Since 2010, the Microfinance Barometer has annually presented the main trends in the microfinance sector and given more visibility to high social impact microfinance initiatives. The launch of the French version of the 2016 edition took place at the headquarters of the Fédération nationale des Caisses d’épargne (FNCE) in Paris, in the presence of the Barometer’s authors and of experts from the sector. The launch of the English version took place during the Convergences World Forum.

The Microfinance Barometer is built in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation, the Caisse des Dêpots Group, the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP), Oikocredit and the FNCE. The 2016 edition features up-to-date figures of the microfinance sector both in France and internationally and studies the new opportunities of the sector both in southern and northern countries. It also includes a special issue on Sustainable Development Goals and microfinance.

In this edition, Nicola Benaglio, Policy and Research Officer at the European Microfinance Network, explains the Commission's support to microfinance institutions in Europe via different resources and initiaves in order to promote employment and social inclusion.