by Rohan Kumar Agarwal -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Visa, Oxfam to Expand B-READY to Provide Pre-disaster Cash Assistance in Colombia, Kenya, Puerto Rico

Visa, a US-based payments company, and Oxfam America, an anti-poverty NGO, announced during the recent COP28 meetings in the UAE that they plan to scale Oxfam’s Building Resilient, Adaptive and Disaster-ready Communities (B-READY) project to deliver relief payments in advance of storms and flooding in Colombia, Kenya and the US territory of Puerto Rico. B-READY was launched in

by Hawra Moochhala -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Women’s World Banking Offering 5-month Leadership Program for Regulators

The Saïd Business School at the UK’s Oxford University and the US-based NGO Women’s World Banking are conducting a program from April to August 2024 intended to improve financial inclusion by boosting the leadership skills of financial regulators. Senior banking and regulatory officials of all genders are invited to attend alongside a “high-potential woman leader from their institution.” Over the course of the program, the two will develop policies that promote financial inclusion for women.

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: JuST Institute Preview of Training on Delivering Climate, Biodiversity & Inclusive Finance to Smallholder Farmers Available Online December 12, 2023

The France-based NGO Just Sustainability Transitions (JuST) Institute is holding an online session December 12 to educate potential participants about a mentoring and training program for financial services providers (FSPs) looking to orient their work toward “climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation.” The program, which is for loan officers and managers employed by microfinance institutions (MFIs), takes place online over a period of four to six months. Participation can be part of an MFI becoming certified for

by Aarya Dhru -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: 19th Annual Global Microfinance Forum; March 14-15, 2024; Amsterdam, Netherlands

This forum will bring stakeholders together to discuss topics such as: (1) Climate-smart Financing for Smallholder Farmers; (2) Women’s Economic Empowerment by MFIs [Microfinance Institutions]; and (3) Green & Sustainable Finance; Genuine Change from MFIs.

by Tiyasha Sarkar -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: AEMFI 25th Anniversary; November 28 – December 1, 2023; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Themed, “MFIs in a Digital Era: Financial Inclusion for Job Creation and Women Empowerment,” this event offers microfinance institutions multiple opportunities to showcase their products and how they can contribute to reducing poverty. Researchers will also present their findings, and funders and government representatives will attend to collaborate on strategies for growing the industry. The event, whose primary organizer is the 50-member Association of Ethiopian Microfinance Institutions (AEMFI), event is

by Aarya Dhru -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Consumers International Global Congress; December 6-8, 2023; Nairobi, Kenya

Every four years, this event gathers stakeholders aiming to create a resilient future for the mass market. The agenda covers topics such as: (1) Transforming Consumer Journeys in Mobile Money; (2) The Influence of ChatGPT on Consumer Experiences; (3) Channels of

by the MicroCapital Team -

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Online Today in Spanish, November 22 in French – JuST Institute Announcing Mentoring Program for MFIs Embracing Biodiversity, Climate Adaptation

The France-based NGO Just Sustainability Transitions (JuST) Institute is launching a mentoring and training program for financial services providers (FSPs) looking to orient their work toward “climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation.” The program, which is for loan officers and their managers, takes place online over a period of four to six months. Participation can be part of an MFI becoming certified for

by Aarya Dhru -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Skoll World Forum; April 9-12, 2024; Oxford, United Kingdom

This annual gathering focused on using entrepreneurship to effect change around global challenges such as climate change and healthcare will take place both in-person and online. The detailed agenda has not been released, but the 2023 iteration included sessions including:

by the MicroCapital Team -

SPECIAL REPORT: European Microfinance Week 2023 Is Almost Here! A Tour of the Upcoming Conference’s Sessions and Streams

e-MFP logoEuropean Microfinance Week (EMW) 2023, taking place in Luxem­bourg from 15-17 November, is fast approaching! One of the sector’s premier knowledge-sharing and networking events, EMW welcomes more than 500 professionals, in-person and online, and this year will comprise over 40 sessions – plenaries, breakouts, closed-door round­tables and Action Group meetings – organised across several thematic streams. These include: ‘Inclusive Finance for Food Security & Nutri­tion’, Green and Climate-smart Finance, Refugees and Forcibly Dis­placed Persons, Digi­talisation, Investing, Financial Health, Client Pro­tection, and Out­comes & Impact, among others. Here is a selection of what attendees can expect:

‘Inclusive Finance for Food Security & Nutrition’ is the topic of the European Microfinance Award 2023, the €100,000 prize award­ed annually by the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, which this year seeks to highlight innovations by financial ser­vices pro­viders (FSPs) to safeguard access to quality and affordable food for vul­nerable populations and to increase resilience of food systems. EMW2023 attendees will be able to choose from a range of sessions address­ing the different dimensions of food security, including:

by Aarya Dhru -

MICROFINANCE EVENT: Global Inclusive Finance Summit; December 12-13, 2023; New Delhi, India

This event, formerly known as the Inclusive Finance India Summit, is in its 20th year. The organizers expect 1,200 delegates to attend. While the agenda for this year has not been released yet, the 2022 iteration offered sessions such as: