Cooperative conversations: with Peter Ohligschläger of the Members’ Council
January 12 | 2021 We recently had a conversation with Peter Ohligschläger from Oikocredit’s West German Support Association, and one of the latest members of our Members’ Council (MC). He talks about what it means to be a members’ council, cooperative values such as hearing the voice of the members, and about his hopes for the MC and Oikocredit. full storyThis testing year has proved Oikocredit’s resilience, our partners’ courage and our investors’ trust
January 04 | 2021 Oikocredit’s Managing Director, Thos Gieskes, reflects on one of the most challenging years in our cooperative’s history and considers what 2021 may bring. full storyInterview: How Oikocredit supports small-scale cocoa producers in West Africa
December 23 | 2020 Cocoa farming is a key source of livelihoods in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. We interviewed Yves Komaclo, Oikocredit’s Investment Manager for West Africa, to catch up on Oikocredit’s support for the cocoa sector. full storyStichting Oikocredit International Share Foundation ceases its offering in Canada
December 22 | 2020 Stichting Oikocredit International Share Foundation (OISF) has ceased offering depository receipts in Canada. This means that investors in Canada will not be able to make additional investments. ... full story
€ 7 million to support smallholder cocoa producers in Côte d’Ivoire
December 17 | 2020 Oikocredit’s recent new loans will help with exporting the 2020-21 cocoa production for up to 35,000 smallholder farmers. full storyFlowers and meal deliveries: how Indians on low incomes use loans to grow
December 15 | 2020 Vaishadi Rahul Hingmire and Asha Ashok Bhoite are business owners and clients of Indian credit cooperative Annapurna Mahila Coop Credit Society. We look at how the two women have used loans for the benefit of their businesses and the people around them. full storyOikocredit expands its commitment to Mexican SMEs with investment in Aspiria
December 04 | 2020 Social impact investor Oikocredit has acquired a minority stake in Aspiria, an online SME lender in Mexico full storyWhy are SMEs important to Oikocredit?
November 25 | 2020 Hans Perk, Oikocredit’s Regional Director Africa and Global Agricultural Sector Specialist, talks here about the importance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and how Oikocredit supports them. full storyCall for Supervisory Board applications
November 23 | 2020 Oikocredit is seeking skilled and experienced individuals to be appointed to its Supervisory Board during its annual general meeting to be held in June 2021. full storyCooperative conversations: with Anita Clemons of the Members’ Council
November 18 | 2020 We recently had a conversation with Anita Clemons from the Presbyterian Foundation, one of the latest members of the Oikocredit Members’ Council (MC). She talks about what it means to be a members’ council, cooperative values such as transparency, about her hopes for the MC and the Oikocredit cooperative. full storyQ3 quarterly report: Maintaining stability
November 12 | 2020 Four times a year Oikocredit publishes key facts and figures on the previous quarter. Here we provide our investors and others with additional background context on developments during the third quarter of 2020. full storyMirjam ‘t Lam joins Oikocredit as Director of Finance & Risk
November 09 | 2020 Mirjam ‘t Lam is joining social impact investor and worldwide cooperative Oikocredit as Director of Finance & Risk, effective 16 November 2020. She joins Oikocredit from African investment company... full storyCelebrating 45 years of Oikocredit [video]
November 04 | 2020 Today, Oikocredit celebrates its 45th anniversary of a mission to invest in people on low incomes around the world. full storyDoes your investment portfolio have “the quan”?
