CITIZENSHIP

Citi Micro Enterprise Awards 2013 Honours Three Rural Community Ventures

For Immediate Release
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C)
December 17, 2013

Citi Micro Enterprise Awards 2013 Honours Three Rural Community Ventures

SWaCH Cooperative, Gumla Grameen Poultry Cooperative and Saath Charitable Trust recognized for generating sustainable livelihoods, employment in rural and urban Indian societies.

Three winners awarded citations and cash prizes totaling INR 3.8 million.

December 17, 2013, Mumbai: Citi Micro Enterprise Awards, now in its tenth year, honoured three community micro enterprises for their meaningful contributions in creating sustainable livelihoods for marginalised households and individuals in rural and urban India. Citi India CEO Pramit Jhaveri along with the members of the Awards Governing Council – Radhikha Haribhakti, Anami Roy and Haresh Shah- presented the awards to Pune’s SWaCH Seva Sahakari Sansthan Maryadit Cooperative, Jharkhand-based Gumla Grameen Poultry Self-Supporting Cooperative Society and Ahmedabad’s Saath Charitable Trust at a ceremony held in Mumbai on Friday, December 13, 2013.

The Citi Micro Enterprise Awards (CMEA) primarily focuses on community owned and managed enterprise initiatives that have demonstrated collective action as a way of ’making markets work for the poor’. Additionally, the Awards recognize promoters who have nurtured these community enterprises or support livelihood initiatives for the benefit of low-income communities at large. Over the years, the CMEA has received applications from around 8,000 micro entrepreneurs, of which more than half are women; women have also been the majority of the winners of these awards. In 2013 as well, of the total 150 applications, a significant number of microenterprises were women owner-driven ventures.

On this occasion, Maneesha Chadha, Head of Corporate Citizenship for Citi South Asia, said, "The Awards are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. All through these 10 years, we have been privileged to witness the manner in which underprivileged and ordinary fellow citizens overcame seemingly impossible and daunting challenges in the face of adversity. The stories of the winners manifest the very best of entrepreneurial spirit and zeal, and describe how this resilience helped convert simple ideas into economically viable enterprises and capitalise simple opportunities into sustainable businesses."

The winners were awarded cash prizes totalling INR 38,00,000 along with trophies. They will also go through a management development program that has been specially developed for them by the Institute of Rural Management (IRMA), Anand, Gujarat. Citi will continue to track the impact of the awards on these businesses and lives.

Access Development Services, a new generation livelihoods promotion organization has worked closely with Citi Foundation for the CMEA 2013 program.

"The Citi Microenterprise Awards is a tribute to the ability of the community to manage their livelihoods sustainably. Dedicating the Awards to community enterprises will encourage other similar enterprises to emulate them and will empower communities to participate effectively in complex marketplace dynamics. Associating with Citi Foundation on the Awards has been a mutually reinforcing experience," said Vipin Sharma, CEO, ACCESS Development Services.

A coffee table book was also released to commemorate the tenth year of the CMEA.

About Citi Micro Enterprise Awards - selection process:

The awards follow a well-defined process of nomination, selection, recognition and training. Initial screening includes enterprises meeting certain set standards of governance and operation. Those who qualify at this stage are reviewed by ACCESS and Citi on a combination of objectives such as growth, turnover etc. as well as subjective assessments on sustainability, contributions to community, innovation, management and governance and business approach.The final selection of winners is done by the Awards Governing Council chaired by Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia who is also the Chairperson of ICRIER and including eminent persons such as Ms. Radhika Haribhakti the Chairperson of Swadhaar FinACCESS, Mr Anami Roy, Founder, Vandana Foundation, Mr. Haresh Shah, the erstwhile chairperson of KVIC and Prof. Rakesh Basant, who heads the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship at IIM Ahmedabad.

