Our impact

9M

microfinance borrowers

88%

of microfinance clients are women

57M

users of bKash mobile money service in Bangladesh

$4.9B

in microfinance loans disbursed in 2021

BRAC believes sustainable poverty reduction must unite both economic and social development.

Financial inclusion is an integral part of BRAC’s holistic approach to development, equipping people who would otherwise be excluded from formal financial systems with the tools to invest in themselves, their families, and their communities.

Invest in human enterprise

Our approach

Microfinance services

BRAC offers inclusive, accessible, and convenient loan and savings products that are tailored to the needs of local clients, including women, smallholder farmers, migrant workers, small business owners, and youth. BRAC complements these services with financial education and client protection, enabling borrowers to make informed financial decisions.

Microfinance services

Women using smart phones to access their money

Empowering women

Many women in low-income economies are disproportionately left out of formal financial systems and often cannot make financial decisions for their households. When women have control of their finances, they are more likely to invest in family needs, such as health care, nutrition, and education. BRAC emphasises providing financial education and access to financial services for women, enabling them to become financially independent and uplift their families.

Empowering women

Seed facility owner in Tanzania

Multiplying impact

Pairing financial inclusion with other social services can amplify their impact on reducing poverty. BRAC complements many of its other social programmes with microfinance services, such as programmes for youth, agriculture and food security programmes, and programmes supporting people living in extreme poverty.

Multiplying impact

Women in Tanzania

Digital innovation

BRAC is at the forefront of financial technology, using innovative digital solutions to expand client offerings, develop new products and services, and improve data collection and programme quality. For example, in Rwanda, BRAC is piloting a mobile app that analyses anonymous household data to help us better understand the financial barriers facing clients. In Bangladesh, BRAC Bank launched bKash, a mobile money service that allows clients to send, save, and spend money. bKash has more than 30 million users across the country, including women, people living in poverty, and other groups that are traditionally left out of financial services.

Digital innovation

Women in Rwanda use a digital app on their phone to access their finances.
Microfinance, responsibly delivered, is an incredibly powerful tool to help people lift themselves out of poverty. That is why for over four decades, financial services have been central to BRAC’s holistic approach to development.”
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder of BRAC
For more details on our financial inclusion programmes, download our fact sheet.

Where we work

Bangladesh

BRAC was founded in Bangladesh in 1972 and remains headquartered in Dhaka today. Our first and largest country of operation, BRAC runs a comprehensive suite of programmes in nearly every corner of the country.

Bangladesh

Digital innovation in Bangladesh

Liberia

More than half of Liberia’s population lives below the poverty line, the largest proportion of any country where BRAC works. We launched operations in Liberia in 2008 with a goal of tackling the challenge holistically.

Liberia

Writing in a ledger

Myanmar

BRAC launched programmes in Myanmar in 2013. With nearly 70% of Myanmar’s population unbanked, our work emphasises providing vulnerable communities with financial services.

Myanmar

financial inclusion

Rwanda

As our newest country of work, BRAC launched operations in Rwanda in 2019. Our work in Rwanda currently centers around financial inclusion, with the goal of expanding our services in the future.

Rwanda

Financial inclusion in Rwanda, two women

Sierra Leone

BRAC began its work in Sierra Leone in 2008. In a context with high rates of poverty and unemployment, particularly among youth, BRAC’s holistic portfolio of programmes work to support communities to lift themselves out of poverty.

Sierra Leone

Women counting money in Sierra Leone

Tanzania

Tanzania is one of Africa’s fastest growing economies, but widespread poverty still persists. BRAC launched its first financial inclusion programmes in Tanzania in 2006, and has since expanded its work across a variety of programmes to address poverty holistically.

Tanzania

Financial inclusion in Tanzania

Uganda

BRAC expanded to Uganda in 2006, and the country has quickly become home to our largest operation outside of Bangladesh. In a country with one of the youngest populations in the world, BRAC’s work across sectors emphasises reaching young people.

Uganda

Woman in a field in Uganda.

Programme highlights

How financial inclusion can build economic resilience amid COVID-19

The worldwide economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic threaten to plunge half a billion people into poverty. As the crisis continues to take a massive economic toll, financial inclusion remains a critical tool for helping people living in poverty to recover.

Our work in action

What is financial inclusion?

Around 1.7 billion people worldwide do not have access to financial services, and the majority are women. Learn how BRAC’s inclusive financial services enable people to grow their assets, invest in small businesses, manage shocks, and build economic resilience.

Our most critical programmes for vulnerable families around the world depend on the generosity of people like you.