Why microfinance?

The creation of Advans stems from a simple belief: small businesses employ the vast majority of the active population and therefore play an essential role in social and economic development in emerging economies. These small businesses need financial support in order to foster development and reinforce their activity, support they cannot generally obtain from traditional financial service providers. Advans’ goal is to democratise access to financial services for these small businesses, and therefore contribute to inclusive growth in our countries of operations. 

Microfinance is the provision of financial services to low income populations, at Advans we focus especially on small businesses who lack adapted access to financial services.

As an international microfinance group, our core business is providing tailored loans to small businesses so as to increase their working capital or to invest in productive assets that are key to their activity. Where a traditional financial player may refuse to lend to these clients, we aim to identify their needs, and imagine how we can serve them in a sustainable manner, whether they are an urban entrepreneur or a farmer. Our lending methodology for SME and micro loans is based on cash flow analysis. We look at the income, expenses and financial history of each client, and ensure that the loan we are offering fits the client’s needs and can easily be repaid. We do not ask for any prior savings from the customer.

But it doesn't stop at loans, we have also developed a full range of financial services adapted to the needs of small businesses, and more generally low income populations including current accounts, savings, transactions and insurance. This enables our clients to have a better daily management of their money, to deal with emergencies, and to plan for future projects, like saving for their children’s’ education.

We serve entrepreneurs with very different profiles, from cocoa farmers who need a 200 EUR loan to buy farm inputs, to SMEs who borrow 300 000 EUR to develop their vehicle fleet. We commit to provide our clients a quality customer service which is transparent and responsible in terms of pricing, as well as sustainable in order to support them in the long term. Thanks to the financial solidity of the group, and the expertise we have developed since 2005, we aim to become the preferred financial partner of small businesses in our countries of operation.