02/10/2026
Meet MiCrédito, one of Kiva's Lending Partners in Nicaragua since 2004.
MiCrédito reaches rural and underserved communities that traditional financial institutions often overlook, sometimes traveling by motorcycle to meet clients where they are. Most of their loans go to women, who make up 55% of unbanked people worldwide and often face an added barrier: property and collateral requirements that shut them out of traditional lending.
"Women generally have fewer opportunities than men, so we look for tools that give them the power," says Verónica, MiCrédito's co-founder and CEO.
That approach has helped entrepreneurs like Lisbeth, who used MiCrédito loans to build a clothing shop from nothing. "The first ones to support me was MiCrédito," she says. "They were the first ones who gave me the opportunity."
Partners like MiCrédito are exactly why the Kiva model works: local expertise, paired with global support.
Pictured is Lisbeth, who used a loan to help her start and expand her clothing store, with help from MiCrédito.
