MicroBalkans 2026 – Lending Reimagined brought together more than 250 representatives of financial institutions, investors, fintech companies, regulators, development organizations and the business community from the Western Balkans and Europe in Skopje, creating a regional platform for dialogue, networking and practical solutions around one of the key challenges for business growth: access to finance. Held from 24–26 September 2026, the conference focused on how lending and financial services can become more accessible, innovative, digital and inclusive, with particular attention to SMEs and the “missing middle” – businesses that often struggle to access appropriate financing despite having significant growth potential.
The event demonstrated that improving access to finance requires much more than increasing the availability of traditional credit. Discussions addressed innovative lending models, alternative data and credit scoring, fintech solutions, digital onboarding, electronic identification and signatures, artificial intelligence, guarantee mechanisms, financial inclusion and new forms of cooperation between financial institutions, technology companies, investors and business-support organizations. A central message was that technology should make financing faster, simpler and more accessible, while innovation must be accompanied by responsible lending, consumer protection, transparency, data governance and trust.
A particularly important contribution came from the Enterprise Europe Network North Macedonia (EENOMA), with the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia playing an active role in connecting the conference agenda with the needs and opportunities of businesses. Through EENOMA, MicroBalkans 2026 strengthened links between companies, financial institutions, innovation ecosystems and European markets, highlighting that access to finance is closely connected with access to information, international partnerships, innovation and new markets. The conference also demonstrated the value of combining financial and business-support instruments so that companies can not only identify financing opportunities, but also improve their investment readiness, digital capabilities and international competitiveness.
The second major dimension of MicroBalkans 2026 was the growing interconnection between finance and digital transformation. Discussions highlighted that digitalization is increasingly becoming an enabler of access to finance, while digital readiness itself can influence a company’s ability to attract investment and use new financial instruments. The conference therefore connected financial-sector transformation with the broader digital transformation agenda, including artificial intelligence, digital identity, electronic signatures, digital platforms and the development of new digital skills. The involvement of EENOMA and the European Digital Innovation Hub DIGITMAK reinforced this integrated approach, linking financing opportunities with support for digital transformation and innovation.
The conference also underlined the importance of regional cooperation. For businesses across the Western Balkans, overcoming fragmented markets, regulatory differences and limited access to capital requires stronger cooperation between policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, technology providers, business organizations and European networks. MicroBalkans 2026 created space for this dialogue while moving the discussion beyond individual financial products toward the development of a more inclusive and trusted regional financial ecosystem.
The discussions at MicroBalkans 2026 reinforced a simple but important message: access to finance is not only a financial-sector issue – it is a competitiveness and growth issue for the wider economy. The future of lending in the Western Balkans will depend on how effectively finance, technology, innovation, responsible regulation and regional cooperation can work together.
In this context, MicroBalkans can be seen as a natural complement to platforms such as FINNO: while FINNO helps businesses identify financing and investment opportunities and connect with relevant partners, MicroBalkans brings together the wider ecosystem needed to rethink how lending itself can evolve.
Together, these initiatives can contribute to a stronger regional Access to Finance ecosystem – one in which financial institutions, businesses, investors, technology providers, business-support organizations and public stakeholders work more closely to turn financing needs and business ideas into investment, innovation and sustainable growth.
Through EENOMA, the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia and the N and its partners are helping strengthen these connections, create new opportunities for businesses and bring the Western Balkans closer to European markets and networks.
