Opportunity Malawi clients line up to deposit money or get loans at a mobile bank that makes weekly stops in their rural village.
The Bill & Melinda Gates and MasterCard Foundations Partner with Opportunity International to Provide Financial Access to 1.4 Million of the Rural Poor in Africa
Read the Announcement
Oak Brook, Ill. (Feb. 23, 2010) — Opportunity International has announced a $16 million program co-funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The MasterCard Foundation to provide access to savings accounts and agricultural loans in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, where less than 10 percent of people have access to comprehensive financial services.
Go to the press release »
Hear the Story Firsthand
Melinda Gates’ recent blog post and interview highlight the variety of ways Opportunity is providing access to banking services in even the most remote areas.
Read the story or watch the video of farmer Lucas Chingore and discover how Opportunity’s mobile banks change lives.
Learn how Grace Msowoya redefined the role of women in her local market through an Opportunity savings account.
Explore the Research
Expanding Outreach in Malawi: OIBM’s Efforts to Launch a Mobile Phone Banking Program
This case study explores the efforts of the Opportunity International Bank of Malawi (OIBM) to implement mobile phone banking (m-banking) for its microfinance customers.
Overcoming Back-end Barriers: Opportunity International and Bank Switching Solutions
This Progress Note describes Opportunity International’s efforts to use technology, specifically back-end switching systems, to enable its banks to achieve widespread outreach to rural microfinance clients.
