is the Myanmar/Cambodia Country Director for Insitor Partners, an impact investment fund backing entrepreneurs who build life-changing solutions for low-income consumers in developing Asia. Insitor’s target investees make essential services more affordable through simplified product design or improved business processes, and more accessible through efficient distribution models. Sectors include affordable housing, education, water and sanitation, healthcare, agriculture, and financial inclusion.

In his role, Bradley oversees operations across both Myanmar and Cambodia, exploring investment opportunities, conducting market analyses, and working closely with portfolio companies. Bradley has lived in Myanmar for the past 12 years and has served as a board member for the Myanmar Private Equity and Venture Capital Association since its inception in 2019.

Gerald Loh is the Head of Corporate Banking at Yoma Bank Limited. In his role, he covers the Corporate Banking business at the bank that includes MFI portfolio, as well as Trade Finance Sales & Advisory unit and Transaction Banking Services unit at the bank's Business Banking Division. Prior to joining Yoma Bank, Gerald has worked in the corporate and commercial banking roles in New Zealand, Malaysia and China markets since 2003, providing conventional business financing (working capital & capex), trade financing, private equity driven M&A, mid-size infrastructure project financing and large commercial real estate financing to various local and international clientele.

As ‘the Responsible Bank’ for over 28 years, Yoma Bank has been the fastest developing private bank in Myanmar. By strategically investing into people, technology and governance, Yoma Bank has developed a trusted reputation within the community, which has been an essential part of establishing local and international partnerships to progressively move forward. Yoma Bank was the first local bank in Myanmar to welcome foreign financial institutions as its shareholders, namely International Finance Corporation (IFC), Greenwood Capital Pte Ltd (an affiliate of Singapore's GIC) and Norfund. Yoma Bank aims to become a leader in serving the small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) sector, and reach out to businesses that significantly contribute to the local economy and build up local communities. Yoma Bank actively supports the financial inclusion agenda in Myanmar by partnering with reputable MFIs through wholesale debt financing solution to the sector.

Judith Aguga Acon is the Senior Program Manager Agriculture markets and Financial Inclusion at LIFT UNOPS. She was the Director of East Africa at Grameen Foundation, Team leader at Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR), and Chief Technical Advisor with UNCDF, UNDP and the Ministry of Finance in Lesotho. Worked in CARE Uganda and CARE Rwanda as Economic development sector manager, Judith’s 26 years of work and consulting experience have equipped her with a broad range of skills in the areas of financial inclusion - policy development, microfinance, agriculture finance, SME lending, Savings group, digital finance, private sector growth for agriculture sector focused on smallholder farmers. Was a BOD member of PRIDE MDI in Uganda.

Judith has worked with and through partner institutions (MFIs, NGOs, CBOs, MNOs, and Agribusiness companies, managed several projects, donors, governments as well as network organizations), acquired excellent cross-cultural skills, and has the ability to work with people from different backgrounds. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Education and a master's in Economics at the postgraduate level from Makerere University.

Professional career, spanning 16 years till now that covers 10 years in providing Advisory Services to Banks, Microfinance Institutions, and Affordable Housing Finance Companies and 6 years in microfinance and Agriculture Finance retail operation. Working experiences in India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Papua New Guinea.

Currently working as, a Chief Operating Officer at Maha Agriculture Private Co. Ltd., an agricultural-focused-fintech-financial service provider owned by Myanma Awba Group and the International Finance Corporation, and is in charge of Operations, Digitization, IT, Risk and Project Management Unit department. Maha is a deposit-taking MFI, offering financial services to smallholder farmers in Myanmar.