Accion (organization)

Accion (organization)
Name	Accion
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	1961
Founder	Jose Joaquin Lopez Mejia
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts
Area served	Global
Key people	Michael Schlein
Focus	Microfinance, Financial inclusion, Small business finance

Accion (organization) is a global nonprofit organization focused on expanding financial inclusion through microfinance, fintech investment, and small business lending. Founded in 1961, the organization has influenced microcredit models, banking partnerships, and digital finance initiatives across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and North America. Accion has engaged with major development actors, regulatory bodies, commercial banks, and philanthropic funders to scale access to capital for underserved entrepreneurs.

History

Accion emerged in 1961 amid interactions with Alliance for Progress, Peace Corps, Inter-American Development Bank, and Catholic Relief Services initiatives. Early activities intersected with leaders such as John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Sister Mary Knapp, and development thinkers like Muhammad Yunus and Esther Duflo. During the 1970s and 1980s Accion collaborated with entities including United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, Ford Foundation, and Open Society Foundations to pilot group lending and individual microloan models. In the 1990s Accion partnered with Citigroup, HSBC, Banco do Brasil, and BBVA to professionalize microfinance institutions, while interacting with regulators like Central Bank of Argentina and Banco de la República (Colombia). The 2000s saw Accion expand into digital finance with collaborations involving Visa, Mastercard, GSMA, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In the 2010s Accion’s strategic investments connected with actors such as Ant Financial, Square, Inc., PayPal, and Kiva influencers. Leadership transitions included executives who previously worked at Harvard University, Columbia Business School, and McKinsey & Company.

Mission and Programs

Accion’s mission emphasizes scaling financial services for microentrepreneurs through lending, capacity building, and technology, aligning with goals set by United Nations and Sustainable Development Goals. Core programs have included microcredit operations tied to Small Business Administration-style training, business development partnerships with Inter-American Development Bank programs, and technical assistance delivered alongside Mercy Corps, Oxfam, and CARE International. Programmatic work integrates research with academic partners like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard Kennedy School, London School of Economics, and University of Cape Town. Training and capacity building have utilized curricula influenced by Kauffman Foundation, International Labour Organization, and TechnoServe methodologies.

Microfinance and Financial Inclusion

Accion has developed microfinance methodologies inspired by models from Grameen Bank, BRAC, BancoSol, and FINCA. The organization has supported regulated institutions such as Banco Compartamos, ASA, and Equity Bank while promoting digital channels in collaboration with M-Pesa, bKash, and Tigo Money. It has contributed to dialogues involving CGAP, Microfinance Gateway, Accion’s microfinance network, Microcredit Summit Campaign, and central banking reforms in countries like Mexico, Peru, and Kenya. Accion’s strategies include savings mobilization, mobile wallets, agent banking, and SME credit products aligned with IFC risk frameworks and Basel Committee considerations.

Geographic Presence

Accion operates across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and North America, with country footprints overlapping with loci such as Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, India, Bangladesh, Philippines, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, Uganda, Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, United States, and Canada. Regional hubs have coordinated programs alongside regional development banks including CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, African Development Bank, and Asian Development Bank. Field offices have commonly worked with national regulators like Reserve Bank of India and Central Bank of Nigeria.

Organization and Governance

Accion’s governance structure includes a board of directors and executive leadership with ties to institutions such as Harvard Business School, Columbia University, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and London School of Economics. The organization has engaged governance advisers from McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company. Compliance, audit, and risk management interfaces have been aligned with standards used by Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and global accounting firms including Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources have included philanthropic donors like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Omidyar Network, and Mastercard Foundation; impact investors including Acumen Fund, Triodos Investment Management, BlueOrchard, LeapFrog Investments; and commercial partners such as Citigroup, HSBC, Banco Santander, and Goldman Sachs. Accion has co-invested with development finance institutions including IFC, Proparco, and FMO and participated in blended finance structures alongside USAID, UK Department for International Development, and European Investment Bank.

Impact and Criticism

Accion claims impacts measured in client outreach, loan portfolio growth, and digital adoption metrics, paralleling assessments by CGAP, World Bank, and academic evaluations from MIT D-Lab and Harvard Kennedy School. Reported successes include scaling microloans, fostering fintech startups, and fostering partnerships with incumbent banks; notable collaborations involved Ant Financial-linked ventures and fintech accelerators connected to 500 Startups and Y Combinator. Criticism has come from observers referencing debates around interest rates in microfinance highlighted in controversies involving Banco Compartamos, borrower over-indebtedness studies from Microfinance Risk, and sector critiques by researchers such as Dean Karlan and David Roodman. Other critiques have focused on commercialization, mission drift, and the balance between financial sustainability and social impact, subjects debated at forums like Skoll World Forum, World Economic Forum, and Clinton Global Initiative.

Category:Microfinance organizations Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States