ACCELERATE MICROFINANCE GROWTH

Unitus focuses on accelerating the growth of ambitious MFIs around the globe. We work closely with the social entrepreneurs who lead these organizations to grow their operations and build capacity, so they can serve more micro-entrepreneurs in less time. 

 
The four-point Unitus Acceleration Model drives this process:

• Select. We search for visionary microfinance leaders at work in the world’s poorest countries. We rigorously evaluate their organizations, management teams, and plans for growth. This process helps us to select the highest-potential organizations and ensures that our donor dollars make the largest possible impact on global poverty.
  
  > Read about our selection process
  
  

• Invest. The most critical barrier to growth for MFIs is the lack of capital needed to expand their pool of loans and to serve more of the world’s working poor.  We work closely with our partners to customize a financing plan that includes grants, debt, and equity. Often, equity investments are made through the Unitus Equity Fund, an affiliated private equity fund founded by Unitus. Unitus partners also benefit from our strategic advisory services and the relationships Unitus has with local and international banks, which can lead to additional long-term financing.
  
  > Read about our capital services for MFIs
  
  
• Consult. Other barriers to growth include ineffective human resource management, inefficient business operations, lack of strategic planning, and outdated or inappropriate information technology and infrastructure. Our professional team (with backgrounds from McKinsey, Lloyds Bank, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and others) bring our partners innovative tools and advisory services in technology, human resources, and assistance with strategic planning and transparent governance.
  
  > Read about our MFI advisory services
  
  
• Connect. Our partners are some of the best and brightest leaders in the microfinance industry. Unitus connects its partners through a peer-to-peer network that includes formal events such as the annual Unitus Leadership Summit, informal peer connections, and regular dissemination of best practices and field knowledge. Through our network, Unitus partners have the ability to share and discover new ways to provide higher-quality microfinance services for more people.
  
  > Read about our partner network