Knowledge Sharing - The Microfinance Center of Expertise

This case study is a part of a series published by CGAP to highlight important lessons and share innovative tools and approaches from specific organizations that can be replicated and used in other organizations. The Microfinance Center of Expertise (MCE), an initiative of the European Investment Bank (EIB), is discussed in this study. Created in 2008, the MCE acts as the knowledge-sharing platform for exchanging and capitalizing on experiences, best practices, and industry developments, both inside and outside Europe. The MCE consolidates in one forum all of the EIB Group’s knowledge and experience in microfinance. Operationally, the MCE also provides a forum to discuss projects in the pipeline across EIB and exchange lessons learned at the project level. Key recommendations to enhance the role of MCE include:

• Core resources should be allocated to the platform to increase the impact of activities;
• Dedicated secretariat should be created to take care of logistical matters around meeting schedules and membership;
• Budget allocation for the platform should be sufficient to conduct bank-wide trainings and knowledge-sharing activities, or to host other events;
• Meetings should be held at least three to four times per year to maintain interest and momentum.