Wisdom Microfinance Institution (SC) is a World Vision-affiliated microfinance institution established in 1998. It provides financial services to micro-entrepreneurs and smallholding farmers in Ethiopia. MSC was contracted to develop risk management systems for Wisdom.
The MSC team developed a risk management matrix for the organization. Further, specific risk owners were identified for each department concerned with the risks identified for that department. For every risk, we defined monitoring indicators, reports, and threshold levels of those indicators to monitor changes in the risk profile of Wisdom regularly. The MSC team also prepared a risk-management manual and submitted it to the Central Bank of Ethiopia as its policy document on risk management.
As a result of our work, Wisdom subsequently decided to integrate the risk management policies in its policy documents as a part of the overall management function.
Wisdom Microfinance Institution commissioned the project.
Cashpor Micro Credit, an MFI, contracted MSC to strengthen its risk management function. We developed a risk management training module and conducted training for the risk department team.
The MSC team, in consultation with the senior management of Cashpor, identified the areas to be covered in the training module. Further, the team developed the risk management training module and conducted three training sessions to cover all staff members of the risk department. The training module covered risk management processes, roles and responsibilities of staff and board in risk management, and a systematic process for risk management, which included a risk management framework.
The MSC team trained more than 80 staff members of the risk department of the organization. The training helped the staff members to enhance their skills in identification, assessment, and formulating a risk mitigation strategy.
The MSC team conducted a detailed risk assessment and diagnostic study of Sonata, one of the largest microfinance providers in India. This study was conducted as per the IFC risk framework. MSC supplemented this diagnostic study with the use of our ‘Rapid Institutional Assessment’ and ‘Risk Management for Microfinance’ toolkits.
Based on the institutional and risk assessment, we delivered a risk management implementation plan to the MFI. We also indicated the priority levels of each activity, corresponded timelines, monitored parameters, and commitment from the MFI in terms of resource allocation. In order to institutionalize risk management practices, the team also supported the MFIs in the implementation of risk management policies and risk governance structures. Eventually, based on the risks identified, the team designed appropriate risk monitoring tools, such as operational, credit, and financial risk tools.
MSC conducted a workshop with the senior management and finance team of Sonata to explain the key concepts of liquidity risk management. After the workshop, our team gathered relevant data and analyzed the existing liquidity and cash management practices at Sonata. We also developed the liquidity risk policy, which contains tools like maturity gap analysis, liquidity forecast, stress test, scenario analysis, and balance sheet ratios. The policy also contained roles and responsibilities to manage liquidity risk in Sonata. The assignment ended with suggestions for their cash management practices.
Our work led to the development of the risk management function at Sonata Finance Private Limited (SFPL) from the ground up.
IFC commissioned the project.
Indonesia has made progress in financial inclusion, yet persons with disabilities, particularly women, remain underserved. Koperasi Mitra Dhuafa (KOMIDA), one of the country’s largest microfinance institutions, serves over 800,000 low-income rural women, including those with disabilities, through its gender-focused, community-based model. To assess how well these services meet the needs of clients with disabilities, MSC conducted a study using a universal design approach and its Gender Centrality framework. In partnership with the Terala Foundation, MSC facilitated focus group discussions with KOMIDA staff, clients with disabilities, and non-client Persons with disabilities (PWDs) to explore accessibility, staff engagement, infrastructure, and support systems.
MSC provided end-to-end support for the assignment, from research design to execution. The team brought in-depth expertise in Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and safeguarding to develop a robust research framework. MSC led focus group discussions with KOMIDA staff, clients with disabilities, and non-client PWDs, and conducted product reviews to assess service inclusivity. The team also developed assessment indicators and led the data analysis process, generating actionable insights to help KOMIDA strengthen its disability-inclusive practices and service delivery. The research found that while KOMIDA has strong gender-responsive elements, PWDs still face significant access barriers. MSC delivered actionable policy recommendations to strengthen KOMIDA’s disability inclusion efforts.
MSC’s recommendations helped KOMIDA identify key areas to improve services for its 15,000 clients with disabilities across Indonesia. KOMIDA has begun applying these insights and is exploring a tailored strategy to better serve this segment. The impact of the research has also led to a second project phase, where MSC is supporting the development of inclusive financial products for persons with disabilities.
The project was commissioned by Opportunity International Australia (OIA).
Despite the widespread rollout of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in 2016, which provided free LPG connections to low-income women in India, a significant number of households continued to rely on biomass fuels for cooking. This persistent dependence led to severe indoor air pollution, health hazards, and reduced productivity due to time spent on fuel collection. One of the key challenges was the low rate of LPG cylinder refills. Nearly 30% of beneficiaries did not refill their cylinders regularly.
To address these gaps, MSC implemented a community-based solution by developing and scaling a network of women agents known as Ujjwala Sakhis. These women, drawn from rural communities, were trained to act as last-mile delivery and awareness agents for LPG usage. MSC provided technical and operational support to strengthen the LPG distribution system, increase awareness of the benefits of clean cooking fuel, and enable better access to credit for LPG refills through targeted microloans.
The initiative led to significant improvements in LPG adoption and women’s economic empowerment. Over 1,000 Ujjwala Sakhis earned supplementary income by facilitating access to LPG in their communities. The initiative resulted in over 450,000 LPG refills and the disbursement of more than 12,500 targeted Ujjwala loans. These outcomes reduced the burden of collecting traditional fuel and improved health outcomes and environmental benefits, including the reduction of 20 kilotons of CO₂ emissions. The project demonstrated the power of grassroots women-led models in driving behavior change and improving access to clean energy solutions.
The Gates Foundation commissioned the project.
Women entrepreneurs in India face systemic barriers in accessing credit and support from formal financial institutions. These challenges limit their ability to grow businesses and earn stable incomes. Despite their potential, many lack access to large enterprise loans and have limited awareness of available credit options. Complex loan processes and documentation further discourage them from approaching banks. As a result, many continue to depend on informal, high-cost sources of finance with little protection.
To address these challenges, MSC designed and scaled an enterprise loan product for SHG women entrepreneurs in Bihar, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. The initiative aimed to empower low-income women entrepreneurs by linking them with formal financial systems and building their capacity to run sustainable businesses.
We designed credit products tailored to the needs of SHG-led microenterprises and worked to streamline financial processes within participating institutions. It forged strategic partnerships with financial service providers and government stakeholders to enable the flow of need-based, affordable credit. MSC also supported the formalization of women-led enterprises and implemented targeted capacity-building initiatives to enhance their financial and business management skills.
By May 2025, the initiative enabled over 75,000 SHG-led microenterprises to access formal credit and resulted in loan disbursements exceeding USD 66 million. It significantly improved women’s access to enterprise finance, strengthened their ability to manage and grow their businesses, and contributed to advancing financial inclusion across underserved rural communities.
The Gates Foundation commissioned the project.