About the Conference

Lending Reimagined.

MicroBalkans is the premier lending conference for the Western Balkans. After Sarajevo (2024) and Dubrovnik (2025), the 2026 edition moves to Skopje under the theme Lending Reimagined — organized by the NBFI Group of North Macedonia at the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, together with the Western Balkans Alliance.

This year the conference takes a sharp practical turn. Instead of aspirational global fintech topics, MicroBalkans 26 confronts the real challenges and opportunities facing non-bank lenders in the region:

  • ·Why our industry matters
  • ·What’s actually working in digital lending
  • ·How to unlock SME credit
  • ·Where capital comes from
  • ·How to navigate the regulatory wave coming in 2027

~200 professionals from the lending ecosystem — non-bank lenders, regulators, investors, fintechs, and development finance institutions — from the Western Balkans, Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania.

The 2026 edition

What’s new in 2026

Practical Focus

Every panel grounded in Western Balkans market reality — not aspirational global fintech.

Focused Format

Every panel is 1 moderator + 3 panelists — depth over breadth.

Fireside Chats

Candid 1-on-1 conversations replacing formal keynotes, including a spotlight on women reshaping regional lending.

Interactive Lunch Tables

Themed tables with moderators — legal, product, collections, technology, strategy. Choose your peer group.

Interactive Workshop

Hands-on, vendor-neutral, problem-solving format on practical credit scoring with scarce data.

Innovation Expo

Live product demos during every coffee break.

Two Activity Options

Canyon Matka boat tour & nature walk, or Skopje Old Bazaar food & culture tour.

Organisation

Organizer & Co-organizers

MicroBalkans 26 is organized by the NBFI Group of North Macedonia at the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, together with co-organizers from across the Western Balkans Alliance.

Organiser

NBFI Group of North Macedonia

Group of Non-Banking Financial Companies within the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia

Co-organisers · Western Balkans Alliance

Association of Microfinance Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Association of Microfinance Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Albanian Microfinance Association

Albanian Microfinance Association

Albania

AMI

Association of Microfinance Institutions of Montenegro

Montenegro

Association of Microfinance Institutions of Kosovo

Association of Microfinance Institutions of Kosovo

Kosovo

CACU

Croatian Association of Credit Unions

Croatia