EASTERN Europe Sustainable Microfinance in SerbiaWith the help of $11.96 million in grants from USAID since 2001, Opportunity International Serbia (OIS) not only got its start but also has developed into the only fully licensed microfinance institution in the entire country. OIS achieved financial sustainability after only six months and now serves more than 3,100 clients, with a loan portfolio of $9 million. This remarkable success has led to an agreement between OIS and USAID to convert the existing savings bank into a fully licensed commercial bank: Opportunity Bank Serbia.
Eastern Europe Expanding Microfinance Services In Albania With $5 million in aid from USAID since 1998, this small country on the Adriatic Sea has gained great momentum. USAID’s initial grant launched Opportunity International’s first program there: Partneri Shqiptar ne Mikrokredi (PShM). After only two years in operation, PShM received an A+ rating from Microfinanza — an independent consulting firm specialized in the microfinance and rural finance sector. USAID’s second grant expanded PShM into a joint-stock company. PShM also forms strategic alliances, such as developing loan products in coordination with diary giant Land O’Lakes, to finance dairy-improvement activities in this largely agricultural country. PShM now has nine branches, a total of 8,247 clients and a loan portfolio valued at $16,028,575.
AfricaBuilding the Leading Microfinance Provider in GhanaOpportunity International currently operates in all 10 regions of Ghana, thanks to USAID’s contribution of almost $2 million over a period of six years. Opportunity’s first microfinance institution there, Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT), was followed by Opportunity International Savings and Loans (OI-SASL), which is now recognized as the leading microfinance provider for the poor in all of Ghana. OI-SASL has set its sites on extending that title to all of West Africa. Today, SAT and OI-SASL together serve more than 60,000 loan clients and operate a combined portfolio of $6.8 million.
