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Boosting efforts across focus sectors and strengthening partners
July 31 | 2019 As we head into the second half of the year, Oikocredit’s Managing Director, Thos Gieskes, brings us up to date on the cooperative’s latest developments. He explains how we are boosting efforts in our focus sectors and going beyond finance to broaden the ways in which we support our partners, aiming to strengthen their businesses and their networks.The interview also highlights this year’s annual general meeting (AGM) held in June and offers some insight into our upcoming Impact Report to be published in September. full story
Interview: Providing affordable housing loans for low and middle-income families in Cambodia
July 24 | 2019 Sothany Chun is the CEO of Oikocredit partner First Finance plc, a financial institution which provides housing and home-improvement loans to people on low and middle-incomes in Cambodia. Oikocredit’s Support Association in the Netherlands recently met with her to discuss her background, work and how First Finance is helping to improve lives by increasing access to home ownership. full storyJessy’s Story: A Taste of Success in Zambia
July 10 | 2019 “I am passionate about cooking and I taught myself how to cook. I also teach my staff. I buy local products and have a farmer who grows certain ingredients especially for me,” says Jessy Chipindo, restaurant owner and client of Oikocredit partner Entrepreneurs Financial Centre Zambia. full storyOikocredit annual general meeting votes on dividend and supervisory board
June 21 | 2019 From 17 to 20 June 2019 delegates from Oikocredit member organisations and Oikocredit staff gathered in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, for the annual general meeting (AGM) week. full storyBridging the Gender Gap…. At Home
June 13 | 2019 Not so long ago, Ka Oting Villanueva, like many men in the central Philippines province of Negros Occidental, regarded a husband’s role as simply that of a provider. “He never used to help me with any of the household chores,” says his wife. “In fact, I don’t think it ever crossed his mind!” full storyHow do coffee cooperatives support smallholder coffee farmers in Peru?
May 29 | 2019 Two billion cups of coffee served every day. 200 billion US dollars in sales every year. So why are some farmers happy when none of their children wish to follow them into the coffee-growing business? full storyEquity investment to foster sustainable coffee trading
May 22 | 2019 Oikocredit has announced a US$ 4.7 million investment in Caravela Coffee, a Latin American responsible specialty coffee trader. full storyOikocredit expands its fintech portfolio in Mexico
May 02 | 2019 Oikocredit has invested in Mexican fintech Ku-Bo Financiero to boost access to affordable finance for individuals across Mexico. full storyOikocredit and MOCA join forces to strengthen cocoa cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire
April 16 | 2019 Oikocredit and the Maximizing Opportunities in Cocoa Activity (MOCA) project have signed a memorandum of understanding to support the sustainable development of smallholder cocoa cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire. full storyIt’s more than just finance [interview]
April 10 | 2019 Oikocredit just published its financial results for 2018. For a deeper look at the results and insights on how the cooperative is working towards improving its future results, we interviewed Oikocredit’s Director of Finance & Risk, Laura Pool. In the interview Laura also explains why providing expertise and using the right financial instruments can make all the difference. full storyOikocredit publishes its annual report for 2018 along with key financial highlights
March 27 | 2019 Today Oikocredit announced its annual results for 2018. The press release explains how despite changes at the organisation and the prevailing low interest rate environment, Oikocredit has managed to grow its development financing portfolio. full storyTechnology is part of the solution
March 25 | 2019 Financial technologies – “fintech” for short – are revolutionising the financial industry worldwide. How can technological developments further financial inclusion? What impact is fintech having on Oikocredit and its partners? Oikocredit’s West Germany Support Association spoke to Oikocredit’s Business Development Specialist in Amersfoort, Vincent van Dugteren, to find out. full story
Oikocredit invests in affordable housing finance provider Sitara in India
March 21 | 2019 Oikocredit has made an equity investment of INR 670 million in affordable housing finance company Sitara together with Omidyar Network india, HDFC Life Insurance, HDFC Holdings Ltd. and Women’s World Banking to foster inclusion and equality in the Indian home loans sector. full storyEmpowering women in Indonesia through financial inclusion
February 28 | 2019 Mimin Among wears a broad smile when talking about how she earns a living making krupuk (Indonesian deep-fried prawn crackers): “We started a small business in 2004 after years of working for other people. We joined the Komida cooperative in 2009 and used our first loan to buy woks which we still use now. The business is doing well and we employ 10 neighbours to help us keep up with demand.” full storyPatrick Stutvoet becomes Oikocredit’s new Director of IT and Operations
February 27 | 2019 Oikocredit is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Stutvoet as Director of IT and Operations, and newest member of the cooperative’s Managing Board, effective 1 March 2019. full storyOikocredit invests in Laudex to encourage social inclusion in Mexico’s education sector
