Accion was founded in 1961 by a UC Berkeley law student. We began with hands-on work in Latin America; the first group of 30 Americans worked in urban centers around Venezuela.
1970s
Microlending
By the early 1970s, Accion’s leaders were beginning to focus on the lack of economic opportunity in Latin American cities and began issuing small loans.
1980s-90s
Expansion
Over the next decade, Accion helped start microfinance programs in 14 countries in Latin America with a loan repayment rate of 97 percent.
2000s
Expanding Globally
Throughout the 2000s, Accion extended operations into India, Sub-Saharan Africa, and established the Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI).
2010s
New Initiatives & Programs
Accion launched its seed-stage investment initiative Accion Venture Lab and participated in the launch of the Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund.
2020s
Building resilience
Accion is working to build an inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, which severely affected low-income families and small businesses globally.