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ACAD Finance is a regulated, for-profit financial company based in Palestine, which provides sustainable and efficient financial services to poor women and families, mainly in rural areas, in order to contribute to poverty reduction and economic development in Palestine. In 2014, ACAD Finance (ACAD Finance) was founded by the NGO ACAD, which has decades of experience in serving people in Palestine since 1988. Supported and accompanied by SIDI from the outset, SIDI is a shareholder in ACAD Finance.
Palestine (territories under Israeli occupation since 1967) is a territory divided and fragmented by the presence and growth of illegal Israeli settlements (according to international law) where the Palestinian state controls only 18% of the surface area (as provided for in the Oslo agreements). The failure to resolve the Palestinian question is hampering the development and security of the region (due to the conflict between Israel and certain Arab countries) and making it a less than autonomous and non-viable entity (without international aid). The Palestinian state itself is divided between Gaza and the West Bank, with authoritarian political institutions fighting for Palestinian leadership over Israel.
ACAD F is the microfinance institution in Palestine with the smallest average loan size in the country, which is a first indication that it is targeting “poor” clients. In addition, and in line with its mission, more than a third of ACAD F’s portfolio is dedicated to financing small-scale agriculture. Finally, more than half of ACAD F’s customers are women. For all these reasons, ACAD F is a micro-financial institution with a strong social impact in one of the most difficult regions to live in.
