31 Mar 2026
e-MFP member BNP Paribas’ Impact & Inclusion Accelerator has strengthened its commitment by placing financial and social inclusion and microfinance at the very heart of its action.
By Alain Levy, BNP Paribas.
The Positive Impact and Inclusion Business Accelerator designs and coordinates BNP Paribas’ impact investing and financing strategy, as well as its support for social inclusion, by developing an innovative range of products and services for impact‑driven entrepreneurs and actors of the social and solidarity economy (SSE). Since 2024, the scope of the Accelerator has expanded to include microfinance- a historical pillar of the Group’s financial inclusion efforts since 1989-thereby embedding the Group’s global impact approach for inclusion, innovation, and sustainable transformation.
Discover its activities in the second edition of its annual report
Microfinance: A Key Driver for Financial Inclusion
In 2024, BNP Paribas supported 25 microfinance institutions (MFIs) across 15 countries and 11 local currencies, with a total of €355.9 million in loans, resulting in indirect support to 660,224 micro-entrepreneurs. This financial support was complemented by 12,000 hours of skills-based volunteering by the Group Staff. Amongst the 29.6 million active beneficiaries of the MFIs supported by BNP Paribas, 98% are women and 92% live in rural areas, with an average loan size of €5,708. These figures highlight the priority placed on the economic empowerment of highly vulnerable populations, with 7.9 million hours of training and coaching delivered to create long-lasting improvements in beneficiaries’ lives.
For example, support to PNM (the largest MFI in Indonesia) materialized in 2024 through an IDR 800 billion loan (€45 million), a record amount for BNP Paribas’ inclusive finance activity. PNM supports over 14 million beneficiaries through financial education and entrepreneurship capacity-building programs, fostering the transition towards formal and sustainable micro-enterprises.
On the ground, operating models vary based on local contexts. In Europe, an average loan of €15,389 in the BNP Paribas portfolio reflects investment needs tied to cost of living. In Africa, the gap between €875 in Morocco and €177 in South Africa illustrates market disparities. In Asia, the high vulnerability of clients — 99% women and 93% rural — requires systems capable of operating at very large scale. In the Americas, the predominance of urban areas (99.7% of beneficiaries) needs formats adapted to metropolitan environments. These contrasts help guide action to ensure relevant and effective tools.
Innovating to Sustainably Transform Financial Inclusion
The report also highlights innovation, for example, Inclusive Sustainability-Linked Financing (ISLF+). Designed with another e-MFP member the JuST Institute, these financing instruments link financial or non-financial incentives to the achievement of social and environmental goals, while providing tailored technical assistance to support the MFI’s transformation towards more sustainable practices.
In 2024, four ISLF+ contracts were active, representing €73 million committed. Initial results are already tangible: 48% of MFIs report having a “green” loan portfolio and 40% assess environmental risks. Microfinance is thus becoming a driver of institutional transformation, aligning social inclusion with climate resilience and biodiversity protection.
The Accelerator also fosters innovation through outcome-based finance and impact investing.
Structuring Outcome-Based Tailored Financing for Disruptive Social Experiments:
Outcomes-based models such as impact bonds for example, allow experimental social programs to be pre-financed by private investors. These investors are repaid by public authorities only if the predefined impact objectives are achieved and verified by an independent evaluator. This innovative mechanism enables social operators to demonstrate the effectiveness of their model, while public authorities can integrate the lessons learned from the experiment into public policy design.
Since 2016, 28 of those Impact bonds have been structured by BNP Paribas, representing a total of €93 million.
In France, for example, the “Perseverance and Educational Ambition in Rural Areas” project led by Article 1 was completed in 2024. It generated an 18.4% increase in school persistence among 800 scholarship recipients in the agricultural sector. Based on these results, the Ministry of Agriculture decided to extend the program and roll it out in additional regions.
Impact Investing to Support Scale Up
The Accelerator also deploys a 200M€ envelope on the Group’s own account to invest in social and solidarity actions, local development, climate, and natural capital.
In 2024, €11.7 million were invested in six impact-driven companies, amongst which Ecod’air, Merci Julie, Klim, Meet My Mama or Blue Alliance, reflecting the ambition to combine social inclusion with environmental transition. Direct portfolio companies support 35,313 beneficiaries, while financed projects help avoid or sequester 172,230 tones of CO₂.
The Blue Finance Facility, launched with Blue Alliance, embodies this sectoral ambition. An initial $2.4 million commitment kick-starts financing dedicated to coral reef preservation, with targets of restoring 1.8 million hectares and enabling 110,000 people to benefit from sustainable local activities.
Measuring Impact to Better Assess the Actions Undertaken
To assess tangible and qualifiable impacts, the Accelerator relies on its inhouse methodology MESIS (Measurement and Monitoring of Societal Impact). This framework is based on 13 impact areas that are further divided 38 thematic sub-areas and features 400 indicators. This methodology can precisely categorize and measure the actions carried out by the Accelerator's partners based on the social and environmental issues they address.
In 2024, 324 organizations were financed in 39 countries, representing € 563 million in impact financing and investing. The outreach raised up to 2,415,128 beneficiaries, compared to 1,419,814 in 2023 — a 25% increase on a like-to-like basis, i.e. excluding microfinance. These Environmental indicators confirm the portfolio’s strength, with 252,492 tons of CO₂ avoided and 165,000 tons sequestered.
A shared ambition underpins all these activities: accelerating measurable impact where it is most needed and demonstrating that a rigorous financial approach can be a powerful engine for sustainable transformation. Find more about all these initiatives by clicking the report link here
Photos: BNP Paribas