Rapport de la conférence e-MFP : Inclusive Finance 2025

Pushing the frontiers of Impact: Sustainable Outcomes Management

One of the most anticipated sessions of IF25 was the deep dive into Sustainable Outcomes Management (SOM), led by Cécile Lapenu and Célia Fernandez. As the sector continues evolving from service delivery toward measuring and managing real outcomes, this session resonated strongly with practitioners and investors alike. Around 40 participants attended the Action Group meeting on November 12, where the Cerise+SPTF team presented the latest progress of the SOM Working Group.

Action Group Meeting Highlights:

• Gojo’s innovative use of financial diaries, offering granular insights into client behavior and resilience.
• Baobab’s Theory of Change and indicator combinations, a powerful illustration of how institutions can structure and standardize their impact logic.
• ADA sharing progress on its Gender Dashboard, supporting more precise equity analysis.
• VisionFund’s environmental approach, complemented by remarks from BNP Paribas’ Alain Levy, expressing intent to strengthen collaboration with VisionFund — a promising direction for future partnerships on talent development and environmental performance.
• The session also posed forward-looking questions about the role of AI, the increasing importance of dashboard-driven decision making, and how data systems can shape best practices in 2026 and beyond.

On November 14, Cécile Lapenu moderated a panel session to share the latest advancements from investors and FSPs in concrete outcomes management to secure customer protection, guide women empowerment, and focus on climate resilience. Approximately 60 participants attended the session, where speakers shared innovative practices and inspiring initiatives in collecting and using the voice of the clients to make informed decision for strategy and operations.

Panel Session Highlights:

• CGAP’s theoretical framework for Right-fit Impact Measurement and Management (IMM). “The question is not whether outcomes orientation is possible, but how far each organization can go given the situation at hand under the conditions in which it operates.” – Learn more: Towards Right-Fit IMM: Orienting Around Outcomes
• Advans’s approach to collecting client voices on outcomes, and how they increase reliability by using data from several sources: external studies with 60 Decibels, internal studies, and data collected from loan files.
• Oikocredit’s experience of end-client self-perception survey to understand changes in the lives of clients and make the data actionable – combining end-client survey and internal MIS data to gain deeper insights about products and take action at multiple levels.
• Munafa Social Microfinance (Sierra Leone) concrete experience with technical support from Entrepreneurs du Monde: Munafa developed a Theory of Change, linking activities to outcomes, and a set of social performance indicators to measure progress – with recently added environmental indicators. This example illustrates the combination of internal mechanisms and external evaluations, and step-by-step approach, adapted according to maturity.

Shining a light on a hidden issue: Financial Abuse of Women

A powerful and deeply human session was led by Amelia Greenberg, focusing on the financial abuse of women, a topic too often overlooked in financial inclusion. Drawing on a pilot in Benin with the Grameen Foundation, insights from Grameen’s 2025 playbook for financial service providers, and recent work by the IFC, the session emphasized the urgent need to design financial services that prioritize safety, dignity, and empowerment.

Highlights included:

• Designing “safety by default” features:
  • Safe contact persons identified by the woman
  • Data confidentiality
  • Option to refuse SMS if she does not control the phone
  • No unannounced household visits
  • Individual digital accounts for transfers
• Learning from international frameworks, including standards from the UK and Canada’s Financial Consumer Agency.
• The growing role of segmented outcomes data, by gender, sector (agriculture, trade, etc.), and family composition, to better identify risks, repayment burdens, and impacts on children.
• Clarifying household data dilemmas: balancing confidentiality with sound credit analysis. The recommended solution: ask women directly what information may be shared.

The discussion marked a crucial step toward stronger client protection frameworks that confront economic abuse as a systemic barrier to women’s financial autonomy.

Celebrating excellence: The European Microfinance Award 2025

One of IF25’s signature moments was the European Microfinance Award 2025, dedicated this year to “Building Resilience through Inclusive Insurance.”

As part of the Award Selection Committee, Deputy Director Amelia Greenberg reviewed 103 applications from 43 countries, helping narrow down the field to three outstanding finalists:

• Britam General Insurance (Kenya)
• DHAN Foundation (India)
• RADIANT YAKU Ltd. (Rwanda)

The winner RADIANT YAKU Ltd, a Rwandan organisation whose pioneering insurance solutions, earned the prestigious €100,000 prize.

This year’s award sent a clear message: as climate risks intensify and economic volatility grows, inclusive insurance is emerging as a cornerstone of resilience for underserved populations.

New global insights: Launch of a sector-wide survey by Cerise+SPTF & the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation

The week also marked the release of a new publication by Cerise+SPTF, the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, and the FIEC. Based on responses from 86 organisations across 58 countries, the report examines how reductions in international aid are reshaping strategies within the inclusive finance ecosystem.

The findings point to:

• Increased pressure on operational sustainability
• The need for stronger multi-stakeholder partnerships
• A renewed call for solidarity and shared vision across the global sector
• As funding landscapes shift, the report underscores the importance of resilience, adaptability, and collaborative leadership.

Beyond the sessions: The human side of Inclusive Finance

One of IF25’s defining features is that much of the conference’s energy happens outside the formal programme. Cerise+SPTF’s team highlighted the value of informal exchanges, partner breakfasts, impromptu roundtables, where trust is built, ideas are sparked, and new collaborations take root. These human connections are the backbone of inclusive finance. They remind us that the sector is more than methodologies, frameworks, or KPIs: it is a global community working toward a shared mission of equity, dignity, and empowerment.

Looking ahead

For Cerise+SPTF, IF25 was far more than a conference: it was a moment to recharge, refocus, and recommit. The conversations, connections, and commitments forged in Luxembourg will continue shaping how organisations worldwide design, fund, and deliver responsible finance. And as always, Cerise+SPTF remains at the forefront, guiding the sector toward impact, dignity, and sustainability.