• Lags in access to financial services
• 80% of adults have no bank account
• Small farmers have limited access to agricultural supplies

In rural Nicaragua, bank branches are few and far between and bank fees are high. Many forego investments in their small enterprise, household or savings because there is no bank close by. Farmers find it difficult to acquire the supplies and equipment needed to increase their productivity and incomes because supplier outlets are distant and travel is costly.

Techno-Links will provide agricultural and financial technology to bring new opportunities for sustainable livelihoods to farmers and other rural families. The project will help agricultural suppliers reach more small farmers living in remote areas of the country and help them adopt new technology – such as drip irrigation and rototillers – for better yields. MEDA is also promoting the use of branchless banking networks and mobile phones to deliver innovative financial services to rural areas, so rural families in Nicaragua have a safe means to manage their money.

Origins: Following a decade of war and economic turmoil, Nicaragua in 1990 was struggling to get back on its feet. That year, MEDA started a modest microcredit program, named CHISPA, offering small loans and management training. As CHISPA grew and became a fully regulated financial institution, renamed CONFIA, MEDA sold its interests in the bank and refocused on underserved rural populations through a new institution named MiCredito, inaugurated in 2004. MEDA continues to collaborate with MiCredito today through investment, governance, and on-going project work aimed to diversify and innovate MiCredito's product and service offering.