MEMI - Measuring Microfinance Impact in the EU

The Project «Measuring Microfinance Impact in the EU. Policy Recommendations for Financial and Social Inclusion (Memi)» is a three-year (2016-2019) research project which has been financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) Institute under the EIB University Research Sponsorship call for proposals on the «Impact of microfinance on financial and social inclusion in Europe». The project is supervised by the European Investment Fund (EIF).

The main aim of the research project is to assess the impact of microfinance and to compare it with welfare programmes designed by public institutions to sustain income and create job opportunities. The comparison focuses on the effectiveness in fostering financial and social inclusion in Europe.

We study this impact at the microeconomic level, by analysing territorial case studies where the two programmes coexist, and at the macroeconomic level, using country-level time series data. Aim of our research is to assess the impact of microfinance, compared to that of welfare programmes, on financial and social inclusion to establish which one ensures the higher social return.

The project seeks to provide policy makers with the evidence-based policy recommendations capable of strengthening further the role of microfinance as one of the strategic tools to obtain financial and social inclusion in the EU.