Enfoque basado en los sistemas de mercado en Benín

Article in English below and French here.

Purpose of the Market Systems Approach

The Market Systems Approach is a coordinated, harmonized framework aimed at strengthening responsible inclusive finance. It brings together all the important stakeholders in a market: regulators, financial service providers, investors, professional associations, technical assistance networks (e.g., the SEPM Pros Network), and consumer groups to co-create and implement common standards and practices.

Its core objective is to ensure that:

  • Client Protection (CP) Standards,
  • Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risk management, and
  • Social and Environmental Performance Management (SEPM) Standards

…are widely understood, tailored to national realities, and put into practice.

The approach is specifically designed to avoid fragmented efforts, reduce overlap, and strengthen coherence by engaging all relevant actors in the ecosystem simultaneously.

Learn more on our approach

Implementation in Benin

Cerise+SPTF has been engaged in Benin for many years, supporting financial service providers, developing the capacity of local experts (SEPM Pros), co-financing audits and improvement initiatives via the Responsible Inclusive Finance Facility (RIFF), and collaborating with impact investors such as Regmifa, Oikocredit, or Incofin.

Today, a systematic and structured approach is being implemented through the following complementary initiatives:

1. ESG Project with 12 financial service providers
  • Strengthening knowledge and understanding of the ESG approach and criteria, and situate it in the national context .
  • Delivering audits, training, and technical assistance using SPI tools (ESG Risk) from Cerise+SPTF.
  • Designed to raise ESG awareness and improve risk management practices starting with developing environmental strategies and policies.
2. Capacity Building for National Supervisory Authority (Agence Nationale de Supervision des Systèmes Financiers Décentralisés - ANSSFD)
  • An intensive training program for 15 ANSSFD inspectors.
  • Including e-learning, coaching, and on-site audit accompaniment.
  • Focused on Client Protection and Social & Environmental Performance Management.
  • Tailored to meet the expectations and responsibilities of ANSSFD to check ESG, client and staff protection, with a recognized framework and adapted guidance to evaluate / report whether financial service providers are in compliance with regulation.
3. Development of a National SEPM Standards Framework
  • Identify and formalize common social and environmental standards specific to Benin:
    • Map the Universal Standards for SEPM and Client Protection with national and regional regulation, in particular the recent Law No. 2025-14 of July 2, 2025, regulating microfinance.
    • Consider how the Universal Standards might help to address ESG and environmental issues as opportunities to be pushed in the inclusive finance sector.
  • Enable national-level benchmarking, guidance, and evaluation.
  • Align local efforts with international best practices while remaining locally relevant.
  • Organize stakeholder workshops to develop action plans for standard incorporation, in collaboration with the national association, Consortium Alafia.
4. Development of Assessment and Monitoring Tools (Planned)
  • Goal: Create regulatory-aligned tools for monitoring compliance with SEPM and CP norms.
  • The central hub (Cerise+SPTF) leads tool development, while the regional hub, with local experts from Benin, members of the SEPM Pros Network, supports local adaptation and deployment.

Added Value of the Approach

With over two decades of experience, Cerise+SPTF brings:

  • Field-tested tools and methodologies.
  • Ongoing technical assistance and capacity-building, based on local expertise of the SEPM Pros Network, available and aware of the context and regulations.
  • A collaborative, systems-level perspective that aligns local efforts with international benchmarks.

By working across actors — from financial service providers to regulators—this approach supports systemic change that improves financial sector integrity and impact, particularly for vulnerable populations in Benin. In conjunction with other projects in Benin, this enables a robust systemic approach that addresses Benin's specific challenges while aligning with international standards and best practices for vulnerable populations.

“The last few months have accelerated the integration of SEPM and Client Protection Standards in Benin’s financial sector with innovative and revolutionary projects. With these projects, we are witnessing the establishment of the three pillars necessary for building a responsible inclusive finance sector in Benin : regulation and supervision for customer protection, standards and codes of conduct on client protection for the sector, and capacity building and financial literacy for customers. The common SEPM framework, currently being developed, will create specific standards and codes of conduct for the financial sector in Benin. More work remains to be done on customer financial literacy and capacity. I believe that with all these projects, we are on the right track to achieve this.”

Fonton Sylvestre HONVOU, SEPM Professional based in Benin.

These projects are supported by private investors and a range of donors: DAI/USAID, AFD, Swiss cooperation, ADA asbl and LuxDev/Luxembourg Aid and Development as part of the BEN005 project “Inclusive and Innovative Finance”.

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