News

USD 26.5 million to bridge energy gaps in sub-Saharan Africa

bill clinton screenshot.pngOctober 03 | 2023 Oikocredit will invest USD 26.5 million towards renewable energy infrastructure in sub-Saharan African communities over the next four years. The funds will go towards energy generating assets and productive use equipment. full story

How impact investing empowers women: Interview with Oikocredit’s Adama Bah

Adama Bah by GENEVIÈVE CHASSÉ portraits.jpgSeptember 27 | 2023 As we publish Oikocredit’s 2023 Impact Report, Adama Bah, Social Performance Analyst at Oikocredit, shares her insights on women’s leadership and gender diversity in impact investing. full story

Oikocredit Impact Report 2023 indicates we are making a difference at scale

CID-BO-061 (1).jpgSeptember 20 | 2023 Most comprehensive impact statement to date reports on UN Sustainable Development Goals, capacity building, carbon footprint and more. full story

Financial inclusion: How does Oikocredit select its partners?

Picture2 news item.jpgSeptember 14 | 2023 Globally, 1.4 billion adults lack access to basic financial services, with the majority being women. Financial inclusion aims to create opportunities for this group of unbanked individuals. full story

Introducing an update to Oikocredit’s Participation Terms

AGM-2019-17.jpgSeptember 01 | 2023 Oikocredit is updating the terms and conditions that govern investments to reflect the cooperative's new capital-raising model. The update will come into effect on 1 October 2023. full story

Supporting Peruvian MSEs through digital lending

prestamype logo.pngAugust 24 | 2023 Oikocredit joins US$ 5 million Pre-Series A round into Peruvian financial technology company (fintech) Prestamype to support micro and small businesses in Peru. full story

Q2 2023 quarterly report: Results holding up in a challenging context

NORTE-PY-72.jpgAugust 23 | 2023 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 2023. full story

Financial inclusion – what is a fair interest rate?

IR article pic 2.jpgAugust 17 | 2023 When it comes to microlending to vulnerable communities, the question of interest rates often arises. Are the rates that borrowers pay to the lenders fair? full story

Oikocredit, IDB Invest and Cooperativa Jardín Azuayo announce groundbreaking diversity and inclusion social bond

Event IDB-JardinAzuayo.jpgAugust 01 | 2023 Combined US$ 20 million investment will increase the Ecuadorian savings and credit cooperative’s services for women and low-income entrepreneurs. full story

Oikocredit invests in Witti Finances to support financial inclusion in Côte d’Ivoire

witti logo1.pngJuly 31 | 2023 Oikocredit’s € 3 million loan will enable the Ivorian microfinance institution to expand and enhance its financial services. full story

New Oikocredit loan helps light up about 40,000 homes in Côte d'Ivoire

Baobab_Plus_Logo_FullColour_Transparent_RGB.pngJuly 27 | 2023 Social enterprise Baobab+ Côte d’Ivoire will expand access to renewable energy and digital products in Africa, with € 1.2 million in new funding from Oikocredit full story

New partnership improves finance for water and sanitation in Cambodia

Chamroeun Microfinance.pngJuly 18 | 2023 Oikocredit and Aqua for All are partnering to support Chamroeun Microfinance to develop a loan portfolio for private water operators in Cambodia. This blended finance agreement will help increase the much-needed flow of private capital and accelerate access to water and sanitation in Cambodia’s low-income communities. full story

Oikocredit Live: Combatting Climate Change with Sustainable Solutions for Low-Income Communities

3N5A6926 © Burn.jpgJuly 10 | 2023 The second edition of the Oikocredit Live event series, held on 13 June 2023, turned the spotlight on the pressing issue of climate change and its profound impact on low-income communities. The event featured two Oikocredit partners: Norandino, a cooperative based in Peru that supports sustainable agriculture, and BURN, a Kenya-based organisation that designs, manufactures, and distributes fuel-efficient cooking products. full story

Oikocredit leads US$ 2.5 million extension funding round for Uruguayan fintech partner Bankingly

bankingly logo.pngJune 29 | 2023 This follow-on equity investment reinforces Oikocredit’s commitment to support digital financial services in emerging markets.  Social impact investor Oikocredit has invested US$1.5 million in a ... full story

How impact investing can bridge the MSME funding gap

The Oikocredit Brazil team.jpgJune 27 | 2023 Micro, small and medium enterprises are essential to the global economy, but they can’t access financial services easily. Here we look at their importance and at how Oikocredit and other impact investors are stepping in to address the problem. full story

Oikocredit and Ueno join forces to promote Paraguayan women’s empowerment

Logo 1 Ueno.pngJune 22 | 2023 € 4.5 million Oikocredit loan will support women-led micro, small and medium enterprises in Paraguay full story

Oikocredit holds 47th annual general meeting

Annual General Meeting.pngJune 16 | 2023 On 9 June 2023, Oikocredit convened its annual general meeting (AGM) in Amersfoort, the Netherlands. Members, member representatives and others joined the meeting in person and virtually from various locations via a virtual conferencing platform and employed an electronic voting mechanism. full story

