Two days. Seven panels. One regional industry, reimagined.

Opening Ceremony

Welcome address

President, Group of Non-Banking Financial Institutions, Economic Chamber of North Macedonia

Address

President of the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia

Address

Minister of Digital Transformation of North Macedonia

Address

Governor, National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia

Address

Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to North Macedonia

PANEL 1 — Why We Matter: The Role of Non-Bank Lending in the Western Balkans

A manifesto panel: making the case for why non-bank lenders are essential to the regional economy.

Financial inclusion gap

Who remains underserved by traditional financial services in the Western Balkans, and why?

SME access to credit

The missing middle between microloans and corporate banking

Banks & non-bank lenders

Not competitors but complementary — how partnership creates value

Employment & economic impact

What do non-bank lenders actually contribute?

Earning trust through transparency

How the industry builds its license to operate

Group Photo

All participants — in the main hall, immediately before the coffee break.

PANEL 2 — Digital Lending in Practice: What Actually Works in Our Markets

Honest conversation about digitization — what’s deployed, what flopped, what’s next.

Where are Western Balkans lenders really on the digital maturity curve? (spoiler: it’s not AI-first)

Loan origination systems

The backbone upgrades that actually moved the needle

Credit scoring with limited data

What works when you don’t have Open Banking?

Customer experience that converts

Application flows, approval speed, and where borrowers drop off

Build vs. buy vs. partner

Practical decisions for lenders with 10–50 employees

Keynote: Lending Reimagined — From Access to Finance to Sustainable Impact

Mobilising public and private capital for inclusive and sustainable growth in the Western Balkans

The Green Financing Facility

Development money and private participation behind SMEs and vulnerable households

Where non-bank lending meets the Sustainable Development Goals

PANEL 3 — SME Lending: Unlocking the Missing Middle

The opportunity: how non-bank lenders can unlock SME credit — a growing and underserved segment.

The SME credit gap in the Western Balkans

How big is it and why do banks walk away?

Agricultural SME lending

Financing rural economies and agribusiness across the region

Products that work

Invoice financing, revolving lines, merchant cash advance, POS lending

Scoring an SME without audited financials

Alternative data, cash flow analysis, industry benchmarks

Guarantee schemes & EU programs

EIF, EFSI, national development banks as risk-sharing partners

Financial inclusion & social impact

Practical case studies from the Western Balkans

Grant programs as a gateway

How NBFIs can help SMEs access EU and national grants

Financial Behavior — What Households and Companies Tell Us About Finance?

Where is financial pressure building? How does the gap between what people and businesses need, want and can afford shape their decisions? The challenge is turning fragmented financial behavior into actionable business insight. The opportunity is to understand these signals early and use them to identify unmet needs, rethink propositions and make smarter decisions.

Fireside Chat: The Five-Minute Loan — Fast, Frictionless, and Compliant?

In partnership with Evrotrust — a practical conversation about how digital identity, trusted consent, and electronic signatures can turn instant loan approval into a secure, verifiable, and enforceable lending journey.

What “fully digital lending” really means beyond an online application

And when frictionless onboarding becomes risky onboarding

How lenders can verify identity, capture valid consent, select the appropriate electronic signature, and preserve evidence — without negatively affecting conversion rates

What reusable digital identity, digital wallets, and eIDAS 2.0 will mean for lenders across the Western Balkans

PANEL 4 — Funding Growth: Where Does the Capital Come From?

The existential question for non-bank lenders: capitalization pathways beyond development finance.

The current funding landscape

How are Western Balkans lenders actually funded today?

Development finance dependency

What happens when concessional capital tightens or reprices?

Private equity, private credit and strategic capital

What are regional and international funds looking for in lending?

Institutional investors and impact funds

What do they need to see before writing a check?

Securitization and forward flow

Is the Western Balkans market ready? What’s the minimum scale?

Deposit-taking, bond issuance, P2P

Alternative regulatory pathways to funding

Day 1 Closing Remarks

Gala Dinner & Cultural Evening

Celebrating the spirit of the Balkans.

