| Project Detail |
The microfinance institution Futuro Mcb, SA currently provides financial services (loans, savings, insurance) to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) mainly in and around Nampula city. Switzerland will continue to support Futuro with a grant for technical assistance that will help the bank to expand its impact by providing financial services to more low-income entrepreneurs in more regions in Northern Mozambique, thus allowing them to enhance their income and create more jobs. Access to finance is a major obstacle to the development of all economic activities. Despite some improvements thanks to mobile banking, financial inclusion in Mozambique remains a challenge, as low-income groups are still excluded from formal financial services because they do not meet the requirements of formal banks (e.g. identity cards, collateral), they lack information about the financial services offered, or because commercial banks consider them too risky and the interest rates are too high. There are large and persistent rural and gender gaps in access to finance and the provinces of Nampula, Cabo Delgado and Niassa have the lowest level of financial inclusion in the country. In these regions, micro, small and medium enterprises don’t have access to or insufficient access to financial services which limits their potential to grow and to create jobs. Switzerland founded Futuro in 2017 with an initial capital injection of CHF 1 million, and is the main shareholder to date. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation co-financing technical assistance remains crucial to enable Futuro to expand and effectively implement its 2023-2027 business plan. Objectives Rural and urban poor in Northern Mozambique have access to financial services to increase their income and create more jobs through a solid, reliable, innovative and client-oriented financial institution. |
