SANAD and Attadamoune Micro-Finance expand access to finance for Moroccan entrepreneurs
Luxembourg and Fes, February 08, 2022 – The SANAD Fund for MSME (SANAD) has provided a loan of USD 1.0 million to its newest partner, Attadamoune Micro-Finance, to expand access to financing for Moroccan micro and small enterprises, particularly women entrepreneurs. Through the facility, the partners aim to support income-generating activities in underserved and rural areas, such as small agricultural farmers. As the loan is hedged, the funding will provide much needed local currency financing to Attadamoune Micro-Finance and small businesses, safeguarding them from direct exposure to exchange rate fluctuations that can threaten their cash flows.
Established in 1994, Attadamoune Micro-Finance is the fifth largest microfinancial institution in Morocco and plays an integral role in lending to MSEs, which form the backbone of the Moroccan economy. With a large network of 48 branches, Attadamoune Micro-Finance is well positioned to support SANAD in the fund’s endeavour to expand financial inclusion to underserved groups.
SANAD Board Chairperson Dr. Daniela Beckmann said, “We are proud of this new partnership with Attadamoune Micro-Finance to provide needed financing to underserved clients in Morocco. Local currency lending is a key component of responsible finance, as it protects borrowers from exchange rate risk. Attadamoune’s expansive experience in serving micro-businesses in rural and underdeveloped areas makes it an optimal partner for SANAD’s mission to support economic development and stability in North Africa through sustainable finance.”
President and Founder Mrs. Khaddouj Gharbi said, “The partnership between Attadamoune Micro-Finance and SANAD is a good omen. It opens this year 2022, and those to come, to a cooperation that goes beyond the financial bond. May the best be ours.”
About SANAD
The SANAD Fund for MSME finances micro, small, and medium enterprises and low-income households in the Middle East and North Africa and selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa via qualified local lenders. SANAD thereby fosters economic development and job creation – including youth employment – agriculture, affordable housing, and innovations in finance and financial technologies. SANAD strives to meet these goals by providing debt and equity financing to its local partners. The SANAD Technical Assistance Facility multiplies the fund’s development impact and outreach through capacity-building with partner institutions, developing financial infrastructures according to the principles of responsible finance and conducting much required R&D.
An impact investment fund advised by Finance in Motion, SANAD’s investors include the KfW Development Bank, which initiated the fund; the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ); the European Union; Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO); OeEB, the Development Bank of Austria; Germany’s GLS Bank and GLS Treuhand; the Dutch development bank FMO; and Calvert Impact Capital.
For more information on the SANAD Fund for MSME, please visit: www.sanad.lu
For more information on Finance in Motion, please visit: www.finance-in-motion.com
About Attadamoune Micro-Finance
Attadamoune Micro-Finance is a non-profit development institution, created in Fez in 1994, and licensed on the 5th of September 1999, by the Ministry of Finance, as a Micro-Credit Association, following the publication of the Act N°18-97 relating to Micro-Credit in Morocco.
Our mission is to enable urban, suburban and rural micro-entrepreneurs from poor and very poor socio-economic backgrounds, excluded geographically and from the traditional financial system, to develop and/or stabilise their income-generating activity through adapted, diversified and quality financial and non-financial products that meet their needs. And this, without discrimination.
For more information about Attadamoune Micro-Finance, please visit: http://www.attadamounemicrofinance.ma
As well as the official LinkedIn Page: ATTADAMOUNE MICRO-FINANCE
Media contact – SANAD
Merle Roemer
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Phone: +49 (0)69 271 035-171
Email: press@sanad.lu
Media contact –Attadamoune Micro-Finance
Madame Kenza SERRHINI
Marketing & Communication
Téléphone : +212661947014
E-mail : k.serrhini@amssfmc.ma