Crown Princess Maxima Talks Microfinance in Hoorn

Holland’s future Queen spent Friday in the town of Hoorn located in the north of the country. There Crown Princess Maxima chatted about microfinance with a financing company and local entrepreneurs. That field is her speciality, as she’s a former banker with a degree in economics.

The Crown Princess met with Start Guide, the company that helps entrepreneurs get started by use of microfinance. She was accompanied by Frank Heemskerk, State Secretary of Economic Affairs. Maxima then met for over an hour with small business owners who had benefited from microfinance.

Microfinance in the Netherlands is for people with good business plans, but who need help in developing their plans or what a bank can not correct. With coaching and credit they get the chance to make good plans approved. Start Guide focuses on people who are threatened with unemployment, labor market starters and existing entrepreneurs who could use extra support.

It should be noted that Princess Maxima is a member of Holland’s Council of Microfinance.