Our roots go back to the customer-owned banking movement in Australia in 1971, where a group of dedicated Australian bankers in the credit union industry came together to support vulnerable communities in the Asia-Pacific region.
Seeing that standalone donations were not making a difference in the lives and futures of poverty-stricken families, the group turned their attention to developing and supporting local entrepreneurs who could then enjoy the fruits of successful and sustainable livelihoods.
Today, our work stretches across 27 countries in the Asia-Pacific region including countries like the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste.
We are an independent development agency, fully accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, through the Australian Aid programme, and are also a signatory to the Australian Council for International Development’s Code of Conduct.
Our current efforts have extended to all areas of financial development such as micro-enterprises, social enterprises, employment placement programmes, financial literacy education for both children and adults, and livelihoods programmes.
Our goal is to help inspiring individuals create their own story and enjoy a higher quality of life through entrepreneurship.