Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are important engines of growth, jobs, and social cohesion. However, the creation, survival, and growth of SMEs are often hampered by access to finance. Thus, access to SME finance has become a key priority in developing and transition countries. Since the early nineties, the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management is combining advisory work, training, and policy advice with applied research. Our goal is to support financial institutions in developing and transition countries to establish good practices in Micro and SME finance. This online course, which is based on Frankfurt School’s broad experience in practical project work and theoretical business school education programs, is tailored to the needs of mid-level managers and loan officers active or interested in SME Finance.

This e-learning course was jointly developed by a team of experts from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Islamic Relief Worldwide, and the Humanitarian Academy for Development. This combination of expertise provides you with the opportunity to have a rich learning experience based on the broad knowledge of diverse, highly qualified professionals. The development of the "Certified Expert in Islamic Microfinance" was co-funded with UK aid from the UK government.

This e-learning course is developed and implemented jointly with the Frankfurt School - UNEP Collaborating Cente. The Paris Agreement marks the beginning of a new era with the focus shifting from finding a consensus on the common goals to realizing jointly agreed goals. “Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development” (Article 2 c of the Paris Agreement) will require a significant increase in funding – with new instruments and approaches required to mobilize a broad range of investors and to achieve scalability in financing climate action. Financing the global energy transition will be one key building block. Decreasing prices for renewables combined with increasing regulatory risk for traditional fossil fuels make Renewable Energy (RE) more competitive and attractive for commercial investors.

Biodiversity underpins life on Earth. Healthy ecosystems provide ecosystem services essential to human well-being and economic activities. Scientists estimate that one million of the world’s estimated 8 million species of plants and animals are on the verge of extinction, and this could curtail our ability to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

The Certified Real Estate Investment Analyst course provides you with perfect training for the interface between capital and real estate markets. Many instruments of fast, data-intensive Capital market analysis have long since found their way into the real estate industry.

Climate change presents a risk to the global economy and consequently the finance sector. However, it also presents an opportunity for innovative financing to increase the economic and social resilience to climate impacts. As facilitators of the economy, financial institutions have a central role in the transformation to low carbon and climate-resilient development. Their responsibility is twofold: greening their portfolios towards Paris compatible financing and investments, and reflecting and integrating climate-related risks into their risk management processes. This gradual process involves harmonizing short-term business cycles and investment horizons with systemic and long-term thinking by all actors from the financial sector (e.g. banks, asset managers, insurers, pension funds, investment consultants, regulators, rating agencies). This process is supported by public actors who moderate the structural change required for a transition to climate-resilient economies. This course provides the basics of finance and investment for assessing the financial viability of investments in adaptation projects. It clusters business models to provide an understanding of the parameters according to the project scale and, for example, revenue models, ownership structure, and value proposition, and will link to the financing perspective. Different investors and intermediaries have very different investment strategies, levels of risk appetite, return expectations, and investment horizons. Crowding in the right investor for a project is essential to ensure their long-term involvement and the required scale-up of investment volumes.

Corporate Governance is the system by which organizations are directed and controlled. It involves regulatory and market mechanisms, the relationships between an entity’s management, its board, its shareholders, and other stakeholders, as well as the goals for which the entity is governed. Corporate Governance, therefore, is about strategy as well as Risk Management. Compliance is a core function within a broader definition of risk management and control. Governance, Risk, and Compliance are very closely intertwined and are best presented in an integrated format in order to give business leaders the readily applicable tools to succeed.

The significant contribution that financial inclusion can make to achieving inclusive economic growth and the Sustainable Development Goals has gained global recognition. This course will provide you with relevant knowledge on the following key financial inclusion policy areas – proportionate application of global standards, consumer protection, the digital route to financial inclusion, national strategies, measuring the impact of financial inclusion.

Improved access to finance plays a significant role in the transformation of the food and agriculture sector. Farmers and agribusinesses need loans, insurance, leasing, and many other financial services to become more sustainable. Financial institutions seek qualified employees who understand the financial needs and dynamics in agricultural value chains.

Digital finance offers a transformational solution for financial inclusion. Powered by the mobile phone, new data, and technological innovations, it has become affordable and convenient for unbanked customers to access and use formal banking services. While new technological developments and financial players bring tremendous opportunities, the emerging landscape is also becoming more complex and is putting increasing pressure on traditional providers to go digital. In this course, you will learn about the emerging digital landscape as well as the new market participants and products that have disrupted the market. By taking the course, you will be enabled to successfully deploy digital technologies in your institution and leverage digital financial services (DFS) in your target markets.

Environment Social and Governance criteria (ESG) and Impact Investing have gained a lot of traction in recent years and will continue to do so in the (post-) Corona world. Calls for a green and socially equitable re-start are very prominent. The EU’s Green New Deal (“Green Deal”) and the UN`s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are good examples of how ESG criteria and ideas of Impact Investing are being incorporated into policy objectives. International development agencies have embraced ESG and impact criteria to guide investment decisions, as have many family offices, investment vehicles, and other institutional players, ranging from foundations and philanthropists to the private sector. ESG and Impact Investing are approaches to finance that are related to each other, although they may occupy different ends of the spectrum in terms of methodological intensity or operational mindset.

Reflecting sustainability criteria, especially climate change, in financial markets is increasingly gaining attention as opportunities and risks arising in this context are changing business practices. The course will prepare participants to understand major drivers and constraints of transforming the financial system into a more sustainable one. Furthermore, it will familiarize participants with the business, regulatory, and technical perspective of sustainable finance and will acquaint them to take an active part in the discussion around the topic. The course aims to enable financial professionals to integrate Sustainable Finance related aspects into their work through new knowledge and tools for advising their clients and business partners.