VisionFund embeds financial services in community systems, reaches nearly 1 million borrowers

MEDIA RELEASE

June 18, 2026

 

VisionFund is reshaping financial inclusion by embedding services within trusted community systems, reaching nearly 1 million borrowers in FY2025, according to its latest annual report.

Rather than delivering financial services as standalone products, VisionFund has integrated them into locally trusted structures in partnership with World Vision—a model the organisation says improves access, trust, and resilience for vulnerable families.

In FY2025, VisionFund reported 952,897 active borrowers and $721 million in loans disbursed. Since 2003, it has delivered 22.9 million loans worth $13.1 billion.

Beyond credit, 1.6 million clients were insured, and 394,305 savings group members were supported with capital, reaching 3.2 million children through household-level impact.

“In communities where trust determines access, delivery matters as much as design,” said Edgar Martinez, President and CEO of VisionFund. “By embedding financial services into community systems, we are able to reach families in ways that strengthen resilience beyond finance alone.”

At the core of the approach is THRIVE 2030 (Transforming Household Resilience in Vulnerable Environments), a client journey that combines empowerment, savings, credit, and insurance into a single system that reflects how households build resilience over time.

The model begins with confidence-building and empowerment training, followed by savings groups that strengthen financial discipline and peer support. VisionFund then provides group-based lending to enable investment in livelihoods, with clients later able to transition into individual loans for business expansion.

Insurance and recovery lending form the final layer, helping families absorb shocks and maintain stability during crises.

Looking ahead, VisionFund is expanding its digital savings group strategy through a partnership with DreamStart Labs, while also strengthening child vulnerability mapping and contributing to global frameworks such as the UNICEF Child-Lens Investing Framework.

VisionFund is the financial inclusion arm of World Vision, the global Christian relief, development, and advocacy organisation dedicated to helping children, families, and communities overcome poverty and injustice. It provides financial inclusion services through affordable loans, savings, insurance, and financial education to vulnerable and marginalised communities, particularly rural women, in more than 20 countries.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION 

April Ann A. Bulanadi 

Communications Manager, VisionFund

media@visionfund.org