About us

Luxembourg's first microfinance institution

Microlux is a non-profit social enterprise whose mission is the social and economic inclusion of people who do not have access to traditional bank loans. Its main activity is to support and finance entrepreneurs, wishing to create or develop their business, with microloans.

Our mission

Microlux, Luxembourg’s first microfinance institution, is a social enterprise created in 2016 by ADA, BGL BNP Paribas, ADIE and EIF.

Recognizing that financial exclusion is also a reality in Luxembourg, microlux has set itself the mission of developing social and economic inclusion by supporting and granting microcredits to people wishing to create or develop their business and who have no access to a traditional bank loan.

The aim is to improve their professional development and living conditions.

Our team

Microlux’s operational team consists of 3 dynamic and competent members. Surrounded by a network of volunteers, we support entrepreneurs, from the business plan to the promotion of their existing business.

  • Microlux's Team

    Sam Paulus

    Senior Manager
  • Microlux's team

    Jérémy Del Rosario

    Credit Manager
  • Microlux's team

    Anh-Quyen Ngo-Li

    Communication Manager

Our Board of Directors

microlux’s Board of Directors (BOD) provides the objectives, strategy and vision of microlux.

At each Board meeting, the operational team reports to the board and acts as secretary.

President

Anne Contreras-Muller

Anne joined Arendt & Medernach in 1998 and has held the position of Of Counsel since 2011.

As Of Counsel, Anne’s activities are exclusively dedicated to inclusive and impact finance. She advises local and international players in microfinance investment funds and social and/or environmental impact funds. Her activities also cover social entrepreneurship and philanthropy, including the implementation of technical assistance programs.

Anne is a member of the e-MFP Board of Directors.

She joined the microlux Board of Directors in April 2021 and became its Chairman in June 2021.

Member

Matthieu Barrier

Matthieu has over 20 years’ experience in a microfinance institution. Starting as credit advisor for Adie, he became regional director when Adie opened its regional office in Corsica. He also opened Adie in Bourgogne Franche-Comté, then in overseas France (Réunion and Mayotte). He has led projects to develop information systems, implement a quality and satisfaction process throughout the network, and to prevent and reduce credit risk. At the same time, he is involved in thematic support missions for microfinance institutions in Europe and is developing Adie’s technical assistance missions for microfinance structures in outlying overseas territories.

Matthieu joined microlux in October 2018 as a member of the Board of Directors.

Member

Achim Gehlen

Achim Gehlen is Head of the Restructuring and Recovery Department at BGL BNP Paribas.

Before joining the Bank, Achim worked as a project engineer in a Luxembourg engineering firm. He then held various positions within the bank, notably in performance management, where he was responsible for setting up the contact center, and in the payment department, where he created the internal control function.

He joined microlux in July 2018 as a director.

Member

Rémy Jacob

Rémy Jacob, has held various management positions at the European Investment Bank (EIB). He was Head of Personnel Administration, IT Director, Director of Corporate Affairs, Deputy Corporate Secretary and Executive Vice-President, Strategy. From 2000 to 2012, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the European Investment Fund (EIF), the venture capital and guarantee arm of the EIB Group. In 2012, he set up the EIB Institute, which supports European initiatives for the common good, of which he was Dean until his retirement in 2014.

Rémy Jacob is also a member of the Board of Directors of the NGO ADA.

He was Chairman of the microlux Board of Directors for 5 years, from its creation until June 2021.

Member

Karin Schintgen

Karin Schintgen was CEO of the HOST (House of Start-ups) in 2018 and 2019, she created the lux future lab and was director of the CSR Accelerator, the Corporate Social Responsibility department of BGL BNP Paribas.

Karin has a professional career in banking, media and public affairs. In addition she held senior positions at Citibank in New York, Kredietbank Luxembourg and RTL Group.

In 2010, Karin was given the task of defining a CSR strategy for BGL BNP Paribas in order to have a more sustainable impact on the social and economic environnment in Luxembourg. It was against this backdrop that Karin was heavily involved in the launch and creation of microlux.

Member

Peter Vermeulen

Peter Vermeulen is Legal and Compliance Director at Groupe Foyer, an insurance and asset management group. He is Secretary to the Board of Foyer S.A. and chairs the Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”) Committee. Before joining Foyer, he worked as a lawyer in Brussels, Frankfurt and Luxembourg and as a legal advisor to a Luxembourg bank.

He joined Microlux in October 2018 as a director.

Member

Catherine Wurth

Catherine lived for 10 years in Paris, London and Berlin. After several years’ as a project manager, including microfinance, social entrepreneurship and sustainable finance in the CSR department of BGL BNP Paribas, she has been Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at BGL BNP Paribas since April 2021.

She has been involved in the development of the microlux project since October 2015 and was a member of the credit committee. She has also assumed the role of Secretary to the Board of Directors until June 2019. Since June 2021, she is a director.

She studied development economics at SOAS, University of London, and did a master’s in public policy at the Hertie.

Observer

Samuel Clause

In 2010, Samuel joined EIF as a senior member of the Microfinance team. His professional experience combines banking projects, leveraged finance, the creation of two companies, one of which is a social enterprise, and his professional involvement with an NGO where he launched and managed a team investing in MFIs internationally. This vast experience has taken shape in the field of microfinance, in which Samuel has found his professional passion and has been active since 2006.

Currently at the EIF, he is focusing on structuring guarantee and fund transactions to promote microfinance and social entrepreneurship in Europe.

Discover the impact of microlux through our reports!

Explore our activity reports (in French) for a detailed overview of microlux’s achievements and impact in Luxembourg over the years. Dive into our key figures, testifying to our commitment to financial inclusion and support for local entrepreneurs.

Microlux is 97% compliant with the European Code of Good Conduct for Microcredit Provision

The European Code of Good Conduct for Microcredit Provision serves as a self-regulation tool and a quality label for microfinance institutions committed to ethical finance.

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