·       Explain what kind of products, services and delivery channels will work in real life for a microfinance Institution.

·       Understand how to conduct a proper loan analysis.

·       Conduct effective site visit and assess the character of a borrower.

·       Be able to calculate a loan applicant’s cash flow.

·       Understand what poor people expect from savings providers and their savings products.

·       Understand what perquisites microfinance providers have to fulfil to take savings products.

·       Be able to mitigate or even rule out particular risks.

·       Understand the principles of financial and social performance in microfinance.

·       Analyse key financial and social performance indicators.

·       Understand the ethical foundations of risk governance in microfinance.

·       Recognize ethical dilemmas in risk management and decision-making.

·       Apply ethical principles to governance, compliance, credit, and operational risks.

Learning topics:

Module One: Microfinance – International Trends and Best Practice

• Microfinance Clients, who are they, what do they really need, how do they manage their finance?
• Where do Microfinance Institutions come from, what are their characteristics?
• Pros and Cons of different microfinance approaches?
• What are the trends, and how are Microfinances making use of them?

Module Two: Products and Services in Financial Inclusion

• Microcredit, Micro savings, and Microinsurance
• Mobile Money and Digital Payment Solutions
• SME Financing and Access to Capital
• Financial Literacy and Consumer Protection

Module 3: Loan Monitoring

• The loan monitoring cycle in microfinance
• The different lending methodologies
• The role of a Loan Officer in monitoring
• Daily/weekly/monthly monitoring schedules
• Site visits and client interviews
• Use of checklists and monitoring templates
• Digital tools and MIS for monitoring
• Group lending vs individual lending monitoring
• Reporting tools and formats for field staff and supervisors
• Portfolio review meetings and dashboard analysis
• Using loan monitoring data to inform lending decisions

Module Four: Delinquency Management and Recovery

• Strategies for follow-up and loan restructuring
• Collections and recovery planning
• Rescheduling vs refinancing: pros and cons
• Legal and ethical considerations

Module Four: Micro Savings

• Definition and importance of micro savings
• Role of micro savings in financial inclusion
• Principles of effective micro savings product design
• Types of micro savings products (voluntary, commitment savings, group savings)
• Innovations: digital wallets, mobile savings, incentives,
• Client segmentation (women, youth, rural poor, informal workers)
• Financial behaviours, needs, and challenges of low-income savers
• Barriers to savings and trust in financial institutions
• Interactive review of successful micro savings case studies (Grameen, M-PESA, Opportunity International)

Module Five: Ethics in Key Risk Areas

• Credit risk: fair lending, over-indebtedness, transparency with clients.
• Operational risk: internal controls, fraud prevention, whistleblowing.
• Compliance and reputational risk: regulatory ethics and social responsibility.
• Ethical risk assessment checklists and reporting mechanisms.
• Group discussion: Handling unethical conduct within a risk unit.

Module Six: Sales and Marketing in Microfinance

• Role of sales and marketing in MFIs
• Understanding the MFI target market: low-income, unbanked, underbanked
• Differences between commercial bank marketing and MFI marketing
• Challenges and opportunities in MFI sales
• Field-based selling and relationship management
• Community marketing, referrals, and word-of-mouth
• Use of digital tools (SMS, WhatsApp, social media)
• Financial literacy as a marketing tool
• Branding and positioning in the microfinance sector

Module Seven: Financial Performance Management

Key financial indicators:

• • Portfolio Quality (PAR, write-offs)
  • Profitability (ROA, ROE)
  • Operational Efficiency (cost per borrower, cost to income)
  • Sustainability (OSS, FSS)
• Benchmarks and trends in microfinance
• Financial risk and performance dashboards

Module Eight: Social Performance Management (SPM)

• What is SPM and why it matters
• Key SPM frameworks (e.g., SPI4, Universal Standards for SPM)
• Indicators of social performance:
  • Client protection principles
  • Outreach and inclusivity (poverty levels, gender, geography)
  • Impact and client outcomes

Module Nine: Human Resource Management

• Overview of human resource management (HRM)
• The role of HR in MFIs: operational vs. strategic functions
• HR challenges in microfinance
• HR’s impact on sustainability and service delivery
• Setting KPIs aligned to microfinance goals

• Workforce planning for MFIs
• Recruitment channels suitable for MFIs
• Understanding staff needs in the microfinance environment

Ethical issues in HRM