The Swiss Capacity-Building Facility (SCBF) was launched in April 2011 as a Public Private Development Partnership between the Swiss Private Sector and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to promote financial inclusion in developing and emerging economies. In 2013 the SCBF was formally transformed into a non-profit association domiciled in Fribourg, Switzerland.
SCBF funds technical assistance (TA) for financial service providers to develop and upscale client-centered financial products, channels and services in developing and emerging countries. The financial products and services include savings, loans, insurance, digital financial services, or financial education, among others.
Since its inception SCBF has funded over 130 projects across 43 countries. The SCBF is dedicated to promoting responsible inclusive finance to meet the needs of low-income people, smallholder farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs to improve their livelihoods and to rise them out of poverty.
Annual Reports
What are the key issues that SCBF wants to address?
SCBF addresses two major constraints faced by its Partner Financial Institutions in expanding their outreach:
- the development of skilled management and staff, without whom the Partner Financial Institutions could not up-scale their 'pro-poor' financial services.
- debt and equity investments from social investors, which co-finance the expanding business operations of the Partner Financial Institutions.
Who can apply for support?
Swiss Competence Centers, Swiss Social Investors and SDC country offices are invited to submit innovative capacity building proposals for interventions to be implemented in Partner Financial Institutions in the South. how to apply
Who are the Partner Financial Institutions?
SCBF is dedicated to supporting partner financial institutions with a clear social mission to serve those on low incomes, particularly women and smallholder farmers. Providing increased access to client-oriented financial services helps to financially empower smallholder farmers, microenterprises and those on low incomes. It enables them to strengthen their economic potential by building up physical and financial assets, protecting their families through better housing, health and education, and improving their resilience to unexpected economic hardships. Increasing access to the same financial services also helps to enable job creation and income generation at small and medium-size private enterprises.
Who are the members of the SCBF?
Strategic partners: Swiss Development Association, CreditSuisse, AGFUND and Swiss Re Foundation. >> more
Members: Find the alphabetical list of all 25 members >> here
Which are the projects that are supported?
You can find all the SCBF Co-Funded Projects (Innovation and Product Upscaling Projects, Feasibility Studies, Financial Education Campaigns) since Inception 2011 in a project library >> here
