FPM ASBL, the Financial Inclusion Fund in the DRC, is organising, on 25 June 2016, the 6th edition of the Access to Finance Forum (FAAF) at the Protestant University of the Congo (UPC). Low access to finance is one of the major constraints to the development of MSMEs in the DRC. And one of the main difficulties that MSMEs face when trying to access funding seems to be the lack of information and training. In addition, they face regulatory rigidities from state institutions (taxes, duties, legal provisions) in the face of which they are powerless.

In view of this situation, FPM ASBL wants to offer, as it does every year, a platform for exchange between MSMEs and financial institutions, in order to enable them to express themselves and solve their problems.

Holding the FAAF is in line with the mission of FPM, which is to contribute to poverty reduction in the DRC by promoting the development of a sustainable supply of financial services accessible to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and low-income households throughout the entire region. This event hosts at least 300 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) each year. The objective for this year is to reach a workforce of at least 400 entrepreneurs.

This sixth edition will also be marked by the official award of the King Baudouin Foundation’s Corporate Governance Prize in the DRC. This award recognizes a person from the business world for his or her outstanding career as a responsible entrepreneur.

Here are the different themes chosen for this new edition:

• “The four pillars of management as the cornerstone of the SME: people, products, markets and finance”,
• Banking agents: what opportunities for SMEs?Banking negotiation:
• Negotiate loan terms that maximize the profitability of your business

Work with your banker to ensure proper loan repayment planning