Traditional Macedonian cuisine and award-winning local wines

Live music and cultural performance

MicroBalkans Innovation Award 2026 ceremony

Networking in a relaxed, festive atmosphere

PANEL 5 — Building the Financial Framework: A Policy Dialogue

The view from the top: policymakers and regulators on the future of the sector — vision and partnership, not compliance checklists.

The role of non-bank lenders in financial stability and inclusion

A policy perspective

What a healthy non-bank lending sector looks like in 2030

The policymakers’ vision

Balancing innovation and consumer protection

Where to draw the line

Cross-border lending and supervision

Challenges in a fragmented region

What policymakers need from the industry

Data, dialogue, and self-regulation

Spotlight: AMFI BiH & AMA in partnership with Habitat for Humanity International

Launching the first joint campaign of the Western Balkans Alliance. The Balkans has the institutions, the clients, and the need. What it hasn’t had — until now — is a coordinated campaign on household energy management. The July 2026 pilot in Bosnia and Herzegovina changed that. Forty minutes of field evidence and an open invitation to scale it regionally.

PANEL 6 — The Rules Are Changing: What’s Coming in 2027

From vision to obligation: the concrete rules landing on lenders’ desks — deadlines, requirements, and what to do now to be ready.

CCD II (November 2026)

What changes for non-bank lenders in EU-aspirant countries?

EU AI Act (August 2026)

Impact on automated credit decisioning and scoring models

APR caps tightening across the region

Country-by-country status and business model impact

eIDAS 2.0 digital identity wallet

Opportunity or threat for current onboarding?

Compliance cost reality

What’s the investment, who can afford it, who gets squeezed out?

Digital Macedonia & the Future of Financial Services

North Macedonia’s digital agenda and the DigitMAK project, with the Minister of Digital Transformation.

North Macedonia’s digital strategy and e-government roadmap

The DigitMAK project

Accelerating the country’s digital transformation

Digital identity, AI and e-signatures

How the new trends shape the business environment and economic growth

How digitalization creates opportunity for businesses, fintech and non-bank lenders

Fireside Chat: Receivables as an Asset, Not a Burden

A conversation with the founder of ODM Collections, an independent credit servicer and NPL investor operating across six Western Balkans jurisdictions, on treating overdue receivables as a portfolio to be managed and valued rather than a cost to be written off.

PANEL 7 — The Other Half of Lending: Collections, Recovery & the Customer Relationship

The part of lending nobody talks about at conferences — but everyone deals with every day.

Digital collections

What automation actually works: reminders, payment links, self-service restructuring

Outsource vs. in-house

When to use a debt agency and when to keep it internal

Collections as customer retention

How you collect determines whether you keep the client

NPL portfolio management

Hold, restructure, or sell? Decision frameworks for Western Balkans lenders

The regulatory pressure on collection practices

What’s tightening and where

Fireside Chat: Women Reshaping Lending in the Balkans

A conversation with female leaders who are driving change in the regional lending industry.

Breaking through in a male-dominated industry

Personal stories and practical advice

Leadership styles that build stronger lending businesses

Mentorship, pipeline, and what the industry can do to attract more women

CEO Roundtable: What Keeps You Up at Night?

Unscripted conversation with 3–4 CEOs from leading regional lenders.

Talent

Where do you find people who understand both lending and technology?

The bank threat

Are banks finally waking up to the segments we serve?

What would you do differently if you started your company today?

Closing Ceremony: From Ideas to Action

Key takeaways from both conference days

MicroBalkans Alliance commitments for 2026–2027

MicroBalkans 27 location reveal

Closing address by the President of the Group of Non-Banking Financial Institutions

Farewell Lunch

Final networking over local cuisine before afternoon activities.

Optional: Skopje Old Bazaar — Food & Culture Tour

Pre-registration required. Walking tour, about two hours.

Guided tour of the historic bazaar with local food tastings

Artisan workshops, spice shops, and Kale Fortress panoramic views

Ideal for those with evening flights