Let’s make 2025 more innovative, diverse, and greener!

@Kelly Sikkema

2024: What a Year!

As 2025 is already underway, we take a moment to reflect on MFC’s incredible journey in 2024 and extend our heartfelt gratitude to our partners and friends for empowering communities across Europe and Central Asia through sustainable finance.

We wish you resilience and success in the face of challenges this year. Together, let’s make 2025 more innovative, diverse, and greener!

Here are some standout highlights from MFC’s 2024:

  • 26th MFC Annual Conference in Krakow: Hosted 127 microfinance and social enterprise finance institutions, 12 microfinance national associations, 28 investors, 13 consultancies, 9 policymakers and regulators, and 5 IT and digital service providers from Europe and Central Asia.
  • Social Finance Vibe Virtual Conference: Attracted 422 participants from over 70 countries during an impactful 2-day event.
  • CEE Social Economy Forum in Vienna: For the first time, this forum gathered policymakers, ESF+ managing authorities, national promotional banks, microfinance and social finance providers, impact investors, and experts from the EC, EIB Group, and Council of Europe Development Bank. MFC proudly co-organized and played a pivotal role in this landmark event.
  • SIFTA Success: A very productive year with 40 events organized under the Social Inclusive Finance Technical Assistance (SIFTA) program, including 20 webinars and workshops, 20 tailored services, and 970 participants.
  • Transform Together Fund (TTF) Project: Partnered with Cerise+SPTF we granted 8 social finance organizations to support innovative projects in digital and green areas.
  • Advocacy Milestones: Strong representation at key events, including the European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks and Financiers’ Annual Conference in Ireland, and significant meetings with representatives of the European Commission (DG EMPL, DG NEAR, and DG ECFIN). These efforts, alongside partners like the European Microfinance Network and Social Economy Europe, furthered our mission for a fairer and more sustainable economic future.
  • The Way to Business Program: Successfully completed, enabling female refugees from Ukraine to start businesses or restart their careers in Poland.
  • Borrow Wisely and Microfinance for Youth Entrepreneurship Campaigns: Partnered with 19 microfinance organizations across 7 European markets, reaching over 1.5 million people through online and offline channels.
  • Representation at Partner Conferences: MFC played a strong role at the MicroBalkans and Azerbaijan Microfinance Association events.
  • European Microfinance Day Campaign: Culminated in Brussels with MFC’s representation by council members Martina Grigorova (SIS Credit, Bulgaria) and Elma Zukic (AMFI, Bosnia and Herzegovina), alongside Network and Partnership Manager, Pavol Kapsdorfer.
  • European Microfinance Week: Delivered impactful sessions on financial inclusion for refugees, showcasing MFC’s expertise and network.
  • Key Publications and Surveys: Released groundbreaking reports, including Microfinance in Europe: Survey Report (2023 Edition), Social Finance Trends 2024, Microfinance in the Caucasus and Central Asia: 2024 Edition, and Green Paper: Supporting Micro and Small Entrepreneurs for a Fair Green Transition.
  • Green Leadership: MFC’s CEO, Katarzyna Pawlak, joined the Barcelona Action Circle on Post-growth Finance as an expert in sustainable finance and microfinance.
  • Team Retreat: A reset and brainstorming session for the MFC team in Kowalewice.

2025: Let’s take small steps toward meaningful change, together!

#Microfinance #SocialEconomy #InclusiveFinance #SustainableDevelopment #MFC2024Highlights #BestMFCMoments #SIFTA