February 18 | 2019 Oikocredit has closed an investment of USD 3.3 million in Laudex, a financial inclusion institution providing loans to students for higher education in Mexico. full storyWith my chickens, I feel free
January 30 | 2019 Last month, a group of Oikocredit investors, volunteers and staff spent a week in Peru for the 2018 study tour. One of the partners they visited was financial inclusion organisation ProEmpresa and its end-clients in Lima’s suburbs. Marion Wedegärtner from Oikocredit’s West German Support Association shared her impressions of the trip. full storyReflecting on 2018 and looking forward
January 29 | 2019 Oikocredit’s Managing Director, Thos Gieskes, reflects on 2018 and shares what is ahead for the cooperative. full storyStrengthening market access for small-scale farmers in India
January 17 | 2019 “Before we worked with Y-Cook we didn’t grow sweet corn, but only flowers and millet. With corn we have fixed prices, which are much better,” says Krishna Muthy, a farmer from the village of Kanekal in India’s Andhra Pradesh state. As a farmer supplier to Oikocredit’s Indian partner Y-Cook, he has seen his corn crop prices and yields improve significantly, providing him with a stable income and a better quality of life for his whole family. full storyOikocredit invests in SolarNow to help bring solar energy to 17,500 customers in Uganda
January 08 | 2019 Oikocredit has closed its largest investment yet in off-grid solar company SolarNow, together with SunFunder and responsAbility. full storyBuilding Disaster Resiliency: A Guidebook
December 12 | 2018 Disaster resiliency is an important component in Oikocredit’s capacity building work with partners in areas prone to natural disasters. After successfully piloting a disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) programme in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, it has now been extended to partners in other countries like Ecuador. full storyOikocredit’s updated Vision & Strategy published
December 03 | 2018 Oikocredit has published its updated Vision & Strategy. The brochure sets out Oikocredit’s strategic direction for the coming years, including the cooperative’s strategic ambitions and the ... full storyCall for Oikocredit Supervisory Board applications
November 29 | 2018 Oikocredit is seeking skilled and experienced individuals to stand for election to its Supervisory Board during the next Annual General Meeting in June 2019. full storyA new operating model for Oikocredit [interview]
November 27 | 2018 Earlier this year, Oikocredit introduced its updated strategy. Bart van Eyk, Oikocredit’s Director of Investments, shares the latest details of our updated strategy and explains how changes to our regional setup will help us to better serve our partners with the aim of creating an even stronger social impact. full storyInvestors and volunteers visit Oikocredit partners in Peru
November 26 | 2018 A group of Oikocredit investors, volunteers and staff will soon be heading to Peru for this year’s study tour, which takes place from 2 to 8 December. Participants will visit a financial inclusion organisation and its end-clients in Lima. In Jaén and San Ignacio, they will visit a fair-trade coffee cooperative and its farmer members. full storyTurning organic waste into energy: how Oikocredit offsets its carbon footprint
November 20 | 2018 Offsetting carbon is an important way for Oikocredit to contribute to climate change mitigation and protection of the environment. For almost a year now, Oikocredit has been working with FairClimateFund to offset its carbon footprint. full storyPreserving the future of cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire
November 13 | 2018 Nearly half of the world’s chocolate supply is grown in Côte d’Ivoire1, where more than a million smallholder farmers depend on cocoa production for their livelihoods. Cocoa is also vital to the ... full storyWool with a name
November 05 | 2018 John Lennon wore Manos del Uruguay, and among its current fans are a number of celebrities and even royalty. All Manos products are signed by the woman who dyed the wool, and each product is handcrafted and therefore unique. full storyOikocredit invests in FinTech Sempli to support sustainable growth of SMEs in Colombia
October 31 | 2018 Together with the Inter-American Development Bank (BID LAB), Oikocredit has closed an investment of USD 5.7 million in the Colombian FinTech Sempli. full storyOikocredit invests in Kenyan fertiliser plant to raise farmers’ yields and incomes
October 23 | 2018 Oikocredit has made an equity investment in Sub Saharan Africa’s first fertiliser granulation and manufacturing plant Fertiplant East Africa. Oikocredit joins the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in funding construction of the plant, which will benefit farmers’ incomes and enhance food security in the region. full storyFinancial results for social impact [interview]
October 17 | 2018 As Oikocredit implements its updated strategy, the cooperative continues to work with its members and investors to share the latest developments and progress being made. The worldwide cooperative’s West Germany Support Association recently sat down with Irene van Oostwaard, Director of Finance at Oikocredit, to learn more about current financial topics, as well as Irene's own insights and passion for the organisation. full storyMaking a difference in Mexico: the value of investing in SMEs
October 10 | 2018 Financial inclusion is Oikocredit’s largest priority sector. Through Oikocredit’s updated strategy the cooperative aims to deepen its engagement with its microfinance partners while also seeking partners beyond traditional financial institutions. Oikocredit is increasingly aiming to make an impact for the ‘missing middle’ by targeting finance to small to medium enterprises (SMEs) – like it is doing in Mexico. full storyFintech and social impact investing in India [interview]
