FINCA Results

Measuring Our Impact

Social Performance Management

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Financial Inclusion

FINCA:
Reaching the Financially Excluded

72% Adult population financially excluded
360,565 44% Female borrowers Outreach to women is highest in Latin America and Africa. The results in Afghanistan are also striking, where over half of our borrowers are female. % #
2,317,779 Total FINCA clients An increasing share of FINCA's customers are micro-savers. Financial inclusion means giving people a full range of services to build their future.
103,792 40% Borrowers in rural areas Excludes Nigeria, Jordan and Haiti. Rural outreach is especially high in Eurasia, led by Kyrgyzstan. % #
817,832 Total FINCA borrowers The outreach of our subsidiaries ranges from tens of thousands in places like Honduras and Jordan, to over 100,000 in Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and DR-Congo.

Living Standards

FINCA:
Quality of Life

273,956 34% Client homes without water Every FINCA region has clients who lack this basic service, including places like Tajikistan, Honduras and Afghanistan. % #
105,015 13% Client homes without electricity Outside of Africa, Honduras has the highest percentage of borrowers who lack electricity in their homes. % #
482,901 59% Client homes without access to Internet % #
141,858 17% Clients who don’t own their home % #
292,941 36% Head of household with primary education or less The lack of education is particularly notable in Latin America, but other regions are not far behind, especially MESA and Africa. % #

Financial exclusion often goes hand-in-hand with poor living standards. FINCA's borrowers in Africa struggle the most to have a decent quality of life. Over half live in homes without access to clean water, and a third are without electricity.

These problems are not isolated to Africa, however. Our surveys show that access to water, in particular, is a problem that affects clients in every region. Also, nearly a third of FINCA clients live in a household whose main earner has only a primary education or less. This problem is especially severe in Africa and MESA.

Income & Employment

FINCA:
Income & Employment

$3,408 29% Average annual profit Profit is shown as a percent of total sales. % #
2.4 Average # of employees per client enterprise Employees (full-time equivalent) include the owner. Employment is highest in MESA and Africa.
1,611,538 People employed in FINCA-funded enterprises This data covers 72% of our borrowers.
353,985 22% Employees hired due to FINCA loan At any given time, 27% of total employment in our clients' enterprises is directly attributed by them to the expansion of their activities that was enabled by FINCA. Job-creation is the strongest in Eurasia. % #
782,559 49% Wages paid above the poverty line Wages that are above the poverty line are considered a "living wage." % #
Explore FINCA Loan Sectors

We measure FINCA's impact on income and employment through a detailed Enterprise Survey, which captures the cash flow, wages and employment in our clients' businesses. Our surveyors take a detailed count of people working in each enterprise, and clients themselves are asked to estimate how many of them are working due to the loan from FINCA. These results are strongly influenced by the sector of activity -- agriculture, trade, services, livestock and manufacturing -- as shown under "Special Topics," below.

Women’s Empowerment

FINCA:
Empowering Women

360,565 44% Female borrowers Outreach to women is highest in Latin America and Africa. The results in Afghanistan are also striking, where over half of our borrowers are female. % #
112,645 14% Clients with female-headed household % #
239,576 29% Households with female as main earner % #
256,645 39% Businesses run by women % #
662,313 36% Women employed by enterprises Avg. #
574,256 37% Jobs created by women This is the total number of employees hired by FINCA's female borrowers. % #

All over the world, we find that the majority of FINCA's female borrowers are the main source of income for their family. Female breadwinners bear a heavy burden, because they normally have to fulfill traditional family responsibilities in addition to running their business. 14% of our borrowers are single mothers. Reaching these women is a priority for FINCA's mission, because they have an enormous impact on the well-being of the whole family, while their climb out of poverty is the steepest.

Women's rate of enterprise ownership is lower than their overall representation within FINCA's client base, particularly in MESA/Pakistan. In part, this is the result of social norms that discourage women's business activities. With some exceptions, especially in Africa,, women's contribution to job-creation is generally undercut by their concentration in economic sectors such as trade, where enterprises tend to employ fewer workers. Nonetheless, the enhanced status that comes with running a business and hiring workers is an important factor in women's social empowerment,

Clients’ Goals

FINCA:
Attaining Business and Personal Goals

Goals Set By FINCA Borrowers
Goals Met By FINCA Borrowers
49,729 7% Start a business % #
371,880 56% Expand a business % #
12,592 2% Invest in education % #
89,176 13% Improve their home % #
36,561 5% Buy an asset % #
34,003 5% Pay down debts % #
41,916 82% Start a business % #
316,044 83% Expand a business % #
9,339 50% Invest in education % #
67,896 80% Improve their home % #
65,040 77% Buy an asset % #
21,704 62% Pay down debts % #

Across the world, our borrowers come to FINCA with specific goals in mind. The majority aim to expand an existing business or to start a new one. After business, home improvements are the next big objective, especially in Africa and Eurasia. FINCA is actively expanding the range of its services to meet these kinds of needs, especially through the financing of household assets such as solar panels and improved cook-stoves. As these services grow and multiply across the network, we can expect more clients to come to FINCA with these needs in mind.

Special Topics

FINCA:
Poverty, Economic Sectors, Jobs and Profits

FINCA Loan Sectors

368,364 45% Trade % #
181,656 22% Services % #
50,656 6% Manufacturing % #
60,633 7% Crops % #
155,798 19% Livestock % #

Profit and Profit/Sales Ratio by Sector

$4,142 23% Trade Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit
3,761 31% Services Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit
$4,847 28% Manufacturing Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit
$1,834 31% Crops Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit
$2,265 33% Livestock Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

Jobs by Sector Due to FINCA Loan

159,456 45% Trade % #
86690 24% Services % #
31,230 9% Manufacturing % #
21,571 6% Crops % #
55,040 16% Livestock % #

FINCA Stories

FINCA client in Guatemala.

Baking Success in Guatemala

Ever since he was little, Jovan wanted to be a baker. Today, thanks to FINCA loans, he is living his dream.
Read Jovan Emilio's StoryFINCA Kosovo Client Shadije Asllani

Reaping the Rewards of Asparagus in Kosovo

Shadije Asllani is a successful asparagus farmer in Kosovo. She used microfinance loans from FINCA to realize her dreams.
Read Shadije's Storygladiz and the chocolate factory

Gladiz and the Chocolate Factory

Gladiz Morales's sweet success as a chocolatier has supported her family, thanks to the help of FINCA's microfinance loans.
Read Gladiz's Story

© 2016 FINCA International

Contact Our Research Team

Visit FINCA.org

Contact Our Research Team

© 2017 FINCA International

Visit FINCA.org