ENDA Tamweel 2016: A credit line for financial inclusion for poor people in Tunisia

The NGO ENDA Inter-Arabe started its microcredit activities in 1995. In 2016, it created subsidiaries for its microfinance activities within a public limited company, ENDA Tamweel, of which it is currently the majority shareholder (99%). ENDA Tamweel's mission is to contribute to the financial empowerment of marginalized populations, especially women and young people, via a range of high-quality financial services. It now offers a full range of loans, as well as non-financial services.

The project involves the allocation of a credit line for an amount in local currency equivalent to EUR 8m to ENDA Tamweel, Tunisia's leading microfinance institution (MFI). It serves over 260,000 clients and has an outstanding credit amount of over EUR 118m via a network of 80 branches (June 2015). Proparco is completing its support to ENDA with technical assistance, which aims to assist the MFI in the definition and implementation of its "gender" strategy to promote access to microcredits for women.

The credit line to ENDA should allow it to continue to fulfill its inclusion mission for the poorest, especially in rural areas. ENDA was for years the only private microcredit institution in Tunisia and it has a considerable social impact in the country. Planet Rating ranked it among the best microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Africa in 2015 and it obtained the Smart Campaign certification in July 2015. The project is fully in line with Proparco's mandate, as it involves supporting the leading institution in Tunisia, whose strategy historically focuses on low-income individuals in rural areas.