In June, the European Union offers several EaSI TA Programme events to raise awareness and update the european MFIs of opportunities across the microfinance field in Europe.

These are the upcoming events:

22 June 2022 - InvestEU: Boosting Social Investment in the EU

This EaSI Technical Assistance webinar will shed light on the legacy of the EaSI TA programme (2015-2020) and tackle interest in the emerging topic of social investments and support for the microfinance sector across the EU member state countries.

This webinar session will take place online on 22 June 2022 and foremost enlighten its participants on the InvestEU programme: latest updates and strands of support. 

InvestEU (2021-2027)entails the combination of support towards sustainable investments, innovation, and job creation across the EU Member States, including, under one roof, the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the EU programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) and 12 other former EU financial instruments. In this webinar, the EIF representatives will showcase the benefits of the new programme for the microfinance field and how it is to be implemented. 

Related information:

• Date: Wednesday, 22 June 2022, 14:00-15:30 (CET)
• Language: English

23 June 2022 - Digital Identity and opportunities for MFIs

This EaSI TA webinar, taking place on 23 June 2022, presents another prospect of opportunities for the European microfinance field – Digital Identity (ID).

On par with operating digital, many microcredit providers see IT inventions as challenging to accept and integrate into a technical grid of their business processes, rather than as a backing tool.

The rapid growth of online services and banking and finance ecosystems pushes microcredit providers to keep up with the market. However, due to a lack of capacities or knowledge, the smooth transition to digital on a prompt basis is not always feasible. One novel way out is the Digital Identity. 

In the scope of this webinar session, the invited experts and speakers will introduce the content behind the idea of digital ID and answer the most vibrant questions:

• How do sufficient digital ID systems support financial inclusion?
• What risks are related to digital ID and data breach or identity fraud?
• What are the most critical challenges in using digital ID in microfinance, and how can we overcome them? 

Related information:

• Date: Thursday, 23 June 2022, 10:00-12:00 (CET)
• Language: English

27 June 2022 - Capital for microfinance growth: which social, environmental and governance criteria are important for social investors?

This third EaSI TA June’s webinar tackling the topics of novel prospects and opportunities for the microfinance world dedicates the word to ESG - Environmental, Social, and Governance. The event is taking place online on 27 June 2022.

In the EU's policy context, sustainable finance is understood as finance to support economic growth while reducing pressures on the environment and taking into account social and governance criteria (ESG). Social considerations could refer to issues of inequality, inclusiveness, labour relations, investment in human capital and communities, as well as human rights issues.

The new ESG-related standards and regulations proposed by the Commission are akin to a new rulebook for capital markets. Social investors across the EU and MFIs as their investees can effectively contribute to the social dimension of the transition. This EaSI Technical Assistance webinar aims to raise awareness and enlighten its participants on how to approach the new standards with implications for the microfinance field. 

Related information:

• Date: Monday, 27 June2022, 10:00-12:00 (CET)
• Language: English

Other European microfinance providers, either selected as EaSI Technical Assistance beneficiaries or interested in applying for the programme can contact us to receive more information about these events, as well as to request the participation in or organisation of similar events.