European Microfinance Week 2016

European Microfinance Week (EMW), 16-18 November, brought together over 470 opinion-leaders, top management of banks, funds and other financial institutions, practitioners, academics, analysts, raters and industry commentators to present key innovations, challenges and the work conducted in the previous year by e-MFP’s several dedicated Action Groups. 

With a fantastic line up of plenaries: the opening one introducing the finalists of the 7thEuropean Microfinance Award, another on Microfinance and Housing – the topic of next year’s 8th Award, and the closing plenary on Digital Finance: Full inlusion or empty promise?

The plenaries were complemented by 24 workshop sessions across six main streams: green microfinance; investors, donors and funders; rural finance; social performance; and digital innovations – some of which built on the work of the Action Groups as well as issues laid out in the plenary sessions. They included financing sustainable energy, agricultural value chain finance, microfinance for refugees, several on client protection and impact evaluation, and a series of sessions over both days related to the big theme of education – including education and child labour, and a double session on financing of education, covering both implementation and funding.