Winning the 2025 European Microfinance Award (EMA) was more than a milestone for Radiant Yacu and Rwanda. It showed that inclusive insurance was now at the centre of global discourse on resilience and financial inclusion. The 2025 EMA, themed “Building resilience through inclusive insurance”, marked the first time that the prize went to a specialised microinsurance provider, Radiant Yacu. It also marked the first and only time to date that all three finalists were members of the Microinsurance Network (MiN).
Why 2025 can be considered a turning point for the MiN
This moment was also significant for the Microinsurance Network (MiN). It highlighted that 2025 was the year when this growing recognition converged with the MiN’s strategy: stronger regional structures and a richer programme of member-driven activities. As part of its ongoing plan to grow its global presence, the MiN launched regional member meetings and increased member-led content. These changes were part of a need to cater to a more diverse and growing membership and to be closer to practitioners in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean (LATAC).
Box 1: Why regionalisation is central to the MiN’s strategy To continue its regionalisation plan, which was first launched in 2020, the MiN recruited new Regional Coordinators for Asia, Francophone Africa and LATAC, formalising a more decentralised way of working with members. Regionalisation is important for the Network because it can lead to quicker, context-sensitive responses: coordinators can identify promising practices, convene local actors around specific issues (for example, agricultural insurance or co-operative-based models) and ensure that regional priorities feed into MiN’s global workplan and advocacy. Over time, this is expected to strengthen national and regional ecosystems for inclusive insurance, rather than relying solely on global conventions, meetings and discussions. |
Membership growth and diversification
Membership is the core of any global industry association. For the MiN, growing its member base is seen as a mark of progress. By the end of 2025, the MiN’s institutional membership had grown from 108 to 123 organisations. This reflects a rising interest from insurers, intermediaries, regulators, development partners and civil society actors working on inclusive insurance. The share of members based in the three priority regions themselves increased.
This diversification is important and directly affects how the global microinsurance agenda is shaped: more voices from low- and middle-income countries are influencing debates on topics such as climate risk insurance, health and value-added services, and digital distribution. At the same time, new members have brought additional technical depth, knowledge on best practice and resources. This has helped to link local innovations to global policies and interests.
Building momentum in LATAC
Among the different regions, LATAC has emerged as the most active: members regularly engage in exchanges and discussions. In 2025, the MiN’s presence in the region deepened through the International Conference on Inclusive Insurance (ICII) 2025 in Quito and a dedicated regional member meeting held alongside the conference. The conference served as the launchpad of the regional version of the Landscape report, which was accompanied by the MiN’s annual data-driven plenary on microinsurance trends in the region.
The MiN also engaged in other regional events, such as the REDCAMIF Congress in Costa Rica. At each of these, the aim was to embed inclusive insurance more firmly within broader financial inclusion debates. For members, this translated into greater visibility for their initiatives, opportunities to form new partnerships with co-operatives, microfinance institutions and insurers, and more practice-oriented lessons on climate risk, health cover and digital channels.
Box 2: Highlighting data and member expertise on stage at ICII 2025 ICII 2025 in Quito was a significant moment for MiN’s knowledge agenda. There, the MiN launched its new interactive Landscape Data Hub and Resource Hub, which provides an easy platform for microinsurance stakeholders to explore historical trends, compare markets and extract insights by country, region or theme. Beyond this, the MiN and its members shaped the ICII programme through several topical sessions. The MiN was represented by 117 participants, with 46% of attending members participating as speakers. |
Ensuring representation at regional platforms in Africa and Asia
In Africa, the MiN held its first regional member meeting in Egypt. This was held alongside the country’s 4th Microinsurance Conference, which also doubled up as 10th Africa Regional Conference on Inclusive Insurance. In Asia, the MiN’s participation in the 2nd Global Cooperative Climate Forum in Malaysia focused on co-operative-led resilience initiatives. These events allowed regional insurers, regulators and distribution partners to share experiences, while engaging with international partners too.
Regional member meetings: New spaces for connection
In 2025, three Regional Member Meetings (RMMs) in Egypt, Quito and Luxembourg brought together about 100 participants from the global inclusive insurance ecosystem. These meetings offered structured spaces for peer-based learning, deal-making and cross-regional collaboration. Crucially for the MiN, the meetings allowed members to provide feedback on possible initiatives to consider for future activities.
2025 marked a full calendar of learning and engagement
Beyond conferences and member meetings, the MiN was involved in several other events. The Network organised and moderated around 20 online events last year. These included its “Learning from the Leaders” webinar and paper series with the ILO and the Generation Foundation, the MiN–Busara behavioural science series, and BPG-focused webinars on topics such as distribution, profitability and client value. The MiN also participated in about 15 in-person events, ranging from the Africa Insurance Organization’s conference to youth-focused forums and guidance sessions for the European Microfinance Award. The MiN also participated in about 15 in-person events, ranging from the Africa Insurance Organization’s conference to youth-focused forums and guidance sessions for the European Microfinance Award.
Core activities led to the launch of a new fund
The MiN’s core activities in 2025 continued to revolve around its Best Practice Groups (BPGs). These are working groups that are led by members, with support from the MiN, that focus on current issues affecting a particular area of microinsurance. The MiN’s other activities included a range of online learning sessions and targeted knowledge products guided by member priorities. To strengthen this work, the MiN launched a Best Practice Group Fund. So far, two initial projects have been approved: one on smallholder farmers and another on health and value-added services.
The BPG Fund is designed to allow members to move from discussion to actual application. Its objective is to support initiatives to test and document concrete solutions, and generate practical guidance for organisations facing related challenges. As results start to emerge later in 2026, many of these projects are expected to feed into case studies, webinars and other tools to respond to operational questions around pricing, partnerships, client value and impact.
Looking ahead: Why 2026 will be another action-packed year
The year ahead promises to include another packed agenda for the MiN’s members. With the Landscape on Microinsurance now released every two years, the next edition is scheduled to be launched in 2026. Members and other microinsurance players can expect to see a preview of the latest data at ICII 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda. Members can also expect even more tailored regional support, further development of the new Data Hub and Resource Hub, and additional member-led initiatives. These will include more activities at a regional level.
The MiN itselfwill continue to engage in a range of activities to demonstrate how inclusive insurance contributes to resilience in concrete and measurable ways. This includes preparing for the launch of the new strategy for 2027-2031 and solidifying its relationship with the Government of Luxembourg. The MiN will also continue to entrench its presence within the Luxembourg ecosystem. Overall, the aim will be to ensure that inclusive insurance continues to move from promising examples to systemic impact across markets.