The project

Please note: 1st repayment of the principal after 12 months instead of 6 months. However, the interest payments start after 6 months.

Kaebauk Investmentu No Finansas (KIF) is a microfinance institution in East Timor. This country in Southeast Asia is one of the smallest and least developed countries in the region. With only 13% of the population having access to regular financial services, it is highly necessary that KIF provides financial products to poor rural and urban populations so they can improve their living conditions. 

Luckily, Alcina was one of the people who received a loan from KIF. As she stands in her blooming eggplant farm, she reflects on what it looked like before. With the loan she received from KIF, she was able to buy eggplant seeds and fertilizer. Without the financial support from KIF, she would still be standing in an empty field. Purchasing seeds and fertilizers kickstarted her farm. Besides being a proud, female farmer, she is also a proud mom as she was able to enrol her children in private high schools which ensures that her children get the best education available.

Today, KIF has become an essential player in Timor-Leste's economic and social development. Interestingly, KIF is also the largest private employer in Timor-Leste. Will you invest in KIF, and create impact for the company as well as for women like Alcina?

Loan objective

With this loan from Lendahand KIF will provide finance to about 90 rural entrepreneurs, farmers, women-owned businesses, and many other SMEs in Timor Leste. This loan enables households, farmers, and other clients to grow their businesses, assist in growing their agricultural activities, and housing improvements, and help their children to get access to better education.

About local partner KIF 

Local partner KIF began its operations in 2001 with support from Save the Children, but later on, registered as a distinguished MFI under Catholic Relief Services. From the start, the objective was to improve the livelihood of women and poor families through financial services. It has been proven that such microcredit activity is critical for the economic development of Timor-Leste, especially with the understanding that there were and still are very few financial services available. The economy of Timor Leste is weak. There is hardly any industry in the country. The fact that Kaebauk Inbestimentu No Finansas (KIF) is the largest private employer in Timor-Leste with over 300 employees, says quite something about the size of the economy but also underlines the important role KIF plays in Timor Leste.

Timor-Leste is home to 1.3 million people. The capital Dili is a relatively small city where the days of Portuguese colonialism blend with Indonesian influences and the culture of the indigenous habitants. The country is heavily reliant on its border with Indonesia and the income generated from oil and gas exploration. The economy in Timor Leste is primarily focused on agriculture and trade.

KIF in numbers

• Founded in 2001
• 324 employees 
• 15.956 loans issued (end of 2022)
• 70% are female borrowers

USD Risk 

Check the interest rate and maturity KIF offers you as an investor at the top of this page. For more information about possible exchange rate risks, visit our currency page.