Services
Ritmi offers Technical Assistance services to its members through several European and national funding instruments.
EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation
Starting with the 2007-2013 EU programming cycle, and more decisively during the 2014-2020 period, microfinance has received increasing attention from EU policy-makers. This has been reflected in the design and development of specific measures and instruments dedicated to supporting microfinance institutions in all member countries.
This recognition will also be confirmed in the next 2022-2028 programming cycle, making the sector’s ability to contribute effectively and efficiently to the fight against poverty and to the innovative development of employment opportunities for the most fragile and financially excluded populations now evident.
EASI programme: financial and non-financial instruments
The Employment and Social Innovation Programme (EaSI) is an EU-level financial instrument to promote a sustainable and quality level of employment, ensuring adequate and decent social welfare, combating social exclusion and poverty, and improving working conditions in line with the Europe 2030 strategy.
Under the EaSI, the EIF has been mandated by the European Commission to manage the following financial instruments
– EaSI Guarantee, to provide access to credit for social enterprises, micro-enterprises, and vulnerable groups.
– Business Development Service Pilot (under the EaSI Guarantee), in order to further strengthen the provision of BDS to refugees and migrants and thereby contribute to their financial and social inclusion.
– EaSI Capacity Building Investments, in order to build the capacity of microcredit and social finance operators.
RITMI, in cooperation with Microfinanza srl, participated in the implementation of the EASI TA programme in Italy. Between 2018 and 2022, about ten institutions received training and technical assistance on the most relevant and needed topics: from governance to management systems, from social performance to credit products, etc.
