1980-1990: The Dawn of Microfinance
1984
John Hatch conceives Village Banking. His plan enables poor Bolivian farmers with no collateral to access loans through a collective guarantee. In 1985 Hatch establishes FINCA International. FINCA is an acronym that stands for the Foundation for International Community Assistance.
1985
FINCA International launches its first Village Banking programs in Latin America. El Salvador is first in 1985; Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Haiti follow in 1989.
1991-2000: New Continents, New Clients, New Services
1992
FINCA International launches its first program in Africa. FINCA Uganda opens in 1992, proving that Village Banking can work in diverse geographic and cultural environments.
1995
FINCA International expands to Eurasia. FINCA Kyrgyzstan opens in 1995.
1997
FINCA International co-sponsors the first-ever Microcredit Summit. The Summit attracts practitioners, advocates, educational institutions, financial institutions, non-governmental organizations, donors and others from around the world to coalesce to a common goal: To eliminate poverty.
1998
President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton visit FINCA Uganda and show strong support for microfinance as one important and critical tool for development.
1998-1999
FINCA International launches five new programs in Eurasia. Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan inaugurates FINCA Kosovo; FINCA also launches programs in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan.
1999
FINCA offers micro-insurance. Its innovative program in Uganda is later adopted by many MFIs.
2001 – 2010: Microcredit Comes of Age
2004
Academy-award winning actress Natalie Portman is named FINCA Ambassador of Hope and her work with FINCA raises the visibility of microfinance as one important tool for development in emerging economies.
2005 – 2006
The United Nations declares 2005 the Year of Microcredit. The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank, validating the positive global impact of microfinance.
2007
FINCA International launches the Village Banking Campaign, a commitment to provide financial services to one million clients living in poverty.
2007
FINCA Canada is established.
2008
FINCA International launches a new subsidiary in Jordan. Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan inaugurates the program.
2010
FINCA Uganda pilots a micro-energy loan program which later was called BrightLife. Loans enable clients to purchase solar lamps and solar cookers and generators to ensure a steady, sustainable source of power for homes and businesses. Only 12 % of the population in Uganda is on the electric grid.
2010
Milestone: FINCA International celebrates 25 years of providing financial services to low-income entrepreneurs.
2010-today: Meeting the Needs of a Global Market
2011
FINCA Uganda launches a youth savings pilot program.
2011
FINCA Canada endorses The Smart Campaign. The Smart Campaign is a global campaign committed to embedding client protection practices into the institutional culture and operations of the microfinance industry.
2011
FINCA International launches FINCA Microfinance Holding Company LLC., the first-of-its-kind socially responsible investment partnership for microfinance.
2013
FINCA launches in Pakistan.
2014
FINCA helps clients save money with over $130 million in savings deposits. The same year FINCA launched in Nigeria.
2015
FINCA serves nearly 2 million people with a variety of financial services.
