Oikocredit invests € 2.3 million in Fin’Elle to support women entrepreneurs in Côte d'Ivoire

Oikocredit invests € 2.3 million in Fin’Elle to support women entrepreneurs in Côte d'Ivoire

24 June 2021

Oikocredit’s loan to Fin’Elle will help provide microfinance and mesofinance loans to 10,000 households in Côte d'Ivoire

Amersfoort, the Netherlands – Social impact investor Oikocredit has provided a loan of € 2.3 million to Fin'Elle, a member of the Cofina Group. Fin'Elle is a microfinance institution (MFI) focused on empowering women entrepreneurs by providing microfinance and mesofinance loans to women-owned small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in Côte d’Ivoire.

Fin'Elle’s mesofinance products cater to the needs of SMEs that need a loan but would be seen as too small for commercials banks and too big for MFIs.

In addition to the loan, Oikocredit plans on further supporting Fin’Elle with technical assistance to help them improve women's financial literacy and increase financial inclusion in Côte d'Ivoire.

Kady Traore, CEO of Fin'Elle, said: “Fin'Elle is delighted with Oikocredit's confidence and support. This € 2.3 million credit line will enable us to accelerate the implementation of our policy of financing women entrepreneurs. We have no doubt that this is the beginning of a beautiful journey together with Oikocredit, which constantly demonstrates its interest in gender equality and social inclusion."

Cedrick Montetcho, Regional Investment Officer at Oikocredit, stated: "We are proud to be the first international lender in financing Fin'Elle. We are looking forward to providing Fin’Elle with capacity building support and technical assistance to help them achieve a higher social impact amongst women entrepreneurs."

 

About Oikocredit

Social impact investor and worldwide cooperative Oikocredit has 45 years of experience funding organisations active in financial inclusion, agriculture and renewable energy.

Oikocredit's loans, equity investments and capacity building aim to enable people on low incomes in Africa, Asia and Latin America to improve their living standards sustainably.

Oikocredit finances 544 partners, with total outstanding capital of € 856 million (at 31 March 2021). For more information: www.oikocredit.coop.

 

About Fin'Elle

Created in 2018, Fin'Elle is a microfinance institution dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurship. With a range of savings, credit products, and training sessions, Fin'Elle is committed to the promotion of a pan-African model of inclusive finance for women. Fin' Elle has more than 9,000 clients and is ranked 9th in the ranking of MFIs in Côte d'Ivoire. Fin'Elle is a subsidiary of the Groupe Cofina, the African leader in mesofinance.

 Contact Fin' ELLE: info.finelle@cofinacorp.com

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Note for editors

For more information or to request an interview, please contact Jasmin Panjeta, Communications Business Partner, Oikocredit International, telephone: +31 33 422 4040, email: jpanjeta@oikocredit.org.

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