Microfinance
Follow our microfinance actions
20.07.2017 | Sustainable finance
MFIs (Microfinance institutions), which primarily fund microcredit through loans, need partners for their long-term development. BNP Paribas provides diversified tailor-made banking support in local currencies in order to avoid forex risk.
BNP Paribas grants loans of €0.5 - 10m to MFIs and mobilises its entire range of available solutions in response to their needs :
Thanks to PerMicro, Monica, Italian, and Pedro, Venezuelan, launched "El caminante", a food-truck dedicated to gluten-free kitchens in their two countries.
The Bank offers its employees and clients impact-investing savings products, which are partially invested in MFIs.
Through the impact-investing funds managed by BNP Paribas Asset Management, individuals including company employees, BNP Paribas Group staff and Bank clients, can contribute towards financing and developing microfinance in France and internationally.
At the end of 2016, impact-investing funds represented AUM of €1.4 billion. Further to the €18m invested in microfinance, €59m was invested in 18 impact-investing partners with a strong social and/or environmental impact in France.
The Group provides expertise for technical assistance missions on a voluntary basis. BNP Paribas also provides MFIs with contacts with specific training to help with their development.
Since 2007, BNP Paribas employees and retired staff members have been making their skills available to help microfinance players on a voluntary basis. Thanks to the relationship-building work undertaken by the Group, almost 20 MFI support assignments and 180 micro-entrepreneur guidance assignments were undertaken across 12 countries in 2016.
Since 2017, under the Group’s Leaders for Tomorrow talent strategy programme, BNP Paribas proposes its Leadership Talents to acquire social auditing skills and carry out a paired on-site assignment (during work time). The objective of the assignment is to assess the performance and social impact of MFIs in Europe, Africa and Asia and contribute towards developing individual and group leadership skills.
Experts from the Group CSR department work in close collaboration with local BNP Paribas teams to provide ongoing support for MFIs. They draw on support from other departments within the Bank, such as Risk Management. A specific credit policy, including a social performance assessment has also been established in close collaboration with this team.