Microfinance

Crowdfunded microloans connecting global lenders with underserved entrepreneurs worldwide.

Acumen is a venture philanthropy organization that invests in visionary entrepreneurs building transformational companies from seed to scale. They focus on funding bold entrepreneurs who are creating inclusive solutions across sectors like sustainable agriculture, quality education, renewable energy, healthy communities, dignified jobs, and gender equality. Their mission is to break the cycle of poverty through patient capital investments in high-innovation, high-impact enterprises. They operate by deploying philanthropic capital to shape markets and support entrepreneurs who are addressing the world's toughest poverty-related challenges, investing where traditional funders won't. Acumen Ventures has established itself as a significant force in the impact investing ecosystem since 2001, with an A to Z directory of portfolio companies spanning over two decades. They matter because they've reinvented the rules of return, prioritizing impact alongside financial sustainability and helping to demonstrate that venture philanthropy can drive meaningful systemic change in underserved communities globally.

Alterfin is a Belgian social cooperative that finances social enterprises worldwide, focusing on microfinance institutions and sustainable smallholder agriculture organizations. With nearly 6,000 cooperative members, they invest in organizations that help the most disadvantaged people develop economic activities and generate sustainable incomes across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The organization operates as a cooperative financed by individuals and companies, offering everyone an investment opportunity to generate positive social, environmental, and economic impact. Their mission centers on what they call "Human Yield" - a return measured in improved lives, dignity, resilience, and humanity rather than just financial returns. Alterfin has established itself as a significant player in the impact investment ecosystem over 30 years of operation, with 70.8 million euros in capital and a diverse membership base of 5,711 individual cooperative members and 190 companies and organizations. Their approach enables people to invest in entrepreneurs and farmers they might never meet but whose lives change through access to opportunities in regions where traditional banking channels don't exist or don't meet micro-entrepreneurs' needs.

Ashoka is one of the world’s leading organizations supporting social entrepreneurs. Founded in 1980, Ashoka pioneered the concept of social entrepreneurship and has built a global network of changemakers working to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Through its flagship Ashoka Fellows program, the organization identifies and supports high-impact entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship, and a powerful global network. Ashoka’s broader mission is to create a world where everyone is a changemaker, embedding social innovation across education, business, and civil society.

Calvert Impact is a global impact investment firm with 30 years of experience connecting investors to solutions that benefit people and the planet. The organization channels investments from individual and institutional investors (from $20 to billions) into high-impact projects that mainstream capital markets typically avoid, such as renewable energy funds in Sub-Saharan Africa and small business lending to underserved US populations. Through their Community Investment Note® and other financial products, Calvert Impact has moved billions of dollars into sectors like microfinance, affordable housing, and clean energy access, serving 163.4 million clients (78% women) across 100+ countries while reducing 6.4 million metric tons of CO2.

Enabling Qapital Ltd. (EQ) is a FINMA-regulated Swiss impact asset manager with over USD 900 million under management. The company specializes in impact investing through private debt and listed bonds, focusing on microfinance, access to energy/clean cooking, and emerging market bonds. Their investments aim to generate financial, social, environmental, and economic returns while contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. With a diverse team of over 65 members representing 14 nationalities and speaking more than 21 languages, EQ operates under the philosophy of "moving money to meaning." The company's portfolio reaches microborrowers worldwide, with particular focus on rural and female clients. EQ is closely linked to the non-profit EMF Enabling Microfinance Foundation, which launches additional projects to improve conditions along the microfinance value chain.

era92 Fund is a Uganda-based impact investment and microfinance platform focused on expanding economic opportunity across Africa. The organization provides capital and financial services to startups, SMEs, and micro-entrepreneurs building businesses that improve livelihoods and strengthen local economies. Operating through two core divisions, era92 Finance and era92 Ventures, the fund combines inclusive lending with patient impact capital to support entrepreneurs solving critical social and economic challenges. Its mission centers on reversing poverty and creating long-term prosperity through financial inclusion and social enterprise development.