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At Alterfin’s 2026 General Assembly, we brought together a panel to explore this question: Lore Vandewalle, Professor at KU Leuven; Simon Ziba and Josh Olson from VisionFund, an Alterfin partner; and Caterina Giordano, Chief Impact Officer at Alterfin.

An open letter from Armand Kouassi, Director of the CPR Canaan cooperative, a member of our partner Ecookim.

This year, Alterfin is joining forces with Oxfam to support the Bite to Fight project. Launched in 2018, the initiative aims to help 100 cocoa farmers from the CPR Canaan cooperative (a member of our partner Ecookim) achieve a living income. Oxfam hopes the project can serve as a model for the wider cocoa sector.

EBO SACCO, a savings and credit cooperative in Uganda, has grown significantly over the past two years. This growth is the result of a long trajectory supported by several organisations, including the Belgian organisations BRS and Trias. Alterfin then played a catalytic role in this growth story: by strengthening EBO SACCO’s credibility at the right moment, we helped the cooperative attract other investors and ultimately increase its impact. This is confirmed by our impact study, a tool we specifically developed to measure the added value we bring to our partners.

According to the press release published on 13 May by CERA and BRS, the two organisations have jointly decided to discontinue the activities of BRS Microfinance Coop. CERA will continue its investments in microfinance through strengthened collaboration with specialised partners such as Alterfin.

In 2026, the International Year of the Woman Farmer brings overdue attention to a reality that has shaped agrifood systems for generations: women are central to agriculture. Yet their access to land, finance and decision-making remains unequal.

Cocoa sits at the centre of Côte d’Ivoire’s rural economy. It provides income to millions of smallholder farmers, yet it remains a fragile livelihood. Price volatility, climate risks, delayed payments and limited access to finance continue to shape daily uncertainty for farming households.

Microfinance plays a vital role in Nicaragua’s economic and social development, especially in rural communities where traditional banking services remain out of reach. Over the past decades, the sector has grown significantly, with a strong focus on group lending and social responsibility.

Thirty years ago, Alterfin began with a simple but demanding idea: money should serve people — not the other way around. At the time, this was not a slogan. It was a choice. And it was a cooperative choice.