Austria
Belgium
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands, the
Sweden
Switzerland
Canada
United States
Go to the website of Oikocredit International
Boosting efforts across focus sectors and strengthening partners
31 July | 2019 As we head into the second half of the year, Oikocredit’s Managing Director, Thos Gieskes, brings us up to date on the cooperative’s latest developments. He explains how we are boosting efforts in our focus sectors and going beyond finance to broaden the ways in which we support our partners, aiming to strengthen their businesses and their networks.The interview also highlights this year’s annual general meeting (AGM) held in June and offers some insight into our upcoming Impact Report to be published in September. full story
Interview: Providing affordable housing loans for low and middle-income families in Cambodia
24 July | 2019 Sothany Chun is the CEO of Oikocredit partner First Finance plc, a financial institution which provides housing and home-improvement loans to people on low and middle-incomes in Cambodia. Oikocredit’s Support Association in the Netherlands recently met with her to discuss her background, work and how First Finance is helping to improve lives by increasing access to home ownership. full storyJessy’s Story: A Taste of Success in Zambia
10 July | 2019 “I am passionate about cooking and I taught myself how to cook. I also teach my staff. I buy local products and have a farmer who grows certain ingredients especially for me,” says Jessy Chipindo, restaurant owner and client of Oikocredit partner Entrepreneurs Financial Centre Zambia. full storyOikocredit annual general meeting votes on dividend and supervisory board
21 June | 2019 From 17 to 20 June 2019 delegates from Oikocredit member organisations and Oikocredit staff gathered in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, for the annual general meeting (AGM) week. full storyBridging the Gender Gap…. At Home
13 June | 2019 Not so long ago, Ka Oting Villanueva, like many men in the central Philippines province of Negros Occidental, regarded a husband’s role as simply that of a provider. “He never used to help me with any of the household chores,” says his wife. “In fact, I don’t think it ever crossed his mind!” full storyHow do coffee cooperatives support smallholder coffee farmers in Peru?
29 May | 2019 Two billion cups of coffee served every day. 200 billion US dollars in sales every year. So why are some farmers happy when none of their children wish to follow them into the coffee-growing business? full storyOikocredit invests in Latin American responsible specialty coffee trader Caravela
22 May | 2019 The Netherlands / United Kingdom – Social impact investor Oikocredit has closed a US$ 4.7 million investment in Caravela Coffee, a specialty coffee trader that sources coffee in Latin America using direct trade principles. full story
Equity investment to foster sustainable coffee trading
22 May | 2019 Oikocredit has announced a US$ 4.7 million investment in Caravela Coffee, a Latin American responsible specialty coffee trader. full storyOikocredit expands its fintech portfolio in Mexico
02 May | 2019 Oikocredit has invested in Mexican fintech Ku-Bo Financiero to boost access to affordable finance for individuals across Mexico. full storyOikocredit invests in fintech KU-BO FINANCIERO, S.A. DE C.V., S.F.P. (Ku-Bo) to support people in Mexico without access to financial services
02 May | 2019 Amersfoort, the Netherlands / Mexico City, Mexico – Social impact investor Oikocredit has provided financing to Ku-Bo, a Mexican fintech specialised in crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending aimed at individuals within the medium and low socio-economic sector of the population with limited access to credit. full story
Oikocredit and MOCA join forces to strengthen cocoa cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire
16 April | 2019 Oikocredit and the Maximizing Opportunities in Cocoa Activity (MOCA) project have signed a memorandum of understanding to support the sustainable development of smallholder cocoa cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire. full storyIt’s more than just finance [interview]
10 April | 2019 Oikocredit just published its financial results for 2018. For a deeper look at the results and insights on how the cooperative is working towards improving its future results, we interviewed Oikocredit’s Director of Finance & Risk, Laura Pool. In the interview Laura also explains why providing expertise and using the right financial instruments can make all the difference. full storyOikocredit’s portfolio and member capital grow as it implements updated strategy
27 March | 2019 Amersfoort, the Netherlands – Social impact investor and worldwide cooperative Oikocredit today published its annual results for 2018. Despite 2018 being a year of change for Oikocredit, the cooperative’s net income after taxation improved compared to 2017 with both lendable funds and the development financing portfolio showing growth. full story
