About Us

We are a global nonprofit dedicated to creating economic opportunity by connecting people to the financial tools they need to improve their lives. A world pioneer in microfinance, we were founded in 1961 and issued our first microloan in 1973. Over time, we’ve helped build 63 microfinance institutions in 32 countries on four continents – Africa, Asia, Latin America and the U.S. Those institutions are currently reaching millions of clients. The Accion U.S. Network is the largest microfinance network in the United States and, since its inception, has served hundreds of thousands of clients with loans and support.

Learn about Accion’s past and present by exploring our founding principles and future directions.