Microfinance, EU Structural Funds and Capacity Building for Managing Authorities: A Comparative Analysis of European Convergence Regions

In recent years, the European Commission has attached increasing importance to the use of financial engineering instruments rather than traditional grant-based financing for the microcredit sector, considering these to be the most efficient option available. This book presents a study of capacity building and structural funds in public managing authorities for the microcredit sector. It presents two surveys to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the managing authorities' capacity building. The first survey investigates the authorities' need for and interests in capacity building activities, assessing the areas in which capacity building support is needed, and explores the different types of support offered. The second survey analyses the results of the microcredit and microfinance programming activity, investigating its target groups and other operational features. It examines the key monitoring and reporting issues involved in this activity, before analysing the regulatory framework of the microcredit and microfinance sector. This book presents an in-depth analysis of structural funds and their management by policy-makers in the European convergence regions. It explores the interests of managing authorities, microcredit institutions, operators and other financial intermediaries involved in microcredit programming activities, and offers some core strategic and operational recommendations for the use of structural funds in the microcredit sector.

Giovanni Nicola Pes is the Director of the Planning and Research Department at the National Italian Agency for Microcredit. He is also a Member of the fi-compass expert group (European Commission) and President of the Credit and European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) Committee of the L'Associazione Nazionale per lo Studio dei Problemi del Credito (ANSPC), Italy. He collaborates with several Universities as a lecturer. He is the former Director of the European Capacity Building Project for the Public Administration, and previously held office in the capacity of Manager and Consultant with several international organizations. He was Chief Editor of the Microcredit and Development Policies Observatory for the journal Microfinanza, and contributes articles to various specialized journals.

Pasqualina Porretta is Senior Lecturer of Banking and Finance at 'Sapienza' University of Rome, Italy, where she teaches risk management in banking and insurance, and derivatives. She is also a member of the academic board for the PhD in Management, Banking and Commodity Science at 'Sapienza' University of Rome. Her main research interests are risk measurement and management (credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk, counterparty risk), capital regulatory framework, financial derivatives, credit guarantee institutions and microcredit. She acts as a consultant and trainer for various financial intermediaries, microfinance institutions, public entities and consulting firms.