Oikocredit publishes its annual report for 2018 along with key financial highlights
27 March | 2019 Today Oikocredit announced its annual results for 2018. The press release explains how despite changes at the organisation and the prevailing low interest rate environment, Oikocredit has managed to grow its development financing portfolio. full storyTechnology is part of the solution
25 March | 2019 Financial technologies – “fintech” for short – are revolutionising the financial industry worldwide. How can technological developments further financial inclusion? What impact is fintech having on Oikocredit and its partners? Oikocredit’s West Germany Support Association spoke to Oikocredit’s Business Development Specialist in Amersfoort, Vincent van Dugteren, to find out. full story
Oikocredit invests in affordable housing finance provider Sitara in India
21 March | 2019 Oikocredit has made an equity investment of INR 670 million in affordable housing finance company Sitara together with Omidyar Network india, HDFC Life Insurance, HDFC Holdings Ltd. and Women’s World Banking to foster inclusion and equality in the Indian home loans sector. full storyEmpowering women in Indonesia through financial inclusion
28 February | 2019 Mimin Among wears a broad smile when talking about how she earns a living making krupuk (Indonesian deep-fried prawn crackers): “We started a small business in 2004 after years of working for other people. We joined the Komida cooperative in 2009 and used our first loan to buy woks which we still use now. The business is doing well and we employ 10 neighbours to help us keep up with demand.” full storyOikocredit appoints Patrick Stutvoet as Director of IT and Operations
27 February | 2019 27 February 2019, Amersfoort, the Netherlands – Social impact investor Oikocredit has appointed Patrick Stutvoet to the position of Director of IT and Operations, effective 1 March 2019. full story
Patrick Stutvoet becomes Oikocredit’s new Director of IT and Operations
27 February | 2019 Oikocredit is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Stutvoet as Director of IT and Operations, and newest member of the cooperative’s Managing Board, effective 1 March 2019. full storyOikocredit invests USD 3.3 million in Mexican student finance provider Laudex
19 February | 2019 19 February 2019, Mexico City, Mexico / Amersfoort, the Netherlands – Social impact investor Oikocredit has closed an investment of USD 3.3 million in Laudex, a financial inclusion institution ... full story
Oikocredit invests in Laudex to encourage social inclusion in Mexico’s education sector
18 February | 2019 Oikocredit has closed an investment of USD 3.3 million in Laudex, a financial inclusion institution providing loans to students for higher education in Mexico. full storyWith my chickens, I feel free
30 January | 2019 Last month, a group of Oikocredit investors, volunteers and staff spent a week in Peru for the 2018 study tour. One of the partners they visited was financial inclusion organisation ProEmpresa and its end-clients in Lima’s suburbs. Marion Wedegärtner from Oikocredit’s West German Support Association shared her impressions of the trip. full storyReflecting on 2018 and looking forward
29 January | 2019 Oikocredit’s Managing Director, Thos Gieskes, reflects on 2018 and shares what is ahead for the cooperative. full storyStrengthening market access for small-scale farmers in India
17 January | 2019 “Before we worked with Y-Cook we didn’t grow sweet corn, but only flowers and millet. With corn we have fixed prices, which are much better,” says Krishna Muthy, a farmer from the village of Kanekal in India’s Andhra Pradesh state. As a farmer supplier to Oikocredit’s Indian partner Y-Cook, he has seen his corn crop prices and yields improve significantly, providing him with a stable income and a better quality of life for his whole family. full storyOikocredit invests in SolarNow to help bring solar energy to 17,500 customers in Uganda
08 January | 2019 Oikocredit has closed its largest investment yet in off-grid solar company SolarNow, together with SunFunder and responsAbility. full storyBuilding Disaster Resiliency: A Guidebook
12 December | 2018 Disaster resiliency is an important component in Oikocredit’s capacity building work with partners in areas prone to natural disasters. After successfully piloting a disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) programme in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, it has now been extended to partners in other countries like Ecuador. full storyOikocredit’s updated Vision & Strategy published
