1960s

Accion's Early Days

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.

Read the full story

Latest news

Press Release • Sep 20, 2023
Bababos, Manufacturing Raw Material Procurement Platform, Has Secured US$ 3M in A Seed Funding Round Led by East Ventures
Press Release • Aug 21, 2023
Channel19 Picks Up $2.7 Million to Streamline Refrigerated Freight Trucking
News • Jul 26, 2023
Licify atrae US$3.4 millones con su plataforma de compras para el sector constructor
News • Jul 26, 2023
Cash
Press Release • Jul 26, 2023
Licify Announces $3.4M Seed Round led by Brick & Mortar Ventures and Accion Venture Lab to Revolutionize Construction Procurement and Financial Services
News • Jun 28, 2023
How high interest rates threaten reversal on financial inclusion gains
Press Release • Jun 14, 2023
Accion Welcomes Linda Kirkpatrick and Beth Hurvitz to its Board of Directors
Press Release • Jun 13, 2023
Accion Names Brandie Conforti as Chief Development Officer
News • Jun 02, 2023
Ajay Banga faces great expectations as he takes helm of World Bank
News • May 28, 2023
Future of Fintech: Smart Customer Data Race
Press Release • Apr 11, 2023
Accion and Mastercard Renew Partnership, Aim to Connect 10.5 Million People to Digital Financial Services
News • Mar 16, 2023
Accion Venture Lab bets on ‘embedded finance’ in India, Pakistan and Indonesia
Press Release • Mar 14, 2023
Global Nonprofit Accion Selected for the ImpactAssets 50 2023 List of Fund Managers Delivering Social and Environmental Impact
News • Mar 13, 2023
Financial Inclusion with Wade Arnold and Michael Schlein
Press Release • Mar 07, 2023
Trukkr raises $6.4 million from Accion Venture Lab and Sturgeon Capital to digitize Pakistan’s trucking industry

Meet the members of our Board of Directors

View here

Accion Financials and Annual Reports

View here

Sign up to receive emails