October 02 | 2018 As part of its updated strategy, Oikocredit continues to seek partnerships beyond traditional financial institutions. Partnering with fintech companies that target underserved communities with innovative financial technologies is one way the cooperative is doing this. To learn more about the role of fintech in social impact investing, and more specifically in India, we spoke with Arun Nayyar, the CEO of Oikocredit partner NeoGrowth. full storyOikocredit’s equity investment supports India’s agriculture value chain
October 01 | 2018 Oikocredit has made an equity investment in Origo Commodities, a company which provides post-harvest agriculture supply chain financing and logistics solutions across 12 Indian states to over 3,500 clients, including more than 1,400 farmers. full storyOikocredit signs Fair Trade Charter to help reach the Sustainable Development Goals
September 25 | 2018 Today, Oikocredit joined more than 250 organisations around the world in launching an International Fair Trade Charter which sets down the fundamental values of Fair Trade and defines a common vision toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). full storyOikocredit invests in Brazilian FinTech Avante to support one million micro-entrepreneurs by 2021
September 06 | 2018 Oikocredit welcomes Avante, a Brazilian FinTech that empowers micro-entrepreneurs through financial technology, to its growing FinTech portfolio. full storyOikocredit’s first off-grid solar project in Latin America to support 250,000 people
September 05 | 2018 Together with Dutch development bank FMO, Oikocredit invested in Kingo, an off-grid energy supplier, to help them expand to rural areas in Guatemala. full storyEquity investment to improve lives in El Salvador
August 29 | 2018 “Quitting my job at the factory was a good decision. We make a profit of US$ 300 a week…when I worked in the factory I earned US$ 60 a week.” full storyRising to the coffee challenge: high yields, high quality and environmental sustainability
August 22 | 2018 “It’s not easy to grow in a sustainable way”, says Wilson Olivera, President of Peruvian coffee cooperative Central Fronteriza del Norte de Cafetaleros (Cenfrocafe). full storyThe Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance releases ‘State of the Sector’ report
August 08 | 2018 Oikocredit is a member of the Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance (CSAF), which just published its annual ‘State of the Sector’ report. full storyOikocredit article on home solar and microfinance published on NextBillion
July 26 | 2018 NextBillion published Oikocredit’s Renewable Energy Investment Officer, Mark Roesink’s article ‘Home Solar+Microfinance: Mitigating Risks and Maximising Rewards.’ full storyGoing above and beyond: Oikocredit’s Social and Environmental Performance Report [Interview]
July 17 | 2018 Oikocredit just published its latest Social and Environmental Performance Report (SEPR) showing that the worldwide cooperative surpasses the sector average for outreach to female clients. To learn more about this and other highlights in the report, and to gain a better understanding of why Oikocredit reports on its social and environmental performance, we spoke with Ging Ledesma, Oikocredit’s Investor Relations and Social Performance Director. full storyOikocredit surpasses sector average for outreach to female microfinance clients
July 12 | 2018 Today Oikocredit published its latest Social and Environmental Performance Report (SEPR) which shows that nearly 90% of clients reached by the microfinance organisations Oikocredit invests in are women, compared to the sector average of 70%. full storyOikocredit annual general meeting takes place in India
June 22 | 2018 Last week, Oikocredit’s annual general meeting took place in Chennai, India. full storyOikocredit signs new guidelines on responsible digital financial inclusion
June 20 | 2018 Oikocredit joined over 50 fintech investors and innovators to develop guidelines aimed at spreading the benefits of the digital financial services revolution more widely. full storyJoin us in cities across Europe for a taste of Fapecafes fair trade coffee
June 11 | 2018 Oikocredit’s annual European road show kicks off 18 June in Berlin and will travel to various cities in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland. full storyGetting together for sustainable coffee in June
June 06 | 2018 Anyone for sustainably sourced coffee? You can get a taste of Oikocredit’s collaborative efforts in the sustainable coffee sector by following our coffee-themed updates which we will share with you throughout June. full storyThos Gieskes: why we’ve updated our strategy and how we’re aiming for more impact [interview]
May 24 | 2018 Last month we announced our financial results and introduced Oikocredit’s updated strategy. Our Managing Director Thos Gieskes shares more details on what’s different about the new approach, why focus is so important, and how social impact remains at Oikocredit’s heart. full storyA cool head and a warm heart: how to produce organic and fair trade honey [partner story]
May 11 | 2018 There's lots that we can learn from bees: alternative ways of working, serving the community and sharing. We talked to Luis Enrique Castañón Chavarría, Managing Director of Oikocredit’s fair trade and organic partner Miel Mexicana, about how bees cooperate, the beekeeping industry and its international customers. full storyOikocredit invests € 1 million in renewable energy company Inyenyeri
May 02 | 2018 Today Oikocredit and Inyenyeri announced the € 1 million loan investment at the Sustainable Energy for All Forum in Lisbon, Portugal. full story