On May 22, 2025, Barcelona became the European capital of microfinance by hosting the closing ceremony of the European Microfinance Network’s annual campaign. The event was co-organized by Fundació Autoocupació, MicroBank, and the European network itself.
Under the slogan “Changing the narrative: supporting local communities to generate global impact”, the event brought together some eighty representatives from social entities, public administrations, and organizations linked to microfinance.
Cristina González Viu, General Manager of MicroBank, explained that in 2024, 317.3 million euros in microcredits were granted to promote or consolidate entrepreneurial projects, an increase of 25.2% compared to the previous year. This activity enabled the launch of 23,253 new business initiatives across the country.
Georgios Papadakis, Executive Director of EMN, highlighted that microfinance has great transformative potential on a social scale. Along the same lines, Guillem Arís, Director of Fundació Autoocupació, stressed the importance of microcredits as a tool for generating employment and economic activity in local territories, especially among people with less access to traditional financing.
The entrepreneur Alex Martín Orós, a participant in the first edition of the La Llançadora program, also took part, sharing her testimony as the founder of the project The Shoot Room.
The event concluded with remarks from Jaume Baró Torres, Secretary of Business and Competitiveness of the Department of Business and Labour of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
