Special Report of the African Inclusive Finance Week 2025
Building Inclusive & Innovative Financial Systems for All
This year, ADA hosted 2025 African Inclusive Finance Week (SAM) on 13-17 October in Nairobi, Kenya. The SAM conference is one of the biggest networking event in Africa, with more than 1,100 participants. Several members of the Cerise+SPTF team attended the conference, engaging in dynamic and fruitful discussions with inspiring actors from the inclusive finance ecosystem. Also, we took this opportunity to reconnect with long-standing partners and friends from the field.
Our huge congratulations to ADA for hosting such an important event. It was great to see so many partners, and we look forward to continuing our work with you to make finance more inclusive and responsible.
Training on Responsible Inclusive Finance
On October 13, as in any SAM conference, Cerise+SPTF offered a comprehensive full-day training session in English. Facilitated by Deputy Director Amelia Greenberg and Snezana Jovic, Head of Inclusive Finance, the session was a huge success with more than 80 participants!
This all-day training reviewed the fundamentals of Social and Environmental Performance Management (SEPM), starting with explaining the connection between SEPM and financial sustainability and then reviewing the comprehensive set of management practices that constitute responsible and inclusive finance, with a discussion of how these are similar and how they differ in an analog versus a digital context.
Participants learned how to use Cerise+SPTF assessment tools, i.e. the SPI social audit tools and the DFS Standards assessment tool. They were also introduced to Environmental Performance Management.
The facilitators also presented the e-learning courses on all those subjects for the participants who were interested to go further.
And finally, the training dived deeply into best practices in customer outcomes management with the practical experience shared by Arya Murali, Impact Lead at Gojo.
Innovation, Competitiveness, and Inclusion.
On October 15, Amelia Greenberg moderated a panel with speakers from Flow Global, Advans Côte d'Ivoire, BFA Global, and 4G Capital: “Balancing innovation & inclusion: staying competitive without losing the human touch”
Key Takeways (abstract):
- It is important to meet people where they are.
- Inclusion requires flexibility and ongoing evolution in methodologies used to reach customers; not everyone has the same needs or preferences, and the context changes over time
- When designing technology, think very hard about how your target customer will interact with it.
- In early markets, success depends on how well you anchor digital solutions in trusted human networks.
- Human touch manages confusion and dissatisfaction better than technology.
Disability Inclusion: A New Frontier for Inclusive Financial Systems.
As we collaborate with the Barrier Free Finance Initiative (BFFI) on integrating disability inclusion into the Universal Standards, we participated to the training held on October 16, facilitated by Paul Surreaux.
“Persons with disabilities represent 16% of the global population. Yet they remain among the most underserved when it comes to access to financial services. Addressing this issue is not only a matter of rights and equity, but also a powerful lever to access a new market among the most vulnerable, drive innovation, adapt to evolving legal frameworks, and build inclusive financial systems for all.”
The session delivered:
- Insight into the barriers persons with disabilities face in accessing financial services.
- Key enablers that drive increased financial inclusion of persons with disabilities.
- A clear understanding of the business case for disability inclusion, and how embracing
- an inclusive culture benefits all service users.
- Concrete strategies to start or strengthen disability inclusion within your organization
Building Trust: A Roadmap for a Successful Due Diligence Process.
On Friday, October 17, Cerise+SPTF was invited to co-facilitate the workshop proposed by ADA, BRS and Microfact: Objective: help FSPs gain practical insights to understand investors’ due diligence practices with experts from the field.
Cerise+SPTF and other experts from the field (Incofin Investment Management, and Banca Etica) presented the various facets of a due diligence process and why they are important: SEPM assessment, governance check and financial analysis.
Jarek Chuchla, Microfact Coordinator, BRS:
Together, we demonstrated that due diligence is far more than a formality — it’s a genuine opportunity to:
✅ showcase an institution’s strengths,
✅ anticipate investors’ expectations, and
✅ build the trust and transparency that sustain long-term partnerships.
Connecting with SEPM Pros and close partners
We were delighted to take the opportunities of SAM to meet with our SEPM Pros network members and close partners attending the conference.
In total, 8 SEPM Pros and 2 close partners joined our informal gathering.
The objective was to thank everyone for the incredible work accomplished in the field, and to enjoy informal discussions about our latest news, ongoing projects, and potential future collaborations. And of course, we made sure to have a great time together over a drink!
The Social and Environmental Performance Management Professionals Network (the SEPM Pros Network) brings together high-skilled practitioners to support financial service providers, impact investors and other related stakeholders in advancing their agendas and strategies in client protection and social and environmental performance management. All players can benefit from SEPM Pros’ expertise in many ways! ➡️ Learn more
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