About Us

What is financial inclusion?

Financial inclusion means that individuals and businesses have access to useful and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs – transactions, payments, savings, credit and insurance – delivered in a responsible and sustainable way.

• Financial inclusion has been identified as an enabler for 7 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.  
• The G20 committed to advance financial inclusion worldwide and reaffirmed its commitment to implement the G20 High-Level Principles for Digital Financial Inclusion. 
• The World Bank Group considers financial inclusion a key enabler to reduce extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity.

Source: World Bank (2023)

Creating impact

Abler Nordic is committed to making a tangible positive difference for low-income households

1. Solid ESG Foundation

Internationally recognised standards, such as Client Protection Principles, Universal Standards for Social and Environmental Performance, and exclusion lists form the foundation for our work. Using these standards and industry best practice, we work to minimize the
Environmental, Social and Governance risks in our investments.

2. Active Value Creation

We work with our portfolio companies to set the targets needed to enhance the positive impact they have on their customers' lives, thereby fulfilling their social mission. We monitor implementation and work to adjust course, if required.  

3. Impact

Tracking results on the ground is crucial to understand if we are achieving our intended impact. We measure results against targets across five Impact Themes that all contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sustainable financial returns

At Abler Nordic, we focus on delivering both meaningful social impact and sustainable financial returns. These returns are crucial for enabling our partners to grow, reach more customers, and develop products that meet their needs. Strong financial performance allows these institutions to reinvest in their businesses, driving further growth and innovation, while ensuring we can continue to scale alongside them and attract ongoing investor support.

When evaluating potential investments, we seek companies with significant growth potential in their markets and a solid foundation of financial sustainability. Once invested, we actively support our partners, providing strategic guidance, resource sharing, and operational support to help them unlock their full financial potential and scale effectively while staying aligned with both financial and social goals.

Catalytic Support Schemes

Abler Nordic offers two support mechanisms to strengthen the impact and sustainability of our portfolio companies: the Technical Assistance Facility (TA) and the Foreign Exchange (FX) Facility.

Technical Assistance (TA) is designed to equip financial service providers with the tools and capabilities needed to grow, innovate, and deepen their impact. Funded by Norad, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, the TA Facility supports projects such as digital transformation, product development, governance, and capacity building. Each TA project is co-developed with the investee to ensure relevance and ownership, with the financial institution contributing both in design and funding. To promote local expertise, we prioritize working with TA service providers based in the regions where we invest.

Foreign Exchange (FX) Facilities enable Abler Nordic to offer local currency financing while shielding both our investees and our fund from unpredictable currency fluctuations. Backed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and administered by Norfund, this facility covers unforeseen FX losses, making it possible to invest in smaller institutions in high-risk markets. Over more than a decade, our FX exposure has been managed with minimal realized losses—just USD 16,000—demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach.

Together, these facilities ensure that our investees have the support they need to grow and achieve their social and financial goals.

Catalytic funding unlocking private investment

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Norad have been important partners for Abler Nordic since its inception. Through these two key risk-mitigation mechanisms, the Ministry and Norad have helped Abler Nordic mobilize NOK 13 in private capital for every NOK 1 in public funding. This is a strong example of how the ambitions in Norwegian development policy—to use limited aid resources to unlock private investment—can be achieved.

1. We invest with an intent to create sustainable long-term impact. We do not invest where it is easiest or where risk is lowest, but where we believe we can achieve the biggest impact alongside financial return.    
2. We believe the provision of financial services leads to financial inclusion which enables low-income households to build a better future. We prefer to invest in financial institutions that have a clearly stated mission describing the positive impact they aim to have on society.  
3. We believe the best way to create sustainable long-term impact is by helping to build well-managed, profitable, and scalable financial institutions. We invest in institutions that have reached financial sustainability or have good prospects for attaining financial sustainability within the next few years.   
4. We believe in the importance of treating all end-clients fairly, with respect, and ensuring that they are protected from harm. All institutions we invest in are required to commit to the Client Protection Pathway.   
5. We support our institutions to build knowledge about climate issues and to develop products and services that help clients adapt to climate change.
6. We believe it is possible to add value through active ownership and that being represented at the board of the companies in which we invest is an important element in value creation. 
7. We seek to achieve timely and responsible exits and cautiously consider the different options available to achieve this.  
8. We strive to be fair, transparent, and constructive in all dealings. We require all employees to act with integrity and adhere to our Code of Conduct. 

Investees

At Abler Nordic, our investment decisions are driven by our core principles: geographical focus, direct investment, active ownership, and a balanced approach to risk. These principles, alongside our vision, mission, and guiding values, shape everything we do.

We focus on investing in financial service providers (FSPs) across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia that are committed to delivering responsible, relevant, and affordable financial services. These services are especially critical for low-income households, including those who have been previously unbanked or underbanked.

Each FSP we invest in shares a mission aligned with our own, while their impact goals, ambitions, and capabilities may vary. What remains constant is their commitment to empowering communities by creating jobs, improving welfare, and driving sustainable change—through expanding their reach, diversifying their offerings, and leveraging digital finance.

Instruments

At Abler Nordic, we focus on active ownership, providing tailored financial instruments that suit the specific needs of each financial service provider. As long-term partners, we support these institutions throughout their growth, offering flexible solutions that adapt to their evolving needs.