2.26.2007 - 12:58pm ET

(CSRwire) BOSTON, MA - February 26, 2007—ACCION® International, a pioneer and leader in microfinance, today announced that Credit Suisse, the global financial services group, will partner with it to sponsor its annual investor conference on microfinance.

The second annual ACCION event dedicated to microfinance securities, "Cracking the Capital Markets," is expected to attract nearly 300 of the world’s largest institutional investors, private wealth managers, hedge fund managers, investment bankers and rating agency representatives. The conference is scheduled for March 19–20 at New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria.

Credit Suisse is active in microfinance initiatives across its business divisions and in the emerging markets in all three global regions.

"Microfinance has indeed come of age as investors actively look for ways to participate in this asset class," said Vikram Gandhi, managing director and global head of Credit Suisse’s Financial Institutions Group, who will open the conference on March 19. "As securities market professionals, we need to promote and facilitate the promise of the capital markets in order to enhance transparency and liquidity for both investors and users of microfinance. Credit Suisse is committed to helping ACCION and other intermediaries realize this goal."

Other conference speakers will focus broadly on the latest microfinance trends and transactions, risk levels, hedging techniques and exit strategies. Presentations will focus on such topics as the future of IPOs, "mainstreaming" microfinance, the potential for venture capital, and the leadership of social investment funds.

Delivering the keynote speech at the conference will be Scott Budde, managing director of social and community investing for TIAA-CREF. Other featured speakers and panelists include senior executives from Citigroup, State Street Corporation, Standard & Poor’s, The World Bank, Blue Orchard Finance, ShoreCap Management and FMO.

"ACCION is extremely pleased to have Credit Suisse join us in developing this important discussion," said María Otero, president & CEO of ACCION International. "We look forward to working together to determine what will take microfinance paper to market on a broad scale."

Additional conference information and registration is available at: www.accion.org.

About ACCION International

ACCION International is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission of giving people the financial tools they need – microenterprise loans, business training and other financial services – to work their way out of poverty. ACCION International’s partner microfinance institutions today are providing loans as low as $100 to poor men and women entrepreneurs in 22 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and in the U.S. In the last decade alone, ACCION partners have disbursed more than 14 million loans totaling more than $9.4 billion; 97 percent of the loans have been repaid. Selected for the fourth consecutive year for its pioneering approaches to poverty alleviation, ACCION is among 43 organizations awarded the 2007 Social Capitalist Award by Fast Company magazine, and has been awarded Charity Navigator’s highest rating—four stars—for efficiency and sound fiscal management. For more information, visit www.accion.org.

About Credit Suisse

As one of the world’s leading banks, Credit Suisse provides its clients with investment banking, private banking and asset management services worldwide. Credit Suisse offers advisory services, comprehensive solutions and innovative products to companies, institutional clients and high-net-worth private clients globally, as well as retail clients in Switzerland. Credit Suisse is active in over 50 countries and employs approximately 40,000 people. Credit Suisse’s parent company, Credit Suisse Group, is a leading global financial services company headquartered in Zurich. Credit Suisse Group’s registered shares (CSGN) are listed in Switzerland and, in the form of American Depositary Shares (CSR), in New York. Further information about Credit Suisse can be found at www.credit-suisse.com.

ACCION® is a registered trademark of ACCION International.

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