About Citi:
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi

About Citi Foundation:
The Citi Foundation is committed to the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of individuals and families, particularly those in need, in the communities where we work so that they can improve their standard of living. Globally, the Citi Foundation targets its strategic giving to priority focus areas: Microfinance, Enterprise Development, Youth Education and Livelihoods, and Financial Capability and Asset Building. The Citi Foundation works with its partners in Microfinance and Enterprise Development to support environmental programs and innovations. Additional information can be found at http://www.citifoundation.com

Women Microfinance Leaders Gather in Mumbai to Promote Industry Leadership

For Immediate Release
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C)
November 11, 2013

With support from Citi Foundation, Women's World Banking hosts women leaders from across South and Central Asia

MUMBAI - Women's World Banking is hosting the 2013 Women in Leadership Program in Mumbai, India, this week. With Citi Foundation support, the five-day program that begins today, aims to improve professional development among talented women microfinance leaders.

In order to serve low-income clients well, financial institutions must have strong leaders who can take risks, challenge conventions, and understand their clients' needs. Since 2006, 230 women representing 97 microfinance institutions in 53 countries have completed the Women in Leadership program, which provides opportunities for women to analyze their leadership style and build a personal development plan. Past participants share stories of personal revelations and transformations as well as significant outcomes for their institutions, including promotions, better portfolios, increased staff, and more branch openings.

"We are thrilled to gather these inspirational women in Mumbai," said Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President and CEO of Women's World Banking. "Leadership plays an irreplaceable role in driving change, the kind of change needed to bring women into the formal financial sector. This program offers women not only the opportunity to strengthen leadership skills but to navigate growth and change in their institutions to meet the needs of their clients."

Despite the microfinance industry's growth in South and Central Asia in recent years, women continue to be underrepresented in management. According to the Mix Market, women account for only 11 percent of managers in microfinance institutions in South Asia, far below the average for many regions (ranging from 25 percent in Sub Saharan Africa to 46 percent in East Asia), and a slightly higher percentage of managers in Central Asia at 37 percent. The Women in Leadership program seeks to address this under representation by ensuring that women are equipped with skills necessary to advance their leadership.

The Mumbai program welcomes 22 leaders representing 12 microfinance institutions from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, and Mongolia. The agenda includes a moderated discussion with Samit Ghosh, Founder and CEO of Ujjivan Financial Services; Pramit Jhaveri, CEO of Citi India; and Chanda Kochhar, Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank; as well as a panel discussion called "Investing in Women" featuring
Dr. Deepali Pant Joshi, Executive Director of Reserve Bank of India; Sarah McPhee, CEO of SPP; and Muge Yuzuak, Managing Director and Country Head of Cards and Personal Loans, Citi India.

Women's World Banking is a network of 39 global microfinance institutions united in the firm commitment to serving women as clients, innovators and leaders. Strong leadership is essential for ensuring that innovative products, tailored specifically for low-income women, are sustainable for institutions.

"We're pleased to support Women's World Banking's efforts to develop the next generation of women leaders within the microfinance industry," said Pamela Flaherty, President and CEO of Citi Foundation, which aims to increase financial inclusion and economic progress for low-income communities. "Through professional and leadership development, institutions as well as the broader field benefit from talented leaders who create products and service delivery to better meet financial needs of their clients."

The Women in Leadership Program continues in Latin America in 2014, furthering the effort to support strong women leaders who better serve low-income communities around the world. Women's World Banking will also host Building Women-Focused Finance: Middle East & North Africa Conference in Amman, Jordan on November 19-20, bringing together the global network of 39 financial institutions from 28 countries with other microfinance practitioners, investors, donors, and regulators working in the Middle East and North Africa.

Women's World Banking is the global non-profit devoted to giving more low-income women access to the financial tools and resources essential to their security and prosperity. For more than 35 years we have worked with financial institutions to show them the benefit of investing in women as clients, and as leaders. We equip these institutions to meet women's needs through authoritative market research, leadership training, sustainable financial products and consumer education. Headquartered in New York, Women's World Banking works with 39 institutions in 28 countries with a reach of 14 million women to create access to finance on a greater scale that ever before. For more information on the Center and the Women in Leadership Program, please visit: http://www.womensworldbanking.org/leadership/

About Citi:
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi

About Citi Foundation:
The Citi Foundation is committed to the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of individuals and families, particularly those in need, in the communities where we work so that they can improve their standard of living. Globally, the Citi Foundation targets its strategic giving to priority focus areas: Microfinance, Enterprise Development, Youth Education and Livelihoods, and Financial Capability and Asset Building. The Citi Foundation works with its partners in Microfinance and Enterprise Development to support environmental programs and innovations. Additional information can be found at http://www.citifoundation.com

Nominations Open for the 2013 Citi Micro Enterprise Awards.

