In Europe today, most microfinance institutions (MFIs) below a certain operational scale are faced with immense difficulties coping with the demands of traditional investors. Simply put, these smaller MFIs do not have the capacity to deal with the complexity of the reporting process, the due diligence exercice, etc. Yet these actors are an essential link in the chain against financial exclusion, and often offer the highest social impact perspectives. With this unmet demand in mind, the European Microfinance Network has taken steps towards the creation of a new entity called ImpaktEU. The mission of this entity will be to bridge this investment gap by becoming a European Funds Managing Company, allowing it to channel the EU budget towards smaller structures. However, the mission of ImpaktEU will not be limited to the management of European funds. It will also include the leveraging of other public resources, the mobilisation of private investors, in short the diversification of the financial and non-financial offer available to microfinance institutions.

This think tank is therefore dedicated to the development of ImpaktEU. Set up for a period of two years, it is composed of members of the Board from both EMN and the Microfinance Centre (MFC), as well as the EMN Secretariat and a partner organisation, Inpulse. The think tank supervises the development of ImpaktEU, from the strategic to the operational level, in open collaboration with members from both the EMN and MFC networks, and with various stakeholders from the sector. The think tank reports regularly to the EMN Board.

For more information about ImpaktEU, please contact our Partnership Manager, Caroline Lentz (c.lentz@european-microfinance.org).