Microfinance & Business start-ups: Review of the current practice in Europe   Mikfrofinans Norge microfinance precedent Watch WebEx recordings. Download the WebEx player first! Presentation in PDF Implementing the European Code of Good Conduct – practitioners experience Presentation in PDF   Delivering Financial Capability: A Look at Business Approaches This webinar was organised as part of the celebrations of the ...

Supporting “generation start-up”: Opportunities for Montenegro This case note presents our research findings and analysis on the start-up enterprise landscape in Montenegro. This research was designed to identify current good practice among financial services providers and international organizations serving start-ups; understand the future potential role of microfinance vis-a-vis start-ups, and propose concrete and practical steps to bring about more support for start-ups. ...

  Dear Readers, Our second project newsletter brings you important milestones for the EaSI TA project: namely the successful completion of the Second Call for Expression of Interest, as well as the conclusion of the pilot phase of the EU Code of Good Conduct for Microcredit Provision (“the Code”). We are pleased to share updates to the Code, as well as ...

In 2017, we announced the winner of our third annual Financial Inclusion Ambassador Award, to recognize members and partners for their financial inclusion advocacy work. This year, we awarded organizations that significantly contributed to promotion or advocacy for financial inclusion at a national and regional level. Specifically, we looked for organizations that engaged in a dialogue that led to a ...

            We are pleased to share with you the new brochure about the instruments and activities that are available for financial intermediaries under the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) programme*. Download the brochure in English, French & German.   *The Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) programme aims at promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and improving ...

In early October, MFC staff visited Romania to meet with a range of stakeholders (including MFC members Vitas and GoodBee) to discuss how the microfinance sector currently supports start-up businesses, what challenges the sector faces in that work and the opportunities to expand that support in future. Among key issues and ideas we heard was the fact that 1) the ...

Source: EC – Audiovisual Service More than EUR 1 billion has been mobilised to support over 100,000 micro-entrepreneurs in 23 EU member states under the Progress Microfinance and the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) programmes. Target borrowers of this cooperation between the European Investment Fund (EIF), the European Commission, and microfinance providers include unemployed micro-entrepreneurs, young self-employed, minority groups, women rural ...

In a time of economic slow-down, the idea of financing start-up enterprises in the EU is quite alluring. As such, start-ups (enterprises in early stages of development, generally less than 2 years old) are high on European Commission’s agenda. For this reason, the MFC is taking a deep dive on how microfinance can support start-ups. We will examine existing practices ...

The 2016 MFC annual conference “Microfinance in the Cloud”, held in partnership with the Albanian Microfinance Association (AMA) brought over 380 participants from 41 countries to Tirana! The over-arching conference theme considered the space that microfinance could potentially occupy if it fully embraces new technology, or the detachment it will suffer if it does not.  It was an honor to welcome ...

Still confused or curious about the European Code of Good Conduct? Don’t know if it applies to you? Need to learn how to use it? Our 4-minute video is for you!  To sign up for the ECoGC please complete the form and send it to: European Commission – DG Regional Policy – Unit B3 – European Code of Good Conduct for ...