Accredited investors[1] can play a critical role in expanding financial inclusion and making a difference in the world through microfinance. All investors’ funds are disbursed as loans in 10+ countries. We work with carefully selected microfinance institutions (MFls) that have a strong social and environmental focus and solid financial performance. These local MFls, in turn, lend to thousands of borrowers, many of whom represent excluded or vulnerable populations, such as women and rural residents. In the photo above, Ann from Kenya proudly displays her new lightbulb, powered by a solar panel she purchased with a loan from VEP, her local microfinance organization. Access to reliable lighting has transformed her family’s life.
WHY INVEST?
What Our Investors Say:
“ I want my funds to be used for a good cause”
“ I like how closely Envest collaborates with its MFI partners. This is a long-term commitment.”
“Because I can help a lot more deserving people when I invest in $1,000 loans”
“I am entrepreneurial myself, so microfinance makes sense to me.”
WHO ARE OUR INVESTORS?
Envest is fortunate to have the support of a wide variety of investors located in 25 U.S. states.
Nearly 60% of our investors come in through a financial advisor. We do have institutional investors, but the bulk of our portfolio is funded through individual investors.
The average individual investment is about $130,000.
These investors are united by a desire to make a difference in expanding financial inclusion to individuals in countries facing a severe need for capital.
UNMET DEMAND
There are over 1.4 billion unbanked people worldwide with a particularly large funding gap to small entrepreneurs. For 15+ years Envest’s mission is to connect investors to socially responsible microfinance institutions that make a difference in the lives of small entrepreneurs and their families around the world. See map with countries where we work
At our MFI partners’ average loan size of approximately $1,000, an investment of $100,000 could provide loans to 100 people.
An investment in microfinance is also a chance to reduce poverty and inequalities and add more value to their local communities and the environment
DUE DILIGENCE
Envest’s due diligence of the MFI partners, as well as the monitoring process, ensures that your investment creates a positive impact on individual borrowers. We believe that by funding carefully selected, mission-driven MFIs, they can make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.
Our mandatory in-person visits to the MFIs and some of their clients ensure that their social mission is a good fit for Envest. A portfolio team then assesses the MFI’s operating and financial history, the country’s macroeconomic, credit, and political risk, and the MFI mission. This rigorous process also helps us identify MFIs that demonstrate a commitment to the communities they serve and the people who have been historically marginalized.
HOW TO INVEST?
Contact us to learn more about how to invest with us in three easy steps.
Step 1: Fill out Envest’s offering documents and return them to us
Step 2: Envest verifies your status as an accredited investor
Step 3: Your money begins providing credit opportunities to entrepreneurs all over the world
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Envest offers an opportunity for accredited investors to have a global impact through microfinance while receiving a financial return. We currently operate two funds that accept investments, each fund offering equity and debt options: Envest Microfinance Fund established in 2012, and Envest Plus founded in 2023. The Plus fund allows for new ways to increase the number of people our MFI partners can offer access to financial resources. Click on the links below to learn more about each fund.
[1] *According to SEC an accredited investor is an individual who has a net worth of over US$1 million (excluding primary residence), or an annual income of over US$200,000.