Social Inclusive Finance Technical Assistance (SIFTA)

Market Development and Capacity building for European Microfinance and Social Enterprise Finance Sectors

The European Investment Bank (EIB) under the InvestEU Advisory Hub reinforces the European Microfinance and Social Enterprise Finance sectors through market development activities, capacity-building services as well as rating, assessment and evaluation services. This is done through the Social Inclusive Finance Technical Assistance (SIFTA) project that has been implemented since July 2022. The technical assistance team responsible for market development activities and capacity building services, consists of a consortium led by the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and its partners, the Microfinance Centre and the European Microfinance Network. 

How We Do It

SIFTA provides support to microfinance and social enterprise finance providers through tailored training, workshops and webinars, peer-to-peer exchanges, and study visits on a wide range of topics related to financing micro and social enterprises. The project also delivers rating, assessment and evaluation services provided by MFR.

"An essential aspect of our strategy consists in a systematic understanding of trends and interaction with the European Microfinance and Social Enterprise Finance providers to, whenever possible, reorient our activities to match their needs." - Silke Müffelmann, SIFTA Team Leader

What We Bring Together

This new initiative arrives to bring continuity to the EaSI TA Programme in a much more challenging international scenario. Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and its partners bring together the good practices and lessons learned from the successful results achieved in the framework of the EaSI TA Programme implementation, with a flexible approach that provides tailored support to the European Microfinance and Social Enterprise Finance providers.

"Within the SIFTA Project, we orient our efforts to cover the whole European microfinance and social enterprise finance ecosystems. To do so, we develop strategic partnerships, to reach those providers that do not have access yet to supporting instruments such as SIFTA." - Sheryl Loh, Senior Project Manager, Frankfurt School

In the last two predecessor initiatives from 2015 - 2021 namely the EIB Joint Action to Support Microfinance Institutions in Europe (JASMINE) pilot project and EaSI Technical Assistance, we have amongst others provided trainings to more than 130 microfinance providers and organised events that reached out to almost 6,800 participants in the EU.

SIFTA Project News

If you are a target beneficiary and would like to apply for specific SIFTA services, please send an email to sifta@eib.org 

All participants need to confirm that they themselves as well as the institution that they represent are not the target of a sanction or restrictive measure imposed by the European Union in the terms as displayed in the following document.

Link here: Declaration Form Regarding Sanction Clause