What we do

Impact Summary

Empowering low-income communities for sustainable prosperity

SCBF leverages public and private sector resources to fund financially inclusive enterprises that enable low-income populations to live a resilient and dignified life

238+

Projects co-funded

25.1M

CHF grant funding mobilised by SCBF and strategic partners

53

Countries

Geographical presence

SCBF has co-funded projects in 53 countries

Latin America

Asia

MENA

Sub-Saharan Africa

Project funding

Technical Assistance Grant

Repayable Grants

  • Funding technical assistance for innovative financial products, channels and services (no infrastructure)
  • Eligible countries as listed (except for projects focusing on smallholder farmers, which is all countries that receive ODA)
  • Minimum outreach to at least 4’000 new clients; low-income households, smallholder farmers and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME)
  • Third-party contributions (desirable)
  • Mid- and end-of project financial report with mandatory audits of the grantee for projects equal to or greater than CHF
  • Mid- and end-of project financial report with mandatory audits of the grantee for projects equal to or greater than CHF 100’000 (SCBF contribution) by external / independent auditor, which will be financed by SCBF
  • Financial and institutional self-sufficiency is reached or on a clear path towards it
  • Proven social mission in serving low-income clients, notably women, preferably in rural areas
  •  Compliance with responsible finance practices and data / privacy standards
  • Involvement of FSP’s senior management
  • Mobilisation and development of local / regional competences through hiring of local consultants and by having international consultants spending at least 60% of their expert days in-country (desirable)

Our contribution

While financial inclusion has advanced, nearly 1.3 billion adults worldwide remain excluded from the formal financial system.

Recognising the persistent protection gap in low- and lower-middle-income countries, SCBF has catalysed innovative insurance & financial solutions that expand access to affordable, relevant, and resilient financial protection for underserved communities.

This includes micro-entrepreneurs, smallholder farmers, and women who are disproportionately affected by climate change, economic instability, and conflict. They often lack access to secure savings, affordable credit, climate insurance, and other essential financial services needed to protect their livelihoods and build resilience.

Despite significant progress in financial inclusion, 1.3 billion adults remain excluded from the formal financial system, often due to low or irregular incomes, geographic barriers, lack of trusted financial providers, or challenges in meeting identification and Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements. Their exclusion limits access to essential financial services that can improve resilience and economic opportunity.

Women continue to face greater barriers to financial inclusion than men. Globally, 77% of women have access to a financial account, compared with 81% of men, and in many low- and middle-income countries women remain less likely to access formal financial services. Without banking, credit, insurance, and savings, smallholder farmers struggle to invest in productive inputs, families cannot save for education or future needs, and vulnerable households lack a financial safety net to withstand illness, climate shocks, or other emergencies.

Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of developing economies, yet around 65 million formal MSMEs—about 40%—have unmet financing needs. Together, formal and informal MSMEs face an estimated US$8.1 trillion financing gap, limiting their ability to grow, create jobs, and contribute to economic development.

SCBF closes the financial inclusion gap by catalysing innovation and partnerships that enable financial sector actors to develop, test, and scale client-centric financial solutions for underserved populations, particularly women, smallholder farmers, MSMEs, and rural communities.

Although the gender gap in access to financial services has fallen in the past decade, it still persists, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa.

This is why SCBF prioritises projects that build the resilience of women and other vulnerable groups. So far, 48% of the clients accessing the products, services or channels supported through SCBF-funded projects are women.

As a result, 54% of the lives impacted by our work have benefited from insurance products, such as health, life, property, agri-index and parametric (income loss due to heat stress & rainfall) insurance, helping vulnerable households and communities manage risks without resorting to negative coping strategies.

SCBF and the SDGs

Financial inclusion leads to greater economic empowerment and directly impacts many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as gender equality, good health for all and climate action. Since the SDGs launched in 2016, SCBF’s financial inclusion projects globally have contributed to 12 of the 17 SDGs.

Insights from SCBF projects and partners

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Our partnerships foster economic empowerment for low-income populations

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