Event

18- 19
Jun
12th EMN Annual Conference: Microfinance and banks: are we the right partners?

Thursday, June 18, 2015 to Friday, June 19, 2015

The purpose of the event is to be a meeting of minds, ideas and experiences. Over 300 participants are expected to attend, including EMN member organisations, speakers, and representatives from other institutions active in the microfinance sector.

Microfinance practitioners from both Europe and developing countries have been invited to share, exchange and challenge best practices in microfinance. EMN aims to achieve in-depth and interactive knowledge sharing within its plenary sessions, workshops, roundtable meetings, and open space dialogues.

The general objective of the conference is to discuss the cooperation potential between traditional financial institutions and the microfinance sector so that collaboration and cohesion in reaching out to the underserved is enhanced between both sectors.

The discussion topics:

  • What role should banks play within the European microfinance sector?
  • Should banks provide microcredit directly? For example, through partnerships with non-banking financial institutions?
  • What potential opportunities on alternative services to microcredit may come up in the near future?
  • What are the threats and challenges that lie ahead?