Berendina Microfinance Institute (Guarantee) Ltd

Gross Loan Portfolio USD, 2010: 4.3 million

Number of active borrowers 2010: 25,847

Average loan balance per borrower USD, 2010: 167.7

Deposits USD, 2010: 0.0

Assets USD, 2010: 4.7 million

Number of depositors 2010: 0

Mission:

Ensuring that poor has access to quality microfinance and Enterprise Development Services (EDS) at the lowest possible price resulting in progressive future for them

Background and Main Challenges:

The MFI is based on main principles of poverty focus, sustainabiliy. The ogansation also has an objective setting up a best practice MFI as a model for other MFIs in Sri Lanka. One of the Key challenge is inadequate funding sources.

Address:

No.381/10, Swarna Place

Nawala

Sri Lanka

Phone:

+94 11 4367641

Email:

beren [at] sltnet [dot] lk

Website:

www.berendina.org

Main Funding Sources:

Grants

Loans

Products and Services:

Loans

Training and Consulting

Services Provided:

Business Development Services

Looking for (Investment Types):

Loans in Local Currency

Donations

Capacity Building Grants

Other Investment

% Operations Comprised by MF:

91 - 100

Date established:

Jan 1 2007

FYE:

31-Dec

Current Legal Status:

NBFI

Regulated:

yes

Social Performance Profile


+ Mission specifics
+ Target markets (ranked by importance)
Women	1
Clients living in rural areas	2
Minorities	3
+ Development goals (ranked by importance)
Poverty reduction	1
Increased access to financial services	2
Employment generation	3
Development of start-up enterprises	4
Growth of existing businesses	5
Housing	6
Gender equality and women's empowerment	7
Increasing household assets, mainstreaming maginalized populations	8
+ Poverty targets
Poor clients
Low income clients
+ Governance
Has trained members of its board on social performance management
Has a formal board committee that monitors social performance
+ Range of products and services
+ Financial products and services offered
+ Credit products offered
Microcredit loans for microenterprises
Microcredit for household needs/consumption
Loans for agriculture
Loans for education
Housing loans
Loans for emergency needs.
+ Savings products offered
+ Compulsory insurance products required
Compulsory credit life insurance
For dairy loans the animal must be insured
+ Voluntary insurance products offered
+ Other financial products and services offered
+ Non-financial services offered
+ Enterprise services offered
Enterprise skills development
Business development services
+ Education services offered
Financial literacy education
+ Health services offered
+ Women's empowerment services offered
+ Products and services targeting the poor
Products and services specifically designed to target the poor:	Emergency loans, loans for toiliet constuction in estates
+ Social responsibility to clients
+ Client protection principles in use
The loan approval process requires evaluation of borrower repayment capacity and loan affordability. Loan approval does not rely solely on guarantees (whether peer guarantees, co-signers or collateral) as a substitute for good capacity analysis.
Productivity targets and incentive systems value portfolio quality at least as highly as other factors, such as disbursement or customer growth. Growth is rewarded only if portfolio quality is high.
Prices, terms and conditions of all financial products are fully disclosed to the customer prior to sale, including interest charges, insurance premiums, minimum balances, all fees, penalties, linked products, third party fees, and whether these can change over time.
Staff is trained to communicate effectively with all customers, ensuring that they understand the product, the terms of the contract, their rights and obligations. Communications techniques address literacy limitations (e.g. reading contracts out loud, materials in local languages).
The organization's corporate culture values and rewards high standards of ethical behavior and customer service.
+ Cost of services to clients
Flat interest method
+ Social responsibility to staff
+ Human resources
Transparency on salary (a clear salary scale based upon market salaries)
Benefits (medical insurance, pension contribution)
Protection at work (safety, anti-harassment)
Equality (anti-discrimination, equal pay for men and women with equivalent skill levels)
Interest free lons for staff education/professional courses
+ Basis of staff incentives related to social performance
Portfolio quality
Outstanding balance, cluster meeting recovery, case load
+ Social responsibility to the environment
This institution trains/educates clients regarding environmental improvements
+ Poverty measurement tools in use
Grameen Progress out of Poverty Index (PPI)

Partnerships

Current
Name	Relationship
Consorzio Etimos	Funding
CORDAID	Funding

MFI Report