Pursuant to a Call for Proposals in 2009, IDLO awarded six subgrants to former IDLO microfinance programme participants (“alumni”) with innovative ideas to promote financial inclusion in their respective countries. This laboratory is a means for IDLO to monitor and obtain new solutions to the legal challenges to providing financial services to marginalized populations.

ARGENTINA: Improving the legal and regulatory framework of the Argentine microfinance industry
IDLO is supporting the organization of four seminars for Argentine for civil servants who work on tax, regulatory, labor and investment issues related to the microfinance industry. The objective is to increase the visibility and provide a stronger voice to Argentine microfinance institutions.

CAMEROON: Legal capacity building for Microfinance institutions
IDLO is supporting the creation of a training curriculum specific to the regulatory framework for microfinance in Central Africa. Two high level seminars will also be hosted for microfinance institution staff in charge of legal compliance and reporting.

KENYA: Transactional legal clinic for micro-entrepreneurs
This project will establish a microfinance transactional legal clinic in concert with Kenyan law faculty and the Kenyan Law Students Association. The objective is to improve the structure of commercial transactions so as to reduce legal and business costs to micro entrepreneurs..

MAURITANIA: The regulatory challenges of microfinance activities in Mauritania
This project aims to reinforce the legal capacity of the microfinance institutions in Mauritania to implement the regulatory framework of 2007: supervision requirements, prudential regulations, reporting, accounting standards and transparency. The project includes a training program, the publication of guidebooks and the creation of a legal resource center.

PERU: Creation of a Microfinance Arbitration Committee within the Superior Council of Arbitration at the Chamber of Commerce of Huancayo
This project will introduce a voluntary mechanism to resolve disputes between microfinance institutions and their clients. This includes the drafting of a statutory structure for the proposed Microfinance Arbitration Court and its subsequent promotion. 

UGANDA: Microfinance legal aid and capacity building
This project aims to offer legal support to microfinance consumers in the form of legal aid as well as consumer protection awareness raising activities via public media, which are designed to enhance the public’s awareness of borrowers’ rights and obligations.