FINCA is a catalyst for economic growth and financial inclusion for the poor.
FINCA International was founded in 1984 on a radical notion: giving small loans to the poor has the power to transform entire communities in a sustainable way. After impacting tens of millions of lives with responsible financial services, we are widening our focus to catalyze further economic growth and alleviate poverty in underserved markets around the world. We remain boldly committed to market-based solutions, and are supporting the rise of social enterprises delivering basic service and financial innovation to help low-income families and communities achieve a better standard of living.
Promoting Financial Inclusion
Individuals living in the world’s most challenging economies have long been unbanked. They live without access to critical financial tools that enable progress toward healthier, more resilient and empowered lives.
FINCA International is the founder and majority-owner of 20 community-based microfinance institutions and banks across Africa, Eurasia, Latin America, the Middle East and South Asia. Through this global network, called FINCA Impact Finance, we are meeting the needs of previously unbanked clients. FINCA does so by providing access to financial services and enabling full participation in the economy for the world’s poor.
FINCA takes an innovative approach to microfinance, combining traditional branches with agency banking, alternative credit scoring and analytics, mobile wallets, point-of-service biometrics and the use of tablets. Together, these technologies help us reach and serve more clients in remote areas.
We have more than 30 years of experience trusting the poor. FINCA has shown that access to basic financial resources can transform lives, strengthen communities and alleviate poverty.
Enabling Access to Life-Enhancing Products
At FINCA, we know that the solutions to poverty are numerous and interconnected. Insufficient access to finance underpins many of the challenges faced by those living in poverty. In addition to financial services, low-income families have a right to high-quality products that help meet basic needs. These include solar lighting, clean cookstoves, water filters and much more.
To get these essential products to customers, FINCA International seeks to build global network of sustainable and scalable social enterprises. Microfinance is the original social enterprise and market-based solution to poverty. As a pioneer in microfinance, we know what it takes to scale a social enterprise and serve the poor responsibly. FINCA International has two key initiatives in social enterprise:
- BrightLife: A social enterprise providing last-mile distribution and end-user financing for basic service products, including solar home systems, improved cookstoves and water filtration devices. Through BrightLife, we pair access to finance with access to energy to create pathways to financial inclusion for the unbanked.
- FINCA Ventures: An impact investing initiative that provides patient capital and technical assistance to early-stage social enterprises. Through FINCA Ventures, we are supporting innovative solutions in energy, water/sanitation/hygiene (WASH), education, health, agriculture and financial technology (fintech).
FINCA International is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Washington, DC and registered in the State of New York (Tax ID: 13-3240109). Our revenue comes from the microfinance operations of FINCA Impact Finance, as well as from grants and donations, all of which are used to fund our work.