03 December | 2018 Oikocredit has published its updated Vision & Strategy. The brochure sets out Oikocredit’s strategic direction for the coming years, including the cooperative’s strategic ambitions and the ... full storyCall for Oikocredit Supervisory Board applications
29 November | 2018 Oikocredit is seeking skilled and experienced individuals to stand for election to its Supervisory Board during the next Annual General Meeting in June 2019. full storyA new operating model for Oikocredit [interview]
27 November | 2018 Earlier this year, Oikocredit introduced its updated strategy. Bart van Eyk, Oikocredit’s Director of Investments, shares the latest details of our updated strategy and explains how changes to our regional setup will help us to better serve our partners with the aim of creating an even stronger social impact. full storyInvestors and volunteers visit Oikocredit partners in Peru
26 November | 2018 A group of Oikocredit investors, volunteers and staff will soon be heading to Peru for this year’s study tour, which takes place from 2 to 8 December. Participants will visit a financial inclusion organisation and its end-clients in Lima. In Jaén and San Ignacio, they will visit a fair-trade coffee cooperative and its farmer members. full storyTurning organic waste into energy: how Oikocredit offsets its carbon footprint
20 November | 2018 Offsetting carbon is an important way for Oikocredit to contribute to climate change mitigation and protection of the environment. For almost a year now, Oikocredit has been working with FairClimateFund to offset its carbon footprint. full storyOikocredit invests in cashew processor Anatrans in Burkina Faso
14 November | 2018 Social impact investor Oikocredit has taken a € 2 million stake in Burkinabe cashew processor Anatrans full story
Preserving the future of cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire
13 November | 2018 Nearly half of the world’s chocolate supply is grown in Côte d’Ivoire1, where more than a million smallholder farmers depend on cocoa production for their livelihoods. Cocoa is also vital to the ... full storyWool with a name
05 November | 2018 John Lennon wore Manos del Uruguay, and among its current fans are a number of celebrities and even royalty. All Manos products are signed by the woman who dyed the wool, and each product is handcrafted and therefore unique. full storyOikocredit and BID LAB invest in fintech Sempli to support Colombian SMEs
31 October | 2018 31 October 2018, Bogotá, Colombia – Social impact investor Oikocredit and the Inter-American Development Bank (BID LAB) have closed an investment of USD 5.7 million in Sempli, a Colombian fintech that provides loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). full story
Oikocredit invests in FinTech Sempli to support sustainable growth of SMEs in Colombia
31 October | 2018 Together with the Inter-American Development Bank (BID LAB), Oikocredit has closed an investment of USD 5.7 million in the Colombian FinTech Sempli. full storyOikocredit invests in Kenyan fertiliser plant to raise farmers’ yields and incomes
23 October | 2018 Oikocredit has made an equity investment in Sub Saharan Africa’s first fertiliser granulation and manufacturing plant Fertiplant East Africa. Oikocredit joins the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in funding construction of the plant, which will benefit farmers’ incomes and enhance food security in the region. full storyFinancial results for social impact [interview]
17 October | 2018 As Oikocredit implements its updated strategy, the cooperative continues to work with its members and investors to share the latest developments and progress being made. The worldwide cooperative’s West Germany Support Association recently sat down with Irene van Oostwaard, Director of Finance at Oikocredit, to learn more about current financial topics, as well as Irene's own insights and passion for the organisation. full storyMaking a difference in Mexico: the value of investing in SMEs
10 October | 2018 Financial inclusion is Oikocredit’s largest priority sector. Through Oikocredit’s updated strategy the cooperative aims to deepen its engagement with its microfinance partners while also seeking partners beyond traditional financial institutions. Oikocredit is increasingly aiming to make an impact for the ‘missing middle’ by targeting finance to small to medium enterprises (SMEs) – like it is doing in Mexico. full storyFintech and social impact investing in India [interview]
02 October | 2018 As part of its updated strategy, Oikocredit continues to seek partnerships beyond traditional financial institutions. Partnering with fintech companies that target underserved communities with innovative financial technologies is one way the cooperative is doing this. To learn more about the role of fintech in social impact investing, and more specifically in India, we spoke with Arun Nayyar, the CEO of Oikocredit partner NeoGrowth. full story