Unaitas: 30 years of impact investing for success

Logo Unaitas.jfifJune 15 | 2023 Longstanding Oikocredit partner Unaitas has helped more than 5,000 small and medium businesses and over 50,000 individuals in agriculture and other sectors since the coronavirus outbreak. As they celebrate 30 years of impact investing, we celebrate their story. full story

Enhancing our mission: Mirjam 't Lam on the new way to invest

Mirjam 't Lam.jpgJune 12 | 2023 Oikocredit recently introduced a new capital-raising model in most of the countries where it attracts investments. The new model allows any eligible individual or organisation to invest directly in the cooperative. Oikocredit's Managing Director, Mirjam 't Lam, shares her insight on how the cooperative's new capital-raising model came to be. full story

Cultivating Prosperity: Kyazanga Farmers' Cooperative Society Leverages IFIL Loan for Substantial Growth

1589_Number 2.jpgJune 07 | 2023 In the heart of Uganda, a thriving agricultural cooperative not only cultivates maize, beans, and coffee but also reaps a bountiful harvest of success. full story

Q1 2023 quarterly report: A positive start to the year

CAU-SN-070.jpgMay 31 | 2023 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 first quarter of 2023. full story

Oikocredit Live: Combatting Climate Change.

NORAN-PE-22 © Nicolas Villaume.jpgMay 25 | 2023 An online event with Norandino and BURN on 13 June 2023

Climate change is having a profound impact on agriculture. Smallholder coffee and cocoa farmers face challenges such as droughts, floods, and diseases affecting their crops. What can farmers do to adapt to these changes? And can our partner organisations in the renewable energy sector help mitigate the effects of climate change? full story

Adama Bah: When women lead, business performance improves

Adama Bah by GENEVIÈVE CHASSÉ portraits.jpgMay 23 | 2023 Oikocredit’s work in promoting gender diversity and women’s leadership is in the spotlight. FinDev Gateway, a knowledge platform for the global financial inclusion community, interviewed our Social Performance Analyst Adama Bah recently. full story

Oikocredit updates NAV calculation

May 22 | 2023 New NAV metric ensures all investor participations are treated equally, regardless of currency. full story

Cafédirect CEO: How Fairtrade creates a better life for farmers and a better cup of coffee for you

_MG_7216.jpgMay 12 | 2023 From bananas and flowers, coffee and wine, to textile and composites, you see the Fairtrade label on a wide range of products today. Buying Fairtrade directly improves farmer’s lives around the world even as volatile prices and climate change threatens their livelihoods, John Steel, CEO of the alternative trading coffee company Cafédirect, told us ahead of World Fairtrade Day this week. full story

Oikocredit invites members to AGM on June 9 in Amersfoort

Annual General Meeting.pngMay 09 | 2023 Hybrid Annual General Meeting format for 2023 will support equal participation opportunities for all members. full story

Award-winning Fonkoze brings healthcare and hope to low-income Haitian communities

Fonkoze logo.jpgMay 04 | 2023 Oikocredit’s award-winning Haitian microfinance partner Fonkoze is using its European Microfinance Award prize money to step up its community healthcare services in some of the most isolated parts of rural Haiti. full story

Oikocredit Live: how do digital surveys measure social impact?

Iris Lanao-Executive Director FINCA Perú_©Opmeer Reports_FINCA-PE-19 (1).jpgApril 26 | 2023 In our first Oikocredit Live event, participants learned what Oikocredit and its partner organisations do to improve the effectiveness of social impact in the sector of microfinance. The Executive Director of Finca Perú, Iris Lanao, also shared insights into the work of the microfinance institution. full story

Results for 2022: Oikocredit confident about staying at the forefront of impact investing

AR2022 cover image.pngApril 12 | 2023 Oikocredit has today published its Annual Report and financial statements for 2022, reporting on solid financial and social results and other achievements during the year. full story

Q4 2022 quarterly report: Continuing progress

ECO-IN-032.jpgApril 11 | 2023 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 fourth quarter of 2022. full story

Fusion Microfinance: Giving wings to clients’ dreams

Anirudh_1.jpgApril 06 | 2023 On 15 November 2022, Fusion Microfinance Ltd, a longtime Oikocredit partner, completed an initial public offering (IPO) listing in India. full story

From Outreach to Impact: Oikocredit drives forward positive social impact with Client Self-Perception Survey

Screenshot 2023-04-04 105707.pngApril 04 | 2023 Strengthening the end client's voice is a crucial aspect of Oikocredit’s efforts to push the frontiers of social impact. full story

Oikocredit’s new capital-raising model in effect for existing investors in Canada

AGM-2019-10.jpgApril 01 | 2023 Under the new model, existing investors in Canada have been made direct investors in Oikocredit via participations.   full story

