Kiva conducts regular, ongoing monitoring of all Lending Partners, but only posts status updates here in response to relevant, major changes at the partner.

Status update — October 2021

Kiva and SMEP Microfinance Bank have agreed to end their partnership after close to 11 years and over $9.6m in loans raised. This Lending Partner has repaid all its outstanding balance to Kiva in full, and these funds have been distributed to lenders. We thank SMEP Microfinance Bank for the years of collaboration and wish them success in their future endeavors.

Status update — September 2019

After 10 years of partnership, Kiva and SMEP have come to the mutual decision to wind down the partnership. SMEP will no longer be posting loans to Kiva and will repay their outstanding balance in monthly installments over the next 18 months. We thank SMEP for all the impact they've had in the lives of Kiva borrowers and wish them the best in their future endeavors. 

Status update — January 17, 2018

Kiva recently re-assessed the level of risk associated with loans from this Lending Partner. During this process, our analyst gathered updated operational and financial information about the institution, spoke with key members of staff and analyzed the Lending Partner’s loan products. As a result, SMEP’s risk rating is now listed as 2.5 stars instead of 3.5 stars. The primary reason for the change in risk rating is their declining financial performance over the last 3 years caused by both internal and external environmental shocks. This decline has resulted in increased delinquency levels for their loan portfolio, as well as a reduction in SMEP’s ability to access sufficient capital to support their growth. External macroeconomic factors such as the negative impact of new laws implemented in September 2016 which capped the interest rate charged by commercial banks in Kenya have also played a role in their poor performance. While the organization is working to improve their performance through restructuring of their staff, products and internal processes, Kiva feels that a 2.5 rating is more accurate to their current level of organizational risk.

Partner description

SMEP Microfinance Bank is a leading Christian microfinance organization in Kenya. Operating since 1999, SMEP hopes to empower Kenyans and alleviate poverty. Through innovation, it plans to continue to redefine and reinvent its systems to respond to the evolving and active Kenyan marketplace. SMEP aims to maintain a strong, dynamic, customer-centric institution that is a reliable financial partner to all of its customers.

Because of this well established infrastructure, SMEP is able to serve 135,000 clients with a total portfolio of over KES 1.4 billion (US$16.3 million). It is a nationwide institution with 20 branches and 13 satellites covering all major towns in Kenya.The primary goal of SMEP is to improve the standard of living of economically poor and marginalized entrepreneurs by providing access to credit and other services that can stimulate economic growth. In the long run, SMEP hopes to increase income generating activities among low income entrepreneurs, improve the business management skills of its clients and create an economically sustainable credit program.

SMEP’s unique lending approachSMEP’s two main product categories of credit include group and retail loans. These loans are given to micro and small entrepreneurs who have registered with self-help groups and have complied with SMEP group rules and regulations.

These loans average in size from KES 25,000 to KES 3 million (US$292 to $35,000). To protect clients’ interests, these loans are not secured by conventional collateral such as land title deeds or vehicles. Instead, group members guarantee one another. SMEP’s loan portfolio is focused on financing small businesses or micro enterprises operated by low income individuals.

In 2009, SMEP achieved a major milestone by partnering with Safaricom to enable its clients to repay their loans using mobile transaction service M-PESA. 

In 2010, SMEP underwent another transformation. It made the transition from a credit-only institution to one that can also take deposits. To account for this, SMEP has opened branch facilities where its clients can not only receive and pay back loans, but also deposit money into savings accounts.