Manulife Commits USD1 Million to Kiva to Drive Inclusive Economic Opportunities in Key Emerging Markets in Asia

Hong Kong – Manulife and Kiva announced a partnership to provide a funding boost to microentrepreneurs and underserved communities globally with a concentrated focus in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam through a USD1 million investment over three years. Through this commitment, Kiva will be able to increase the volume of entrepreneurs they provide with micro-financing loans across emerging markets in Asia and around the world.

Gaps in the current financial system have prevented over 1.4 billion people globally from building a better future for themselves and their families. Manulife and Kiva’s partnership is uniquely positioned to bridge these gaps and will focus on making financial solutions more accessible to small business owners and marginalized individuals through two key initiatives:

●        Increase Asia-focused lending capacity to help Kiva scale up lending partners in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam and provide financing for them to increase capacity for funding loans to aspiring microentrepreneurs.

●        Fund loans to microentrepreneurs in Asia and across the globe–an impactful solution to deploy flexible funding to small business owners through incentivizing corporate match funds or Kiva credits.

As part of the partnership, the Manulife Match Fund will be leveraged to provide capital to microentrepreneurs and underserved communities on Kiva’s crowd-funding platform, making this a simple way to distribute funds quickly and open opportunities  for individuals and communities without traditional access to financial services. Once the loans are repaid, funds return to Manulife’s Match Fund and will be distributed to new microentrepreneurs. As a revolving fund, the Manulife Match Fund with Kiva can play the crucial role of increasing the total funding available and accelerating the speed of funding loans for entrepreneurs.

This collaboration will also empower Kiva to conduct lean data studies and publish valuable insights on outcomes for borrowers, further strengthening a knowledge base for financial inclusion and ensuring that Kiva continues to help lending partners have the most beneficial outcomes for their clients.

This recent commitment from Manulife aligns with one of critical key areas of focus within Manulife’s Impact Agenda, which aims to drive inclusive economic opportunities to create a more even playing field for all. Through the partnership with Kiva, Manulife will help to accelerate the upward mobility of underrepresented groups and make financial solutions more accessible.

Sarah Chapman, Global Chief Sustainability Officer, Manulife, said: “We are proud of our partnership with Kiva, which will help entrepreneurs to unlock the financial resources they need to build thriving enterprises and transform their communities. This commitment underscores the power of blended finance in helping us reach underserved individuals and communities in key emerging markets in Asia. As this partnership unfolds, we look forward to better engaging our customers, agents, colleagues, and all our stakeholders through inspiring local activation campaigns across the region.”

The partnership will be launched in three phases over the coming three years, with local activation campaigns targeting different markets, sectors, and causes that resonate with Manulife’s customers, employees, agents, and Kiva’s network of lenders.

Vishal Ghotge, CEO, Kiva, commented: "Kiva is excited to partner with Manulife to expand our work to create a financially inclusive world where all people hold the power to improve their lives. Kiva’s model gives agency to individuals and brings systemic changes through the smallest of steps - both for partners like Manulife who want to bring about change and for entrepreneurs who need financial access to have a shot at bettering their lives. It's an honor to join hands with Manulife in pursuit of our shared vision for a more equitable financial future.”

Kiva was founded in 2005 as a crowdfunding pioneer, connecting individual lenders with entrepreneurs and communities worldwide. Over two million people have invested $2 billion in real dreams and real opportunities, spanning more than 90 countries and 4.7 million borrowers. Through Kiva, Manulife funded several loans to entrepreneurs and borrowers in Asia, including Ms. Paulina and Mr. Meliton, to create or expand on an opportunity.

Case study 1: Supporting a single woman and her fish vending business in the Philippines

Ms. Paulina is a single mom who has a fish vending business in the Philippines. Paulina works hard to support her family. She also earns income from her general store, and has been sustaining her business activities through her own efforts and with the help loan of USD $375 from Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF), Kiva’s Lending Partners and a non-governmental organization established with the aim to help women from low-income communities achieve self-sufficiency.

Paulina is working tirelessly towards attainment of her dream which is to save enough money so that she can afford to send her children to college.

Case study 2: Providing resources for farmer in Dalaguete to make farming sustainable

Mr. Meliton lives in the town of Dalaguete in the Philippines with his wife. He has been a farmer for a long time, growing vegetables like chayote, squash and okra to support his family. With a lack of capital and the high cost of farm maintenance, Meliton faces changes in his livelihood.

In order to boost and improve the yield on his farm, Meliton decided to request a loan of USD $450 from Kiva’s Lending Partner, Community Economic Venture, Inc (CEVI) to purchase seeds and fertilizer. With the fund, he is confident that it will enable him to better provide for his family’s needs and continue to expand his farm to become more sustainable in the future.

To learn more about Manulife and Kiva’s partnership, visit www.kiva.org/manulifematchfund. 

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