Throwback on the European Microfinance Week 2022 with InFine.lu,  

Throwback on the European Microfinance Week 2022 with InFine.lu,  

by Tom Pfeiffer, Chairman of InFiNe.lu

The 2022 European Microfinance Week 2022 (EMW) took place from the last 16th to the 18th of November in the heart of Luxembourg in the beautiful settings of Abbaye Neumünster after two years of virtual EMW. 

The European Microfinance Week is one of the top events in the financial inclusion calendar. It is renowned as a unique meeting point for all professionals working in the sector worldwide. With an outstanding program and prestigious speakers, this conference is widely recognized for its high-quality sessions and excellent networking opportunities.

As a sponsor and long-lasting supporter of the European Microfinance Week, we are proud at InFine.lu to have also sponsored the opening cocktail on the first day this year.  

As the new Chairman of InFiNe, I am also honoured to have made my first public speech as Chairman of InFiNe on the first day of this must-be event, gathering experts, consultants, investors, service providers, and project developers all contributing to making inclusive finance strive.

As per the 2022 Impact Finance Barometer, Microfinance improved growth in 2021 after a slowdown in 2020. In 2020 the growth was about 2%, while in 2021, it was up 11,8%. The incredible resilience of the inclusive finance sector can make us optimistic for the future, even during these times of war, pandemic and environmental crisis. 

And this remarkable resilience is at the heart of InFine.lu’s mission, aiming to stimulate financial inclusion as a key to poverty alleviation and empowerment of low-income groups.

InFiNe is a non for profit organisation that brings together public, private and civil society actors in inclusive finance, gathering a wide range of expertise characterised by the diversity of its members. We are very grateful that the Luxembourg Government supported the creation of InFiNe in 2014 and still supports us in promoting our members and inclusive finance. 

InFiNe’s vision is to create a society with universal access to quality and affordable financial services for everyone on a global level. We capitalise on Luxembourg’s leading position in the economic and development sector and bring together the public, private and civil society sectors to leverage the available expertise in Luxembourg to foster the development of inclusive finance worldwide. 

To achieve this objective, we represent our members in other inclusive finance fora, provide capacity building and disseminate knowledge and good practices through conferences and seminars. 

Despite the pandemic, which has slowed us down, we continue at InFine to follow our 2021 to 2026 strategic plan closely to achieve our objectives. 

I am also taking the opportunity of this carte blanche to thank Michel Maquil, who was the Chairman of InFiNe since 2014, for his valuable work and efforts since the creation of InFiNe. 

On my side, I will build on his work and ensure continuity in the development of InFiNe activities and the impact we want to create.

I want to also, on behalf of the entire InFine Network, congratulate Banco FIE and its President Ximena Behoteguy for winning the European Microfinance Award 2022 dedicated to Financial Inclusion that works for women, and co-organized by e-MPF, InFine and Luxembourg aid and development with the support of the EIB. 

The Bolivian bank, established in 2010, offers integrated financial solutions to the MSMEs to contribute to the construction of a sustainable, inclusive and equitable society, serving today 1,119,783 clients, of which 54% are women. Banco FIE has, at its core, integrated the gender focus in the overall product design to make its services easy to access for women. 

To know more about the European Microfinance Award 2022 : https://www.european-microfinance-award.com
To know more about InFine.lu: https://www.infine.lu