What is financial education and why is it important? How is it offered in the microfinance and European context? And how does it empower consumers? The magazine explores these critical questions in view of encouraging sector stakeholders to pay particular attention to the role of financial education.

The initiatives that led to the emergence of microfinance and the cooperative movement were based on the conviction that people need to be empowered in order to help themselves. Education was central to the development of these movements. In this magazine, we talk about the importance and focus on financial education. However, financial education appears more as an add-on to lending, as a forgotten service next to microloans. To truly promote empowerment as an integral part of the microfinance movement, we believe that creating a comprehensive learning environment is a logical step to take.