The goal of this event is “to facilitate a dialogue on impacting livelihoods of the poor.” The discussion topics will include value chains,
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SPECIAL REPORT: The Business Case for Education Finance #EMW2023
Many families in low- and middle-income countries send their kids to low-cost private schools because the government is not meeting the need. However, many of these schools are not registered as businesses and don’t keep good records, so it is hard for them to borrow from banks to improve their facilities. Meanwhile, about one in five school-aged children – 260 million worldwide – are not in school.
Varthana is a lender in India that specializes helping schools expand. Its loans are often in the range of USD 20,000 to USD 100,000. The firm has developed a track record and so now is able to
SPECIAL REPORT: Digitizing Microfinance to Meet Customer Needs via an Incremental Approach #EMW2023
At today’s European Microfinance Week panel on transforming microfinance institutions (MFIs) into digital financial services providers, the focus was on meeting customer needs – not just implementing digital products, but attaining measurable success for clients and MFIs. Given that 80 percent of many microfinance portfolios comprises renewals, the renewal of microloans is a great process to digitize. This can free up staff to focus on recruiting new clients.
The consensus of the panelists was that going digital cannot be addressed primarily as a technology problem; rather it must be looked at as a business problem. The Vitas Group of Middle Eastern MFIs made the conscious choice to build a parallel system rather than
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Aflatoun, Fintech Robos to Collaborate on Financial Literacy in Middle East, North Africa
The Dutch NGO Aflatoun International and Bahrain-based financial advisory firm Fintech Robos recently agreed to collaborate on their efforts to expand financial literacy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The partners plan to promote financial education through the development of “curriculum and training materials”
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Opportunity International, UPS Foundation Announce “Unstoppable Women Initiative” to Expand Financial Services in Colombia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria
Two US-based NGOs, Opportunity International and the UPS Foundation, recently partnered to launch the Unstoppable Women Initiative to support female entrepreneurs in underserved communities in Colombia, India, Indonesia and Nigeria. The program includes training, business support and
MICROFINANCE EVENT: TiE Summit Global; November 15-17, 2023; Singapore
The annual TiE Global Summit, held alongside the Singapore Fintech Festival, centers around the theme of leveraging entrepreneurship to create “#GoodForTheWorld.” The event will cover areas of interest such as:
SPECIAL REPORT: European Microfinance Week 2023 Is Almost Here! A Tour of the Upcoming Conference’s Sessions and Streams
European 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:
- An opening plenary to kick off this session stream, which will bring together different perspectives from key stakeholders to address holistically the current challenges in the field and discuss the role of FSPs in food security and building sustainable food systems;
- Creating Supportive Ecosystems to Maximize Supply of Agricultural Products Through Investments and Technical Assistance will focus on
MICROFINANCE EVENT: MEDA Convention; November 2-5, 2023; Toronto, Canada
This event offers presentations at the primary venue as well as visits to local businesses and tourist sights. Sample session
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Social Enterprise Conference; October 27, 2023; New York City, USA
This event will explore the “ecosystem of capital through the lens of philanthropy, impact investing, ESG [environmental, social and governance issues] and social venture and business examples” related to “generating sustainable solutions to global, systemic challenges.” Sample session topics include: (1) Ethical AI: Balancing Innovation and Social Responsibility; (2) Financial Inclusion in the Digital Age: How Fintech [Financial Technology] is Connecting Underserved People; and (3) Carbon Credits: The Future of Climate Finance.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: European Microfinance Week; November 15-17, 2023; Luxembourg
This event offers discussions of topics including microinsurance, financial technology (fintech), funding mechanisms, how to serve refugees and other strategies for enhancing financial inclusion. The program includes
SPECIAL REPORT: Inclusivity in Capital Markets Demands Sustainability Reporting
Sustainability reporting entails assessing, disclosing and managing an organization’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts. This practice communicates to investors, customers, employees and regulators that the organization is committed to sustainability. The disclosure element, in particular, conveys values, strategies, risks, opportunities, accountability and transparency.
The significance of sustainability reporting within capital markets is increasing steadily, as more investors
MICROFINANCE EVENT: International Conference on Inclusive Insurance (ICII); October 23-27, 2023; Accra, Ghana
The International Conference on Inclusive Insurance 2023 will gather delegates from 50 countries to debate methods for boosting access to insurance for mass markets to support emerging economies’ growth and economic
SPECIAL REPORT: e-MFP Launches the Green Map, a Pioneering Resource to Address an Information Gap in Green Inclusive Finance
As the inclusive finance sector increasingly understands the crucial role it can have in supporting the most vulnerable populations – who are disproportionately affected by the consequences of climate change – the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) is delighted to announce the launch of the Green Map, a project implemented by the e-MFP Green Inclusive and Climate Smart Finance Action Group (GICSF-AG) and supported by the Government of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. The Green Map was officially launched on Thursday, September 28 at an in-person and live-streamed event entitled “Addressing Climate Change via an Open Resource for Green Inclusive Finance Projects & Practices.”
What’s this all for? The Green Map project aims to
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF23); October 11-12, 2023; Amsterdam, the Netherlands
The goal of this event is to champion the use of social enterprise as a catalyst for positive change worldwide. The topics to be discussed include: (1) The Role of Corporates in Social Enterprise Partnerships; and (2) Migration: Entrepreneurial Solutions for Better Lives and Livelihoods.
SPECIAL REPORT: Fortune Credit of Kenya, Fundación Génesis Empresarial of Guatemala, Yikri of Burkina Faso Are Finalists for European Microfinance Award 2023 on Inclusive Finance for Food Security & Nutrition
From the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP): On September 19 and September 20, 2023, the Selection Committee for the European Microfinance Award (EMA) 2023 on “Inclusive Finance for Food Security & Nutrition” selected the three finalists that will go on to compete for the prize of EUR 100,000 (USD 105,000): Fortune Credit Limited from Kenya, Fundación Génesis Empresarial from Guatemala and Yikri from Burkina Faso.
The choice of topic for the EMA2023 comes at a
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Global Development Conference on Biodiversity and Sustainable Development; October 31 – November 1, 2023; Quito, Ecuador
Sessions at this event will cover topics such as aligning government policies with environmental science; supporting female entrepreneurs; how biodiversity impacts economies; and understanding the connections among climate change, poverty, and gender inequality.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Sanabel’s 16th Annual Conference; November 21-22, 2023; Dead Sea, Jordan – POSTPONED
Please note that this event has been postponed; new dates have not yet been announced. This event is centered on the effects of global trends on microfinance in Arab countries. Participants will discuss and build strategies on topics such as making microfinance less harmful to the environment, improving risk management, and expanding services to farmers as well as
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MSMEs in Amazon to Access $900m Loan Pool from IDB, BNDES of Brazil
The Brazilian government’s Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES) and the multilateral Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)