Today, the University Meets Microfinance Action Group of the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) is presenting awards of EUR 500 (USD 620) each to students Hayyan Alia for “A Modified Household Economic Portfolio Model for Assessing Impact of Microfinance Using Diaries” and Eike Haas for his paper titled “Do Agent-assisted Banking Beyond Branches Channels Decrease Costs in Downscaling? A Qualitative and Quantitative Review.” The group also met earlier in the day as part of the series of Action Group meetings held during the first day of European Microfinance Week, which is hosted by e-MFP, a 130-member NGO located in Luxembourg.
University Meets Microfinance, which was launched in 2009 by French NGO PlaNet Finance and Germany’s Freie Universität Berlin, has enjoyed accomplishments this year including: arranging 17 lectures at universities, facilitating field opportunities and mentorships for 30 students, awarding eight scholarships for work in developing countries, holding a workshop on “Value Chains in Agricultural and Green Microfinance” at Germany’s Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in collaboration with the e-MFP Action Group on Microfinance and Environment and publishing the following:
• A case study entitled “Al Barid Bank: Vehicle of Financial Inclusion in Morocco?” and
• A report called “Understanding the Challenges: New Insights from Practice & Research on Mobile Banking, Remittances and Green Finance”
Regarding future plans for the group, Catalina Martinez, a doctoral researcher at the Department of Banking and Finance at Switzerland’s University of Zurich, argued that “there is a need to connect research with the needs of practitioners…the focus should be on this bridge.”
Several attendees expect to participate in a call for presentation proposals that is open through February 15, 2015, for the European Research Conference on Microfinance, which is offered every two years. The fourth iteration of this event will take place from June 1 through June 3, 2015, hosted by Switzerland’s University of Geneva.
The group is also working on an electronic learning platform to be offered beginning in mid-2015. This series of 11 modules of about 35 minutes each will over topics including product types, measuring performance, client protection, gender issues, serving agricultural enterprises, serving clients after a natural disaster and investing in microfinance.
This is the first in a series of articles covering the proceedings of European Microfinance Week, which is taking place in Luxembourg from November 12 to November 14. MicroCapital is reporting on the sessions onsite throughout this time under a sponsorship from e-MFP.
Additional Resources:
European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) to Host European Microfinance Week, November 12-14, 2014, With On-site Reporting by MicroCapital
More coverage of European Microfinance Week and the Action Groups of the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP)
Do you know that MicroCapital publishes the MicroCapital Monitor newspaper each month?
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