November 02 | 2020 Eduard Walkers, Oikocredit Regional Director Latin America and Caribbean, looks at what is needed for sustainable development finance and takes inspiration from an unusual source: the film Jerry Maguire. He proposes a “quan” scale of investment levels and asks: does your investment portfolio have the quan? full storyOikocredit invests in Brazilian fintech BizCapital as part of a USD 15 million funding round
October 27 | 2020 Social impact investor Oikocredit has acquired a minority stake in BizCapital, a leading online SME lender in Brazil full storyHow Oikocredit is supporting smallholder farmers through the pandemic [video]
October 14 | 2020 In this short video you will see how with the help of our partner (Unocace) the Oikocredit solidarity fund is supporting cocoa farmers thorough the pandemic, and our partners are showered with gratitude and blessings. full storyOikocredit, Karongi and Muganza Kivu Tea Factories to produce two million high-quality tea seedlings in Rwanda
October 06 | 2020 Most of the funding for this project comes from investors from Oikocredit’s West German Support Association, showing yet again how close smallholder farmers are to Oikocredit investors’ hearts. full storyA stitch in time [video]
September 25 | 2020 Through partners like U&I Microfinance Bank, Oikocredit’s coronavirus solidarity fund is reaching those who most need it. Like Loice Nyambura, the owner of a small tailoring business in Nairobi, Kenya. full storyBehind the Impact Report 2020 [interview]
September 15 | 2020 We interviewed Kawien Ziedses des Plantes, Oikocredit’s Global Social Performance Specialist, to find out what’s behind the recently published Impact Report 2020. After 45 years, we still see Oikocredit’s sharp focus on end-clients and its determined drive for continuous improvement. full storyOikocredit launches its Impact Report 2020
September 08 | 2020 Oikocredit’s Impact Report is now live and ready for downloading. Our latest report showcases our social impact data from across all Oikocredit’s activities. full story[BLOG] Covid-19: a driving force for digital financial inclusion
September 04 | 2020 By Vincent van Dugteren, Global Financial Inclusion Sector Specialist full storyGroup lending: Cristiane and Helena show how it works
August 27 | 2020 A woman finds herself in crisis and is supported by another making a success of her business. In this story of solidarity amongst women you can discover how group lending works, and through our Brazilian partner BPCS, how Oikocredit serves hard to reach people. full story
Q2 quarterly report: Responding with resilience
August 20 | 2020 Four times a year Oikocredit publishes key facts and figures on the previous quarter. Here we provide our investors and others with additional background context on developments during the second quarter of 2020. full storyHow does Covid-19 affect our social performance and innovation work? [video]
August 14 | 2020 We interviewed Ging Ledesma, Oikocredit’s Director of Social Performance Innovation, to find out how the Covid-19 pandemic affects our social performance and innovation work. full storySPTF and CERISE take over Smart Campaign implementation resources
August 05 | 2020 After a decade of successful work in advancing principles for client protection, the Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI) announced that the Smart Campaign would come to an end. The implementation... full storyHow does Covid-19 impact on our investment operations? [video]
August 04 | 2020 We interviewed Bart van Eyk, Oikocredit’s Director of Investments to find out how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting our investment operations. full storyLaunch of CEO Forum for Oikocredit Partners in Africa
July 28 | 2020 CEOs with a dedication to continuous improvement, a passion for people and an appreciation of the extraordinary challenges of our time, came together online last week to launch Oikocredit’s forum for CEOs in Africa. The launch of this programme comes at a time when it is becoming evident that the situation brought on by Covid-19 is not something that will be resolved in a matter of a few months. full storyTHE WATER MAN – part 2 of 2
July 27 | 2020 Written by Elikanah Ng'ang'a, Social Performance & Capacity Building Officer - Oikocredit AfricaThe Water Man story tells of one man’s determination to bend the Covid-19 curve, and provides lessons for Oikocredit partners, staff and investors. In this second part of his blog, Elikanah shares examples of what our partners are doing to reduce the impact of Covid-19 on their end-clients. full story
Oikocredit invests USD 5 million in M-KOPA to support growth of solar energy in Africa
July 21 | 2020 With this loan, M-KOPA is able to provide electricity and mobile connections to 10,000 households in Africa full storyBlog: Could microfinance help prevent a health crisis from becoming an even greater food crisis?
