Day 2: Banco FIE represented by its president, Ximena Behoteguy, announced as the winner of the €100,000 European Microfinance Award. President of the EIB Werner Hoyer on stage with high jury members Sophie Sirtaine – CGAP, Carine Roenen, Fonkoze (2021 European Microfinance Award winner), Katharine Pulvermacher – InFiNe.lu, Denitsa Berkhoff – EIB, Franz Fayot – Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs. InFiNe.lu

Day 2: Banco FIE represented by its president, Ximena Behoteguy, announced as the winner of the €100,000 European Microfinance Award. President of the EIB Werner Hoyer on stage with high jury members Sophie Sirtaine – CGAP, Carine Roenen, Fonkoze (2021 European Microfinance Award winner), Katharine Pulvermacher – InFiNe.lu, Denitsa Berkhoff – EIB, Franz Fayot – Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs. InFiNe.lu

1 / 76
Day 2: Banco FIE represented by its president, Ximena Behoteguy, announced as the winner of the €100,000 European Microfinance Award. President of the EIB Werner Hoyer on stage with high jury members Sophie Sirtaine – CGAP, Carine Roenen, Fonkoze (2021 European Microfinance Award winner), Katharine Pulvermacher – InFiNe.lu, Denitsa Berkhoff – EIB, Franz Fayot – Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs. InFiNe.lu
Day 2: Banco FIE represented by its President, Ximena Behoteguy, on stage with members of the selection committee.   InFiNe.lu
Day 2: Banco FIE receiving the award from Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess and President of the High Jury with members of the selection committee on stage    InFiNe.lu
High Jury members (from left to right) Sophie Sirtaine – CGAP, Barbara Magnoni – EA Consultants, Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess and President of the High Jury, Franz Fayot – Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Denitsa Berkhoff – EIB, Carine Roenen, Fonkoze (2021 European Microfinance Award winner), Katharine Pulvermacher, InFiNe.lu. InFiNe.lu
Day 2: Banco FIE represented by its President, Ximena Behoteguy, receiving the award from Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess and President of the High Jury with members of the selection committee on stage    InFiNe.lu
Day 2: photos of the award ceremony InFiNe.lu

Bolivia's Banco FIE, represented by its by its president Ximena Behoteguy, was named the winner of the €100,000 European Microfinance Award at a ceremony organised at the European Investment Bank yesterday night 17 November.

Banco FIE, a Bolivian bank won the annual €100,000 European Microfinance Award over two other finalists: Colombia's Bancamía bank and Pakistan's Kashf Foundation. 88 organisations from 47 countries were in the run for the award this year, which forms part of the three day conference (16-18 November) taking place at the Abbaye de Neumünster in Luxembourg and online. For the first time since 2019, the conference is being held in person.

“The last two, online Microfinance Weeks were a learning experience and generally extremely well received, but there is no substitute for the rich discussion, opportunities for exchange and new connections made that you can only get in-person”, says Christoph Pausch, e-MFP’s Executive Secretary of e-MFP.

The European Microfinance Week is a platform for connecting the inclusive finance world with several sessions this year--interviews, panels, working groups and plenaries-- targeting a diverse range of topics from financial inclusion that works for women (the topic of the €100,000 European Microfinance Award), to green and climate-smart finance, digitalisation, social performance and impact and more.

Read also

Banco FIE was chosen by the selection committee “for its clear commitment to research into barriers facing women clients; a wide range of financial and non-financial products and services for women clients – including an established women-led financial education program; and, internally, an innovative business management model called Marca Magenta that aims at promoting inclusive leadership, women’s empowerment, violence prevention and access to equal opportunities,” Inclusive Finance Luxembourg asbl (InFiNe.lu) explained on their website.

The conference also includes 25 breakout sessions within the broader themes that cover topic areas “ranging from inclusive agri-insurance to women’s leadership, to regulation for funds, mobile money, biodiversity, Fintechs, MSME finance, refugees, WASH, and food security,” organisers of the conference European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) said in a statement. 

Approximately 500 registrations were recorded this year. 

Click  for the full programme and more information.