ACCION's Mission & Approach
Our Mission
ACCION International is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission of giving people the financial tools they need to work their way out of poverty. By providing “micro” loans, business training and other financial services to poor men and women who start their own businesses, ACCION helps people work their way up the economic ladder, with dignity and pride.
Our Vision and ObjectiveACCION pursues a vision in which all people have access to a range of high-quality financial services that enhance their economic potential and the quality of their lives. It has been estimated that it would cost over $250 billion to bring financial services to 500 million poor people. Our current objective is to help provide 6 million of those people, nearly double the number of people we currently serve, with access to microfinance by 2011.
Our Approach
To achieve the above goal, ACCION must increase the reach of microfinance services to the poor on a global scale. Reaching scale requires microfinance to be financially efficient and self-sustaining. To that end, ACCION must continue to hone and implement an innovative approach that both reduces the cost of services to the poor and increases the ability to provide services that reach millions of poorer and more remote people.
Partnerships to Reach Scale: ACCION currently partners with 28 microfinance institutions (MFIs), NGOs and commercial banks across Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, helping us reach a total of 3.3 million poor people with microfinance*. Learn more about where we work. >
Creation, Expansion and Training: ACCION guides our partners in how to develop and deliver best-in-class financial services for the poor. We provide institutions with technical assistance (TA) and management services to help them launch, transform and expand their microfinance programs. ACCION also offers training and education on the microfinance process, to build staff capacity and better position MFIs to achieve their social and financial goals. Learn more >
Innovation: A growing microfinance program requires advances in risk management, service delivery to remote areas and technology. ACCION pilots new microfinance products and processes in “Innovation Labs.” These innovations inform our TA and management services to MFIs, offering institutions improved ways to serve the needs of their low-income clients, minimize costs, scale their programs and become financially viable. Learn more about innovative practices in serving the poor and examples of this work >
Access to Further Funding: ACCION also provides equity financing and loan guarantees to institutions. These funds enable institutions to invest in resources such as better core-banking systems and more branches to improve services and increase reach. We also make investments in companies beyond our partner MFIs whose innovative products, such as technology, can enhance the value of financial services for the poor. Learn more about our investments in MFIs and companies that support the microfinance industry. >
Leadership: ACCION works through its Center for Financial Inclusion to promote global, full financial inclusion; we attend and organize events and conferences, develop publications, and collaborate with the private sector. We also work to ensure clients receive quality services delivered in a customer-friendly manner through an industry campaign called “The Smart Campaign.” Learn more about our industry leadership. >
* As of December 2009
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