For Immediate Release
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C)
July 17, 2013

July 17, 2013, Mumbai:: Citi and ACCESS are inviting nominations for the 2013 Citi Micro Enterprise Awards.

Now in its tenth year, the awards program has been an avenue to highlight the dynamic enterprise development environment in India and entrepreneurial initiatives that have demonstrated collective action as an efficient means to access markets and resources.This year, winners will be felicitated in the categories of:

• Best Community Micro Enterprise of the Year
• Best Rural Community Micro Enterprise
• Best Urban Community Micro Enterprise
• Innovative Community Enterprise of the Year, and
• The special Innovative Livelihoods Enterprise Promoter award which will honor the significant role played by organizations in nurturing and promoting micro enterprises

Citi India, with grant support from Citi Foundation, USA, has partnered with ACCESS Development Services, to implement the 2013 Citi Micro Enterprise Awards program, which aims to identify, recognize and honor exemplary community micro enterprises and the significant role played by organizations in nurturing and promoting them.

The awards will include cash prizes totaling INR 47 Lakh and will also invest in building the skill and knowledge of the members of the honored community micro enterprises through a customized training totaling an additional INR 10 Lakh as an in-kind prize.

More than 7,800 individual micro-entrepreneurs and 125 community owned enterprises from around the country have participated in the nine previous awards programs. 86 micro entrepreneurs and five community-owned micro enterprises have been felicitated, thereby directly impacting the lives of more than 20,000 individuals.

NGOs, MFIs, banks and other organizations working in the sector can nominate community micro enterprises that they support or work with, via the application form on www.cmea.in or an email to info@cmea.in

The last date for submission of entries is August 31, 2013.

About Citi Foundation:
The Citi Foundation is committed to the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of individuals and families, particularly those in need, in the communities where we work so that they can improve their standard of living. Globally, the Citi Foundation targets its strategic giving to priority focus areas: Microfinance, Enterprise Development, Youth Education and Livelihoods, and Financial Capability and Asset Building. The Citi Foundation works with its partners in Microfinance and Enterprise Development to support environmental programs and innovations. Additional information can be found at www.citifoundation.com.

About ACCESS Development Services:
ACCESS is a new generation livelihoods promotion organization with a focus on incubating innovations and designing sustainable solutions for strengthening the livelihoods of the poor in India. For durable impact, uniquely, ACCESS works at all levels of the sector: engaging with the community through programs and projects; supporting stakeholders for better delivery of programs and better design interventions; and also informing and influencing the policy and strengthening the enabling environment at the national level. Over the last seven years, ACCESS has expanded its operations to nine states of the country, largely focusing on regions that are vulnerable, focusing on marginalized and excluded communities. Increasingly, ACCESS programs are focusing on enhancing farm productivity given large population of the poor engaged in subsistence agriculture and a key strategic focus is on building sustainable community organizations. Additional information can be found at www.accessdev.org.

Citi India Honors Exemplary Community Micro Enterprises

For Immediate Release
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C)
January 12, 2013

2012 awards recognize four community micro enterprises and one livelihood micro enterprise promoter

January 12, 2013, New Delhi: At the Citi Micro Enterprise Awards (CMEA) ceremony today, four Community Micro Enterprises and one Innovative Livelihoods Enterprise Promoter were felicitated for successfully building self-sustaining businesses and creating employment, and for their meaningful contribution to their communities. The Honorable United States Ambassador to India, Nancy J. Powell, together with CEO of Citi India, Pramit Jhaveri and the Governing Council Members of the Awards program, presented the awards to the winners at the Sirifort Auditorium in New Delhi.

