PANEL 1 – More than micro lending: client protection, non-financial services and socially responsible financing as the basis for success of the microcredit sector

As a part of the Panel 1 discussion, we will be talking about effects of micro lending in the light of their impact on business development and improvement of living conditions of microcredit users, with special focus on the methods of relevant data collection and their disclosure to the general public. 

The Panel 1 leader is Ms. Elma Čardaklija Bašić, Director of MCF Lok, while participants are: Ms. Ernadina Bajrović, M.Sc., Vice Governor of the Central Bank of BiH, Ms. Vanja Cico, Investment Manager at „Finance in Motion“– EFSE, Ms. Katarzyna Pawlak – Katarzyna, Executive Officer at the Microfinance Centre – MFC and Ms. Caroline Lentz, Deputy General Manager at the European Microfinance Network (EMN). 

Ms. Elma Čardaklija Bašić, Director of MCF Lok, is an economist with 16 years of experience in the branch. Since 2014, she has been the director of the micro credit foundation LOK. She possesses long term experience in business management and has well developed strategic competencies in the financial sector, whereas special emphasis is placed on interpersonal and organizational skills, followed by team management, finance management, responding to crisis situation, as well as legal standards regarding the financial sector.

Ms. Ernadina Bajrović, M.Sc., is the Vice Governor of the Central Bank of BiH and is in charge of the Administration and Finance Sector since 2013. She has been with CBBH ever since 1997. During this period, Ms. Bajrović was involved in the projects such as Convertible Mark introduction and release of this local currency into general circulation and payment system reforms in BiH, and was a member of the working group of the BiH financial sector related to EU negotiations, a member of the advisory group for the BiH Fiscal Council, manager of the EU Twining Light Project on strengthening the institutional capacities. She holds many certificates related to the management segment and an ISO certificate for quality manager. For more than 14 years, she has been holding senior management positions, e.g. head of HR department. 

Ms. Vanja Cico is the Investment Manager at „Finance in Motion“, an advisory company to the European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) and the Green for Growth Fund (GGF), thus also managing their technical support segment. She is in charge of the portfolio and technical support in Albania, BiH, Bulgaria, Croatia and Kosovo. Ms. Cico holds more than 10 years of experience in the financial sector and operations in banks, microcredit institutions and leasing companies. 

Ms. Katarzyna Pawlak – Katarzyna is the Executive Director of the Microfinance Centre (MFC) – leading network in Europe and Central Asia connecting inclusive financial organizations and professionals that all jointly serve more than 2 million microfinance clients. For more than 20 years, she has been working with the microfinance and financial inclusion sector. She has initiated a global fund for integration of social performance management that, over the period of seven years, received support of more than 50 networks worldwide. Ms. Pawlak-Katarzyna is a co-author of the MFC program of financial health that was expanded to the networks of local trainers in more than 20 countries. She is an expert in the field of standards of responsible financing, financial health, financial instruments of the EU and digitalization. 

Ms. Caroline Lentz is the Deputy General Manager of the European Microfinance Network (EMN). She is in charge of membership development and strengthening partnerships for EMN members. She has more than nine years of experience in EMN. Ms. Lentz possesses extensive experience in rendering services of capacities building and event creation. She was a part of the management group of the European Commission for the EU Code of Conduct. 

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