July 16 | 2020 The United Nations (UN) recently published a report estimating that 130 million more people may face chronic hunger in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. full storySolidarity: the strength of our network
July 01 | 2020 In this interview we catch up with our Managing Director, Thos Gieskes, and our Director of Finance & Risk, Laura Pool, to reflect on the June annual general meeting (AGM). They talk about the decision to not pay a dividend for 2019, how Oikocredit supports its partners during the pandemic, and more. full storyLessening the Covid-19 impact today makes a big difference for the future [Interview]
June 30 | 2020 There has been huge interest from Oikocredit’s members and investors to know more about Oikocredit’s coronavirus solidarity fund. Here we interview Andrea Domínguez, Oikocredit’s Global Capacity Building Specialist, and find out more about the fund and how it might develop. full storyJoint Statement on Racial Justice from Oikocredit Canada and Oikocredit US
June 18 | 2020 Oikocredit Canada and Oikocredit US join our voices together to make it clear that Black Lives Matter. In an effort to be part of the solution, we commit to stand beside those who strive to be heard and seek to create a more just and equal society. full story
THE WATER MAN – part 1 of 2
June 18 | 2020 Written by Elikanah Ng'ang'a, Social Performance & Capacity Building Officer - Oikocredit AfricaThe Water Man story tells of one man’s determination to bend the Covid-19 curve, and provides lessons for Oikocredit partners, staff and investors. In this first part of his blog, Elikanah writes about how the Water Man inspired him and other Oikocredit staff in the Oikocredit office in Kenya. full story
Oikocredit exits its investment in Fairtrade chocolate company Divine Chocolate
June 17 | 2020 Social impact investor Oikocredit has supported Divine since 2006 as it expanded its footprint from the United Kingdom to the USA full storyOikocredit holds annual general meeting, members decide on dividend
June 15 | 2020 Last week the cooperative’s 44th annual general meeting (AGM) was held in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, with members and others participating through a web-based conferencing and electronic voting system. full storyMFIs Covid-19 awareness training
June 09 | 2020 Oikocredit is supporting its partners during the pandemic with several initiatives. Maanaveeya, Oikocredit’s subsidiary in India, worked with MicroSave Consulting who developed a pamphlet to promote awareness of Covid-19 for microfinance institutions (MFI) full storyVideo tour of Oikocredit’s work in Ghana
June 08 | 2020 A short video is now available to provide you with insight on the work of Oikocredit in Ghana. At a time of social distancing and with few people traveling, it is useful to remind ourselves of how useful our investors find these tours. full storyOikocredit and Kindred agree gradual winddown of GIC product offering
June 05 | 2020 After five years of successful partnership, Oikocredit and Kindred Credit Union have agreed to phase out their cooperation agreement, which saw Kindred offer Global Impact Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs) for investment in Oikocredit. full story
With Renewable Energy: an Interview with David ten Kroode
May 28 | 2020 In mid-2014 Oikocredit welcomed renewable energy (RE) financing expert, David ten Kroode, to build up and manage what was then a new sector for Oikocredit: financing RE projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We spoke with David, now RE Manager at Oikocredit, about the developments of the past five years and what the future may bring. full storyQuarterly report: Withstanding the crisis
May 25 | 2020 Four times a year Oikocredit publishes key facts and figures on the previous quarter. Here we provide our investors and others with additional background context. full story
Learning from Leaders: a Cup of Coffee with Dr Godwin Ehigiamusoe
May 11 | 2020 Challenging situations like the coronavirus require new thinking on many levels. Learning from Leaders, a Cup of Coffee with... is a new series of online encounters launched by Oikocredit International. full storyThe main thing is sustainability [interview]
May 08 | 2020 Aldo Risco Mejia is responsible for agriculture investments in northern South America at our Oikocredit office in Lima. We spoke with him about his practical experience of fair trade. full storyOikocredit revised its dividend proposal for 2019 from 1% to 0%.
May 06 | 2020 Social impact investor and worldwide cooperative Oikocredit has revised its dividend proposal for 2019 from 1% to 0%. full story
Oikocredit foundation creates coronavirus solidarity fund
May 05 | 2020 With more government measures in place to combat the spread of Covid-19, many small business in Africa, Asia and Latin America are struggling to find the means to comply with regulations. To support these businesses, Oikocredit’s foundation has launched a coronavirus solidarity fund. full storyChange to Oikocredit’s Managing Board
May 04 | 2020 Laura Pool, Director of Finance & Risk, has decided to leave Oikocredit for personal reasons to pursue a career change. She will continue in her position until the end of the year. full storyStichting Oikocredit International Share Foundation to Postpone Reporting Annual Financial Results Due to COVID-19 Related Delays
May 01 | 2020 Toronto, ON - April 29 2020 - Stichting Oikocredit International Share Foundation (the “Foundation”) announced today that due to delays to operations caused by the Covid-19 virus, it is relying on... full story
Oikocredit and other impact investors agree coronavirus coordination principles
May 01 | 2020 Leading microfinance and impact fund managers have signed an MoU for debt refinancing coordination principles, to support the sector during the Covid-19 pandemic. full storyCoffee, Cocoa, and the Coronavirus [Interview]
April 28 | 2020 We spoke with Hans Perk, Regional Director Africa and Global Agricultural Sector Specialist, about what is working and what is not in the coffee and cocoa supply chains. How can we better make these supply chains work for the poor and vulnerable post Covid-19? full storyImpact investors jointly commit to supporting low-income communities in Covid-19 crisis
April 14 | 2020 Together with other members of the Dutch Platform for Inclusive Finance (NpM) Oikocredit signed the Covid-19 Investor Statement, which has been issued by impact investors in emerging markets. full story