Microfinance is a renowned albeit controversial solution for giving financial access to the unbanked, even if micro-transactions increase costs, limiting outreach potential. Economic and financial sustainability of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) is a prerequisite for widening a potentially unlimited clients’ base. Automation decreases costs, expanding the outreach potential and improving transparency and efficiency. Technological solutions range from branchless mobile banking to geo-localization of customers, digital/social networking for group lending, blockchain validation, big data, and artificial intelligence, up to “MicroFinTech” – FinTech applications adapted to microfinance. Financial inclusion has been identified as an enabler for 7 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Cross pollination of financial intermediaries is catalysed by digital platforms that act as a bridging node among multilayer networks where traditional banks, FinTechs, and MFIs interact.

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