Kenya: ideal conditions for solar installations

Carrying out a routine inspection of the ground-level solar installation at Central UniversityMarch 23 | 2023 In early 2022, Oikocredit invested € 5 million in renewable energy company ecoligo, which operates in emerging markets worldwide from its headquarters in Berlin. Oikocredit recently spoke with Claudia Rothe, ecoligo’s Head of Fundraising, about the solar specialists’ work, especially in Kenya. [1] full story

Oikocredit Live: Learning from the Voices of Finca Perú and its Beneficiaries An online event with Finca Perú on 28 March 2023

FINCA-PE-128_©Opmeer Reports.jpgMarch 21 | 2023 Are you curious about Oikocredit’s digital end-client survey? Want to learn more about the microfinance institution Finca Perú and its focus on empowering women? full story

How low-income women are creating change in Honduras

Lourdes ValerianoMarch 15 | 2023 About 57% of Prisma Honduras’ women clients say their business is the main source of household income. General Manager Lourdes Valeriano explains how the MFI is promoting gender equality in Central America. full story

Oikocredit launches a new capital-raising model

AGM-2019-17.jpgMarch 01 | 2023 OIKOCREDIT, Ecumenical Development Cooperative Society U.A. (Oikocredit) has launched its new capital-raising model, which is going to allow any eligible organisations and individuals to invest directly in the cooperative. full story

Oikocredit has launched first phase of new capital-raising model for existing investors in Canada

AGM-2019-17.jpgFebruary 28 | 2023 Under the new model, Oikocredit will issue participations instead of shares. Canadian investors will see their existing investments transferred to the new model in two phases. full story

Oikocredit confirms changes to capital-raising model for existing investors in Canada

AGM-2019-17.jpgFebruary 15 | 2023 Under the new model, Oikocredit will issue participations instead of shares. Canadian investors will see their existing investments transferred to the new model in two phases. full story

Oikocredit confirms implementation of new capital-raising model

AGM-2019-17.jpgFebruary 15 | 2023 OIKOCREDIT, Ecumenical Development Cooperative Society U.A. (Oikocredit) will begin implementing its new capital-raising model on 1 March 2023, which is going to allow any eligible organisations and individuals to invest directly in the cooperative. full story

An Indonesian food entrepreneur’s journey: Sanah’s story

MBK-ID-44.jpgFebruary 09 | 2023 Indonesia has a vibrant network of women entrepreneurs, but lack of access to working capital can prevent growth and scaling-up. As Valentine’s Day approaches, we celebrate one entrepreneur who has turned Indonesia’s love for krupuk into a thriving business. full story

Oikocredit and Triodos IM provide € 10 million Tier II capital to Bridge Bank Group Côte d’Ivoire

Bridge Bank Logo.jpgFebruary 06 | 2023 The Ivorian bank, an affiliate of Bridge Group West Africa, finances local small and medium enterprises and supports job creation in the region full story

MyCredit and Oikocredit US$ 2.6 million partnership to fund SMEs in Kenya

Logo MyCredit.jpgFebruary 02 | 2023 This loan facility from Oikocredit will support Kenyan financial company MyCredit to offer affordable, medium-term financing to local SMEs full story

Oikocredit invests US$ 5 million in Yellow to support solar energy in Africa

Yellow_logo.jpgJanuary 31 | 2023 Yellow will use Oikocredit loan to provide electricity and mobile connections to more households in Africa full story

Creating more positive change! Interview with Dave Smit

Dave Smit.jpgJanuary 25 | 2023 In October 2022 Dave Smit joined Oikocredit as Director of Impact Investments. Here he reflects on his first 100 days and the fact that low-income people in developing countries are hit hard by global headwinds. full story

Oikocredit Equity partner Avanti wins prestigious Indian award

Avanti logo.jpgJanuary 24 | 2023 Oikocredit’s equity partner Avanti Finance has received the coveted Fintech Innovation for Financial Inclusion Award as part of the Inclusive Finance India Awards. full story

Projects in Action with Banco da Familia

Banco da Familia logo1.jpgJanuary 10 | 2023 Oikocredit works with partners across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean to support low-income communities, create social impact and build resilient and sustainable businesses. We ... full story

Being mindful about adding value and realising impact is essential for Oikocredit’s success

mirjam web.jpgJanuary 03 | 2023 Oikocredit’s Managing Director, Mirjam ‘t Lam, shares her thoughts as the New Year begins. full story

Creating a sustainable future [video]

Ecozen seasons greetings.jpgDecember 21 | 2022 This new video featuring our partner Ecozen is sure to encourage you this holiday season. See how their work in renewable energy and agriculture impacts local farmers in India. full story

Oikocredit sold equity investment in Indian microfinance institution Fusion

Untitled (200 × 200px) (8).pngDecember 19 | 2022 Oikocredit’s investment has supported Fusion’s successful growth into a microfinance provider to more than 2.9 million mainly rural low-income women. full story