Small loans for women’s big dreams

Finnfund has made an equity investment in WWB Isis Fund, which is a new microfinance investment fund established by Women’s World Banking. The fund will make equity investments into microfinance institutions, which are members of Women’s World Banking´s network in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Women’s World Banking is the global nonprofit devoted to giving more low-income women access to the financial tools and resources they require to achieve security and prosperity. Through innovation in product and leadership development, Women’s World Banking works with a global network of microfinance institutions to design sustainable financial products that meet the needs of women in each stage of her life.

In 2012, Women’s World Banking´s global network included 39 financial institutions in 28 countries. They served more than 19 million clients, 73 percent of whom were women. Women’s World Banking´s network members had a loan portfolio of more than US dollars 6.9 billion and 4.4 billion in savings.

Examples from Women’s World Banking’s product development work with its network in 2012 included microinsurance in Jordan; youth savings in Ethiopia; financial education in India; and rural finance in Latin America.

The WWB Isis fund is targeting a second closing in 2013. Apart from Finnfund the fund has investors from European development finance institutions and financial services companies.