A close-up image of hands breaking apart a cocoa bean.

Improving Financial Inclusion in Rural Colombia .

Access to Finance | Economic Growth and Trade | Vulnerable Groups | Women's Empowerment | Financial Services and Access to Finance
Latin America and the Caribbean

Rural Finance Initiative (RFI)

Project Dates: August 2015 - February 2022
Following decades of armed conflict, providing rural Colombians with financial services is essential to building an inclusive economy and promoting stability.

Decades of armed conflict in Colombia have left many people in poverty and without equal financial opportunities. Those living in rural areas and working in agriculture have struggled to obtain financial services — such as credit, savings, and insurance and payment services. This limitation compromises the ability of micro-, small-, and medium-sized agricultural producers and other businesses to improve their productivity and, in turn, inhibits the country’s overall economic growth. The USAID Rural Finance Initiative (RFI) helps banks and other financial institutions deliver market-based services, especially for women and disadvantaged groups.

Project Goals


  • Help banks and other financial institutions expand services in rural areas to link 200,000 new clients — half of whom are women — with financial services
  • Mobilize $500 million in rural financial services, at least 90 percent of which are rural and agricultural loans
  • Provide financial institutions with incentives and specialized technical assistance to expand into underserved rural markets and to design, test, and scale innovations
  • Provide women and vulnerable groups with access to financial services, including Afro-Colombians, indigenous persons, youth, and LGBTQ persons
Image of two men standing in a field and having a discussion.

USAID Rural Finance Initiative – Davivienda Agricultural Credit

USAID Colombia Rural Finance Initiative's work with rural Colombian client Davivienda, offering agricultural credit.

Image of two women having a discussion while one shows the other a smartphone.

USAID Rural Finance Initiative – Microempreses de Colombia Digital Credit

USAID Colombia Rural Finance Initiative's work with rural Colombian clients through the Microempresas de Colombia digital credit.

A woman smiling and posing for a photo.

USAID Rural Finance Initiative – MOVii Digital Application

USAID Colombia Rural Finance Initiative's work with Venezuelan migrant clients - working with MOVii digital application.

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USAID Rural Finance Initiative – Project Overview

Overview of the USAID Colombia Rural Finance Initiative.

Image of a woman smiling. Below the image reads "US $1.034 million."

USAID Rural Finance Initiative – Closeout Event, May 2022

The USAID Colombia Rural Finance Initiative ended in May 2022. Watch this video to learn more about the project's impact.

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