Microfinance is a tool for financial inclusion and aims at delivering appropriate and affordable financial services to populations formerly unserved. A wide range of financial service providers offers numerous products covering the need for safe saving, money transfer, insurance and credit. After a period of euphoria during the first decade of this century, the sector has faced several challenges in recent years which fostered new developments and research. Among them is the return to a focus on social performance and impact after a period of concentrating on the financial performance of microfinance institutions. Furthermore, innovative approaches to microfinance have been developed such as microfinance plus, green microfinance, islamic (micro-) finance. The seminar will focus on the theory of microfinance and its practical implementation in the field. It will cover current trends in the sector and research and discuss ongoing debates. Students will prepare a presentation and an essay. Furthermore, students will be provided with self-study elearning modules, to deepen their knowledge beyond the seminar. close