The winners are:

The winners are awarded cash prizes totaling Rs. 43,00,000 along with trophies and citations. They will also receive business development support by way of specific capacity building trainings or sponsorships for exhibitions and events of their choice. Over the next few years, these enterprises will be monitored to track the impact of the support from the awards.

Since its inception in 2004, the Awards have grown to become a global initiative at Citi. While earlier, the Awards focused on the work of individual entrepreneurs, this year Citi has decided to bring forth the successes of community owned enterprises, thereby directly impacting the lives of a larger number of individuals.

Currently in its ninth year, CMEA has focused on enterprises that are driven by social mission and/or owned and managed by local communities, whether it is producer companies, cooperatives, self-help groups or social businesses. Additionally, the awards program has also recognized promoters who have nurtured these community enterprises or who are themselves supporting livelihood initiatives for the benefit of poor communities at large. ACCESS Development Services, a new generation livelihoods promotion organization has worked closely with Citi Foundation for the implementation of the CMEA 2012 program. "At ACCESS, we are excited about the CMEA's potential to recognize the efforts of communities to develop viable enterprise options. This will have a significant catalytic role in encouraging other efforts to emulate these path-breaking successes", said Vipin Sharma, CEO, ACCESS Development Services.

Over the past eight years, almost half of the winners of CMEA have been women and this year too, a significant number of applications were from women-owned micro enterprises. The 2012 CMEA received 128 applications. In a process that took more than five months, a team of experts from Citi and ACCESS reviewed each submission to arrive at 19 shortlisted nominations. These were then evaluated by the Governing Council. Chaired by Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Chairperson, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), the Council also comprises Radhika Haribhakti, Chairperson, Swadhaar FinAccess; Anami Roy, Ex-Director General of Police (Maharashtra) and Chairman, Vandana Foundation; Prof Rakesh Basant, Professor of Economics and Chairperson, Center for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad; and Haresh Shah, Founder Chairman of Confederation for the Promotion of Khadi and Village Industries, Managing Trustee - Vaikunthbhai Mehta Research for Decentralized Industries and Motilal Mulji Charitable Trust.

As Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Chairperson, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) said, "The success stories of these enterprises should become an inspiration for the entire nation to innovate and act as catalysts for development in their respective communities. It is an honor to be part of the Citi Micro Enterprise Awards 2012 which celebrates success at the grassroots, creating a viable partnership for a robust and inclusive financial ecosystem in India."

Pramit Jhaveri, CEO of Citi India said, "Micro and small enterprises are powerful and efficient drivers of economic growth and job creation. The winners of the 2012 Citi Micro Enterprise Awards not only run successful businesses but also demonstrate that it is possible to do well and to do good. We are proud to play a part in recognizing and promoting this empowering role played by local communities, in creating their own enterprises as a tool to collective action."

About Citi:

Committed to India for over 110 years, Citi takes pride in being a premier locally embedded financial institution, backed by an unmatched global network. Citi's presence in India spans 42 branches across 30 cities and over 700 ATMs. With around US$4 billion capital invested in its onshore banking and financial services business and its principal and alternate investment programs, Citi is amongst the single largest foreign direct investors in the financial services industry in India and offers consumers and institutions a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services and wealth management. Citi is an employer of choice to over 7,800 employees in India. In line with our commitment to make a positive difference in the communities we work, Citi India's citizenship program targets its strategic efforts in the priority areas of Financial Capability & Asset Building, Microfinance, Enterprise Development, and Youth, Education & Livelihoods. Additional information may be found at: www.citibank.co.in

About Citi Foundation:
The Citi Foundation is committed to the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of individuals and families, particularly those in need, in the communities where we work so that they can improve their standard of living. Globally, the Citi Foundation targets its strategic giving to priority focus areas: Microfinance, Enterprise Development, Youth Education and Livelihoods, and Financial Capability and Asset Building. The Citi Foundation works with its partners in Microfinance and Enterprise Development to support environmental programs and innovations. Additional information can be found at http://www.citifoundation.com