The company’s vision is to be a highly respected and leading provider of opportunities for socially responsible investments and credit for development. Guiding principles on which we base our work are Sharing, Ecumenical spirit, Grassroots, People, Integrity and Creation. Oikocredit is one of the world’s largest sources of private funding to the microfinance sector. We lend working capital to MFIs all over the world. We also provide credit to trade cooperatives, fair trade organisations and SMEs in the developing world. We aim to offer a dual return to our investors: financial and social. In addition to earning modest financial returns, investors are secure in the knowledge that their money is being used to fight poverty, promote fair trade and respect our planet's natural resources.
The cooperative has a long history as a social and ethical investment fund, dating from 1975, when microfinance was in its infancy. Specific know-how and expertise has been developed over time in supporting financial institutions involved with agricultural finance, housing loans, SME, wholesale etc. In addition, Oikocredit has built up expertise in other forms of social enterprise finance such as fair trade producers, agricultural cooperatives in the south, hospitals and universities. Oikocredit has country and regional offices with local staff, functioning as a decentralized organization. Since the last five years, Oikocredit has deepened its expertise in areas of social performance management, equity investment, local currency lending to name but a few.