The BWTP Network organised an associated session during the Microcredit Summit regional meeting, held in Dhaka Bangladesh. The session called "Regional Cooperation in Microfinance : The Banking with the Poor Network in Asia” took placed on the 17 February 2004 and was the opportunity to establish a dialogue across Asia on the forms of regional cooperation in microfinance, and the needs identified by several microfinance providers and supporters.

The session included the following panellists:

• Mr S.M. Al-Husainy, Chairman, Swanirvar Bangladesh, presentation

• Mr Bambang Ismawan, Chairman, Bina Swadaya (Indonesia), presentation

• Mr Ricardo Lirio, Managing Director SEIII, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines) presentation

• Mr Ganesh B. Thapa, Chairman, Centre for Micro-finance, Nepal, summary presentation

• Mr Pascal Marino, BWTP Network Program Coordinator, Banking with the Poor Network (Asia) - session facilitator - presentation, paper