The Microfinance Centre regional microfinance resource center and network
What a busy and successful year 2018 was for the MFC! We are thrilled to bring you this review of our key activities and achievements. Enjoy and benefit from the resources we’ve prepared for you!
This year, we’ve been working hard to help advance best practice and develop financial inclusion by:
Supporting microfinance institutions digitalization:
- FinTech mapping: We conducted mapping studies in two countries, Poland and Ukraine
- Creating self-assessment tool for MFIs diagnostic (tool is tested now)
- Publishing digitalization case studies
- Our Digitalization Working Group discussed how new technology can be sensibly embraced by MFIs, and identified examples of emerging good practices
- Holding workshops on digitalization during the MFC-EMN conference
- Mentoring three MFC members on increasing their digital presence.
Hosting a joint MFC-EMN Annnual Conference in Bilbao, welcoming 600+ delegates and featuring an inaugural Fintech Marketplace. Read the conference report to catch up on all that happened, and don’t forget to save the date for the 2019 MFC Annual Conference to be held in Istanbul from 29 May–1 June.
Extending our strategic partnership with the DG Employment of the European Commission for 2018–2021 and continuing our advocacy efforts for the whole sector.
Contributing to microfinance sector visibility and development:
- Conducting a Microfinance in Europe survey: implemented jointly with the EMN
- Business Development Services and Microfinance: Documenting case studies of good practice operational models
- Between Needs and Availability: Publishing our research on the external financing gap indicator
- 4th European Microfinance Day was co-organized with the EMN: 25 MFIs from 13 European countries, including 13 MFC Members, conducted 37 different local activities
- Holding 9 country meetings and 8 national working group meetings on promoting microfinance and financial inclusion with EC support.
- Our European Code of Good Conduct working group including selected MFC members prepared a series of recommendations, which were submitted to the European Commission and served as one of the key inputs for further consultation process to be finalized in 2019.
Implementing the EaSI TA Programme (in cooperation with the EMN and the Frankfurt School of Management). As part of our 2018 programme, we delivered TA to 5 MFIs, organized a pre-conference event and break-out session at the MFC-EMN Annual Conference in Bilbao, organized a workshop on EU financial instruments for Albanian MFIs, and held the first-ever EaSI TA webinar on digitalization, entitled “Opportunities and enablers of digitalisation for MFIs”, to share our experience mentoring member MFIs on increasing their digital presence.
Holding the CEO Forum, a global professional networking opportunity for senior executives from the microfinance sector. This year’s programme of events included the 4th CEO Summit, a peer exchange workshop for Credit Chief Officers and Risk Managers, and a webinar on Crowdfunding and Microfinance, as well as on emerging topics. Join us for the upcoming CEO Summit 2019 in Istanbul!
Advancing Housing Microfinance:
- Through our partnership with Habitat for Humanity, we delivered housing finance services to a number of MFIs in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Jordan.
- We contributed to case studies on housing microfinance exploring the experience of MFIs in Bosnia and Lebanon.
- Conducting housing finance market mapping studies in Bosnia, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Lebanon.
Promoting Social Performance Management: We produced first-ever Social Performance Regional Report for European MFIs and summarized 7 years of scaling up Social Performance with SP Fund.
Boosting Financial Health:
- Our 5th Annual Borrow Wisely Campaign featured 26 partners from 16 countries
- We continue developing an online financial health tool for use by member MFIs
- Supporting saving group movement with the workshop Saving Group Movement in Europe: A new way to foster financial and social empowerment.
Supporting migrant entrepreneurship: together with 6 European partners, we build pan-European network – MAGNET – consisting of organizations concerned about migrant businesses development by organizing networking events and building the capacity of supporters.
Expanding partnerships: we teamed up with 17 country-level associations and hope to continue expanding our partnerships with new associations in 2019.
Supporting and sharing knowledge with other microfinance networks: we co-organised Central American microfinance network meeting in Warsaw.
Participating in numerous sector-level events, facilitating global workshops, presenting our findings and networking with the broader financial inclusion community.
Those are just the highlights of our very busy year—you can read more about what we’ve been up to in our 2018 Annual Report. Stay tuned also with our social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
Join us!
While we seek to support the development of the entire regional microfinance industry, many of the activities we run and resources we develop are exclusively for our members, including:
- free participation in the CEO Forum
- free participation in the Borrow Wisely Campaign
- access to our mentoring and coaching services
- access to our digital readiness tool and Digitalization Working Group webinars
- discounts to network and other sector events
- exclusive news for MFC Members
- and much more
If you’re not already a member, but want to benefit from all we have to offer, then talk to us about joining the MFC Network! Special terms and conditions are available for national associations and start-ups.
Th
is initiative has received financial support from the European Union
Programme for Employment and Social Innovation “EaSI” (2014-2020).
For further information please consult: http://ec.europa.eu/social/easi
The information contained in the publications does not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Commission.
