Village Financial Services Private Ltd

Better access to finance for low-income women

India

The microfinance institution Village Financial Services Private Limited (VFSPL) was founded in Kolkata, West Bengal, in 2006. They offer loans to low-income women in urban and rural areas in 43 districts across eight states: West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Tripura, Assam, Sikkim and Uttarakhand.

Village Financial Services Private Ltd has received several loans from Oikocredit since 2009.

In 2013 they were the first institution in Eastern India to be licensed as a non-banking financial company and microfinance institution (NBFC-MFI). They are also the first ISO-certified Indian MFI.

Through its network of 159 branches, VFSPL reaches over 250,000 active borrowers (2017). VFSPL uses the Joint Liability Group (JLG) lending model to disburse two types of loans with a term of one or two years.