Deadline: 10-Apr-25
The European Microfinance Award 2025 highlights organisations that enable low-income and vulnerable people to build resilience and manage risk thanks to inclusive and effective insurance.
By focusing on “Building Resilience Through Inclusive Insurance,” this year’s award addresses the urgent need for structured risk management among these populations, who face numerous economic, health, and climate-related challenges. Promoting inclusive insurance helps individuals recover from shocks, build long-term resilience, and achieve sustainable economic security.
The European Microfinance Award (EMA) aims to recognize excellence and disseminate best practices for replication by others, by: rewarding outstanding achievements in inclusive finance and fostering the sharing of innovative practices to advance the sector. Each year, the award focuses on a specific theme, addressing critical areas such as climate change resilience, technology in financial inclusion, and women’s empowerment.
Award Benefits
- Winner
- €100,000 (one hundred thousand Euro)
- Winner’s Certificate
- Short video highlighting the winner’s programme produced at the organisers’ expense; it will be featured during the Award Ceremony and available online afterwards
- Two press releases (September and November), circulated worldwide
- Media coverage by the Award organisers’ partners as well as by media covering the Ceremony and the European Microfinance Week
- Attendance at the Award Ceremony with travel and lodging covered by the organisers, if applicable
- Two free registrations to the European Microfinance Week, one of the top events of the financial inclusion calendar
- Programme presented for the Award featured in communications and in the Award publication
- Finalists
- €10,000 (ten thousand Euro)
- Finalist’s Certificate
- Short video highlighting the finalist’s programme produced at the organisers’ expense; it will be featured during the Award Ceremony and available online afterwards
- One press release (September), circulated worldwide
- Media coverage by the Award organisers’ partners as well as by media covering the Ceremony and the European Microfinance Week
- Attendance at the Award Ceremony with travel and lodging covered by the organisers, if applicable
- Two free registrations to the European Microfinance Week, one of the top events of the financial inclusion calendar
- Programme presented for the Award featured in communications and in the Award publication
- Semi-Finalists
- Semi-finalist Certificate (electronic version)
- One press release (September), circulated worldwide
- Programme presented for the Award featured in the Award publication All applicants participating in Round 2 will receive a Certificate of Participation
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants are organisations working in the inclusive insurance sector. This includes, but is not exclusive to, (re)insurers, microfinance or other financial institutions, InsurTech companies, insurance agents/brokers or other entities that either directly provide insurance to vulnerable and low-income clients, or work with other partners that do so.
- Eligible organisations have to be based and operate in a Least Developed Country, Low Income Country, Lower Middle Income Country or an Upper Middle Income Country as defined by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) for ODA Recipients.
- Eligible applicants must have been fully operational for at least two years. At least one of the organisation’s insurance initiatives needs to have been operational for at least one year.
- Prior winners of the European Microfinance Award may not submit applications for projects or initiatives that are the same or similar to the one for which they previously won.
- Institutions that won the European Microfinance Award in 2020 or later are not eligible to apply in the 2025 edition.
For more information, visit European Microfinance Award.