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Microfinance provides an answer to low-income populations, making it possible for more people to get their start or bounce back, all while promoting social and financial integration and the economic success of the greatest number of people. These effects stem from financial products such as micro-credit, micro-savings, micro-insurance and micro-venture capital, but also from non-financial products such as personal coaching or business creation/development.

This chair arose out of the union between the Microfinance Institution (MFI) Créa-Sol’s desire to commit to the research and teaching of sustainable management and the expertise of the faculty members of Montpellier Business School (MBS). That is how we founded this partnership, aimed at sustaining the microfinance industry in developed countries.

The chair’s activities will be organised around three main axes:

– Academic research: with an empirical and theoretical approach, mobilising a network of multidisciplinary researchers from international academic institutions, reporting to Dr Anastasia COZARENCO, chair holder;

– Pedagogical support: within the framework of the “Specialised Master of Science in Responsible Finance: Through the chair, experts will share their experiences in financial inclusion, microfinance and social innovation and support the execution of responsible finance and social business projects. The chair’s topics will also be taught in the European Microfinance Programme at the Université Libre de Bruxelles [Free University of Brussels];

– International conferences, workshops and events: the chair is organising a lecture in March 2019 with Professor Muhammad YUNUS, Nobel Peace Prize winner and the father of microcredit and social business, along with the 6th European Research Conference on Microfinance in June 2019, in partnership with Université Paris-Dauphine [Paris-Dauphine University] and the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement [French National Research Institute for Development] (IRD).

The chair’s funds are dedicated to financing academic research, teaching, workshops, conferences and gatherings of international researchers from multiple disciplines, as well as professionals whose objective is to foster microfinance sustainability in developed countries.