WHO THIS PROGRAM IS FOR

The Boulder Microfinance Training is designed for experienced professionals working in financial inclusion who are responsible for strategy, decision-making, and institutional direction.

This program is for you if you:

• Hold a senior or decision-making role in a financial inclusion organization (e.g., CEO, COO, department head, program director, senior manager)
  
• Are responsible for client strategy, risk management, digital transformation, product design, or rural/agricultural finance
  
• Work in or with microfinance institutions, banks, cooperatives, networks, regulators, donors, or support organizations
  
• Value peer learning and exchanging perspectives with practitioners from diverse countries and institutional contexts
• Are looking to reflect, recalibrate, and strengthen decision-making

WHAT PARTICIPANTS GAIN

The Boulder Microfinance Training is designed to strengthen how senior professionals think, decide, and act in complex financial inclusion environments.

By the end of the program, participants will be better equipped to:

• Assess clients’ needs more clearly in digital contexts
  Understand how digital tools, data, and AI can support, rather than weaken, meaningful client relationships.
• Make more informed risk and resilience decisions
  Apply practical frameworks to manage institutional risk related to climate, crisis, digital transformation, and market volatility.
• Design and adapt financial products with the client in mind
  Improve product and service design using human-centered approaches grounded in real operational constraints.
• Strengthen digital and data informed decision-making
  Interpret and use data analytics to guide strategy, product performance, and organizational priorities.
• Address inclusion challenges with greater precision
  Engage more effectively with issues such as rural access, women’s financial inclusion, and underserved client segments.
• Navigate institutional change with greater confidence
  Reflect on leadership approaches, organizational culture, and change management in times of technological and social transition.
• Translate learning into actionable next steps
  Leave with concrete ideas, frameworks, and peer-tested perspectives that can be applied immediately within participants’ own institutions.

COURSES & FACULTY

How courses work at Boulder

The Boulder MFT is built around participant choice and applied discussion, not a fixed, linear curriculum.

Each participant designs a personal learning path by selecting courses aligned with their role, context, and institutional priorities.

• 4 Major Electives
  In-depth courses with extended discussion, cases, and peer exchange.
• 4 Minor Electives
  Shorter, focused sessions addressing specific tools, approaches, or challenges.

This structure allows participants to explore multiple perspectives while going deep where it matters most for their work.

What distinguishes Boulder courses

Boulder courses are designed around real institutional decision-making, not abstract frameworks.

Across all electives, participants can expect:

• Case-based discussion drawn from real organizations
• Comparison across countries, markets, and models
• Facilitated peer learning among senior practitioners
• Practical frameworks that can be adapted after the program

Courses emphasize judgment, trade-offs, and context, reflecting the realities leaders face in inclusive finance.

Faculty: practitioners first

Boulder faculty are selected for their direct experience in the field.

They include:

• Current and former executives
• Advisors to financial institutions and regulators
• Researchers closely connected to implementation
• Specialists working across regions and income segments

Faculty do not deliver scripted lectures.

Their role is to frame issues, guide discussion, and surface lessons from practice.

Interaction and access

• Faculty lead live sessions and moderated discussions.
• Participants engage directly during classes and informal moments throughout the two weeks.
• The residential format encourages ongoing exchange beyond scheduled sessions.

This design supports dialogue, reflection, and comparison, not one-way instruction.