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Refugee Microfinance

 RefugeeWG photo by Lene Hansen edited            ToT in Brussels AG leading panel discussion final             
Photo credit: Lene Hansen, Syrian refugee clients of Al                                Amelia Greenberg leads a Training of Trainers in Brussels, Belgium.
Majmoua displaying their handicrafts in Aley branch, Lebanon.

SPTF Working Group on Microfinance for Refugees

The Social Performance Task Force, in partnership with the Livelihoods Unit of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is working to increase access to financial services for refugees. SPTF's working group identifies and shares innovative practice in the provision of financial services to refugees, while also increasining our sector's understanding of the financial needs of refugee populationss and dispelling misconceptions about them.

Case study

Read a case study written in 2015 on Al Majmoua, Lebanon: Serving Refugee Populations in Lebanon - Lessons Learned from a New Frontier

Guidelines

SPTF worked with independent consultant Lene Hansen to write guidelines for financial service providers on extending their services to refugees. This resource, called "Serving Refugee Populations: The Next Financial Inclusion Frontier," is available in English and Arabic. The guidelines present the sector's current understanding of best practices, and are divided into three main sections: 1) Refugees as a potential FSP market segment; 2) A framework for financial inclusion of refugees; and 3) Potential profitability drivers. 

Webinars - in English (see below for webinars in Arabic)

Webinar 1 (March 2017) - Sparkassenstiftung Project on Financial Inclusion of Syrian Refugees in Armenia
Recording
PowerPoint
Read the brief  

Webinar 2 (May 2017) - PerMicro and Microfinanza Srl share experience on financial inclusion of refugees in Italy
Recording
PowerPoint
Read the brief

Webinar 3 (July 2017) - Adie and Habitat share findings from a survey on the financial needs of refugees in Turkey
Recording
PowerPoint
Read the brief
Findings from Adia and Habitat 2017 survey on the financial needs of refugees in Turkey

Webinar 4 (7 December 2017) - UNCDF discusses its work to increase financial inclusion of refugees in camps in Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia
Recording
PowerPoint
Read the brief

Webinar 5 (13 December 2017) - GIZ and the Central Bank of Jordan discuss mobile wallet accounts for refugees and low-income Jordanians 
Recording
PowerPoint
Read the brief in English
Read the brief in Arabic

Webinar 6 (19 December 2017) - KIMS and ARC discuss their work to help returned refugees in Somalia secure their livelihoods
Recording
PowerPoint 
Read the brief

Webinars - in Arabic

The Microfinance Gateway has hosted webinars in Arabic on the topic of financial inclusion of refugees:

Training of Trainers

SPTF has developed materials for a two-day training on financial inclusion for refugee populations. Download the PowerPoint presentations for each module of the training here:

 Other Resources