Since its creation in 2008, the World Forum has already brought together more than 50,000 participants from all sectors and around the world. It calls on all actors of change to come together: businesses and social and solidarity economy actors, non-profit organizations, public bodies, financial actors, the scientific and innovation sector, citizen and youth networks, and the media.

Its programming is the result of collaborative work and reflects a wide range of expertise: environmental action, impact finance, the fight against inequality, youth mobilization, and international solidarity. A meeting place, the Forum is also a space where committed young people come to challenge decision-makers from all sides!

Today, the Forum strongly reaffirms its ambition: only by reconciling social, economic, and environmental issues will we be able to address the crises we are experiencing. Through some forty conferences and events, a wide range of stakeholders will share their expertise and best practices!

Among these stakeholders, the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation will be speaking on September 5th during a session on "How resilient is impact finance in the face of exogenous shocks? - Launch of the 2022 Impact Finance Barometer" with Philippe Guichandut, Director of Inclusive Finance Development.

To find out the program for the Convergences Forum 2022 and to register, Click here.

The Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation is continuing its financing in Central Asia with a new loan granted to a microfinance institution located in Kyrgyzstan, where it currently has three partners.

The Foundation has thus granted a new loan to the microfinance institution Salym Finance for an amount in local currency equivalent to 860,000 euros. Salym Finance is a microfinance institution whose objective is to support, develop, and improve the standard of living of populations by creating favorable financial conditions for economic development. The new loan granted by the Foundation will allow Salym to strengthen its impact by primarily supporting people with limited incomes who come from rural areas or urban peripheries. The institution offers various products to its clients: housing loans, consumer credit, agricultural credit, and business loans.

To date, Salym Finance has more than 17,000 clients, including 53% women and 71% clients living in rural areas.

It is worth noting that this financing was put in place during the first quarter of 2022, shortly before the start of the Ukrainian conflict.

More information about our partners here

During the first half of 2022, the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation continued its financing by granting four new loans in sub-Saharan Africa, a region in which it has 40 partners, representing 53% of the partners financed.

In Burkina Faso, the Foundation granted a new loan to the microfinance institution ACFIME for an amount in local currency equivalent to 457,000 euros. Created in 1992, ACFIME (Community Agency for Micro Enterprise Financing) is a microfinance institution whose mission is to offer financial and non-financial services adapted to promoters of micro and small businesses in urban and rural areas, particularly women, in order to improve their economic and social well-being. ACFIME contributes to bridging the gap not covered by large MFIs operating throughout the country. To date, the institution, which manages a portfolio of 2.3 million euros, has more than 23,000 clients, including 90% women. Only 9.4% of its clients are located in rural areas.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Foundation continues its support for the microfinance institution PAIDEK with the granting of a new loan for an amount in USD equivalent to 550,000 euros. PAIDEK is a microfinance institution present mainly in the Kivu region where it operates in both rural and urban areas. The institution participates, through its activity, in the revitalization of the economy, the reduction of poverty and the establishment of an economic fabric that can constitute a solid base for the development of the country. To date, PAIDEK has nearly 16,000 clients, mainly in urban areas. 55% of these clients are women.

In Niger, the Foundation also continues its support for the microfinance institution ACEP NE, partner since 2019, with a new loan in local currency equivalent to 762,000 euros. ACEP NE is a microfinance institution created in 2012 that manages loans and savings products for urban and peri-urban micro and small businesses rejected by the traditional banking system. ACEP is committed to contributing to the economic development of Niger by promoting the development of small local entrepreneurs. To date, the institution has nearly 4,000 active borrowers, including 30% women and 71% in rural areas.

Finally, in Zambia, the Foundation granted a new loan to the microfinance institution MLF Zambia in the equivalent of €500,000 in local currency. Established in 2008, the MicroLoan Zambia Foundation is a non-profit microfinance institution. Its primary focus is providing low-income women living in predominantly rural areas of Zambia's Eastern, Southern, and Central provinces with affordable business loans and training programs. As of June 2022, the institution has 33,948 clients, exclusively women living in rural areas.

More information about our partners here.

In May 2022, the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation became a member of the MFC (Microfinance Center).

The MFC is a social finance network that promotes equity, inclusion, equality, and responsible services. This Poland-based network brings together over 100 organizations in 36 countries across Europe and Central Asia, which together provide responsible microfinance services to nearly 2,000,000 low-income clients.

The MFC is also a large and diverse community of organizations interested in and practicing sustainable social finance. Thus, in partnership with its members—microfinance institutions, financial cooperatives, social finance banks, social investors, academic institutions, national and international support organizations and networks—the center seeks to ensure that financial services work effectively for people, communities, and the planet by adopting good sustainability practices and standards, knowledge sharing, advocacy, and networking in the Europe and Central Asia regions.

On June 29 and 30, the MFC held its 24th annual conference to explore the microfinance landscape and investment opportunities, key industry updates, and the latest approaches to gender, green finance, technology challenges, and the financial inclusion of refugees and migrants. The event welcomed more than 400 microfinance practitioners, policymakers, experts, investors, IT providers, and donors from 40 countries, including representatives from the Foundation.

With this partnership, the Foundation aims to develop new synergies and better impact the social economy and impact investments, particularly in the regions of Eastern Europe and Central Asia where the MFC operates through its network of partners.

To learn more about the MFC, Click here.