Employment and Social Innovation (Jasmine)

The new microfinance handbook

The New Microfinance Handbook reflects the current frontier of our collective thinking and experience. It starts with the need to understand the demand side. Poor households in the informal economy are producers and consumers. They need access to the full range of financial services to generate income, build assets, smooth consumption, and manage risks. The global financial inclusion agenda recognizes these broader needs.

Proposed Approaches to Social Impact Measurement in European Commission legislation and in practice relating to EuSEFs and the EaSI

The Single Market Act II states that “the Commission will develop a methodology to measure the socio-economic benefits created by social enterprises. The development of rigorous and systematic measurements of social enterprises’ impact on the community ... is essential to demonstrate that the money invested in social enterprises yields high savings and income”.

Microcredit providers meet in Venice

Capacity building workshops for EU microcredit providers (MCPs) were organised in June by fi‑compass using the European Commission's Employment and Social Innovation Programme's Technical Assistance (EaSI TA). MCPs from across the EU and elsewhere came together in Venice for these EaSI TA workshops as part of the European Microfinance Network's 14th annual conference.

EaSI TA workshop sessions provided an opportunity for the MCPs to share their experiences with peers and to learn more about how MCPs operate in different countries and sectors.

We spoke to some of the workshop participants about their roles in providing microcredit and how EaSI TA has helped their organisations.

The EaSI Helpdesk on microfinance is live

The European Commission in the frame of its Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) Programme has launched a fully renovated Helpdesk, which will assist all institutions interested in European microfinance.

The service is addressed to microfinance providers and guarantee institutions, public and private banks, local and regional authorities, networks, business incubators and research centres from EU Member States, Candidate and Potential Candidate countries, and EFTA countries.

First fi-compass microfinance workshop in Serbia

Our first fi-compass EaSI TA workshop in Serbia will be held next week on 14 March 2017 in Belgrade. Organised with close cooperation of AgroInvest (one of Serbia’s three non-bank microcredit institutions) this workshop is titled: 'Making it happen for small entrepreneurs – Microfinance!' and its objective centres on the explanation, organisation and promotion of microfinance opportunities for Serbia. Workshop timing coincides with crucial changes being considered in the country's microfinance regulatory framework.

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