More than 70 practitioners took part in the conference “Migrant Entrepreneurship Support: Access to Finance” held on April 3-4, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. The conference was organized jointly by two European Consortia: M-Up and MAGNET. As a member of the MAGNET Consortium, MFC was responsible for shaping the agenda of the event, facilitating workshops and speaking on fintechs ...

Finance Watch publishes its blueprint on retail financial services with an assessment of the current market failures and key priorities for the next European Commission. In its blueprint the public interest NGO Finance Watch suggests key priorities for the next European Commission to ensure inclusive, safe and sustainable financial services for consumers. Download the blueprint (pdf, 4 pages) A well-functioning ...

The EIB Institute is launching a new EIBURS sponsorship on the following topic: “Building the future of inclusive finance: the role of Fintechs and digitalisation” Research proposals should contain a strategy to address the following elements: i) the disruptive potential of technological and financial innovation ii) the use of financial innovations (Fintechs) in the inclusive finance sector iii) evidence on the ...

Project background The purpose of the Microfinance Barometer is to provide insights into country-level issues and priorities in delivering microfinance and supporting entrepreneurship. The research is focused on identifying weaknesses in the legal/regulatory environment, the capacity of MFIs, and limitations in the abilities of clients to use microfinance services. Project status: active Project regional focus: Europe and Central Asia Project objectives  The ...

The 8th edition of the report provides an overview of the development of the sector in terms of its main institutional characteristics, microloan portfolio, and social and financial performance for the period 2016-2017. The Report gives a sound image of the sector’s heterogeneity relating to the institutional model, the size, and the level of specialisation in microlending. The social goals ...

This MFC’s research paper considers the (mis)match between the financing needs of European MSMEs and the perception of availability of external financing. Publisher: Microfinance Centre Authors: Justyna Pytkowska, Piotr Koryński Year: 2018 Download “Between Needs and Availability: The External Financing Gap Indicator” Our question is: how do changes in the perceived need for external financing (and its availability) line up with the patterns ...

Have you heard? The MFC Library is your source for all the latest publications on microfinance, financial inclusion, capacity building and other topics connected with FI. MFC specialists keep reviewing thousands of publications and recommend reports, which should not be missed. Today we’ve added two external publications: How Financial Institutions and Fintechs Are Partnering for Inclusion: Lessons from the Frontlines      ...

For the next long-term EU budget, the European Commission proposes to further strengthen the Union’s social dimension with a renewed European Social Fund, the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), and a strengthened and more effective European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). For the period 2021-2027, the European Social Fund Plus would be worth €101.2 billion, and the Globalisation Adjustment Fund €1.6 billion. Both ...

Social performance management (SPM) refers to the systems that organizations use to achieve their stated social mission. As a part of Microfinance Centres’ ongoing efforts to promote social performance and support to MFC members in SPM implementation, we developed Social Performance Management Report based on data collected from 25 financial institutions, MFC Members from Europe. The Report presents current state of social ...

The report on “Financial Inclusion in the Digital Age” was jointly published by CreditEase, IFC – International Finance Corporation, and Stanford University Graduate School of Business. This report highlights some of the central frictions that prevent greater financial inclusion and financial well-being, and associated technological innovations that are fostering creative new approaches to mitigating these frictions for individuals and small ...