We are pleased to share the article “Finance as a Bridge to Biodiversity Conservation”, authored by Elma Zukic, President of the Association of Microcredit Organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina – AMFI, and published in the professional magazine EKO Hercegovina.
The article reflects on MicroBalkans 2025 in Dubrovnik and highlights one of the conference’s key messages – that microfinance today plays a much broader role than simply providing access to finance.
By financing sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, energy efficiency, and the responsible use of natural resources, microfinance institutions can simultaneously support local entrepreneurs, job creation, and community development, while also contributing to the preservation of natural capital and biodiversity.
The article particularly emphasizes the importance of connecting financial institutions, local communities, international partners, and development organizations, as well as the need for financial mechanisms tailored to the specific needs of local communities.
This is precisely one of the values that MicroBalkans continues to build – connecting financial inclusion with the broader economic, social, and development challenges facing the Western Balkans.
And the story continues in Skopje.
Following Sarajevo 2024 and Dubrovnik 2025, MicroBalkans 2026 – Lending Reimagined will take place on 24–25 September 2026 in Skopje, focusing on the issues reshaping today’s financial sector: the role of non-bank lending, SME financing, digital lending, access to capital, regulatory developments, sustainable finance, and the future of financial inclusion.
As one of the co-organizers, AMFI continues to contribute to the development of the MicroBalkans platform as a space for regional dialogue, knowledge and experience exchange, and the creation of new partnerships.
24–25 September 2026
Holiday Inn Skopje, North Macedonia
Agenda: https://lnkd.in/ds7uQjgk
Registration: https://lnkd.in/dwruc2YV
