Eskala is a microfinance institution operating in Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, and Ghana with a simple but powerful belief: the most scalable path out of poverty is through investment.
In many of the rural communities where Eskala works, the nearest bank is hours away, individuals lack credit history, and loan sharks charge over 100% interest. As a result, many households are effectively excluded from the formal financial system, limiting their ability to invest in businesses, smooth income shocks, or build long-term financial security.
Eskala addresses this gap by taking a holistic approach to supporting a budding financial ecosystem: they provide capital, equity investment, technology, and coaching to community banks and first-time borrowers.
Rather than simply making loans to individuals or businesses, Eskala invests in community banks, strengthening the organizations that are already embedded within the communities they serve. This capital enables community banks to expand their lending capacity, reach more underserved borrowers, and offer affordable financial products over the long term.
To extend these services even further, Eskala leverages technologies such as Starlink satellite internet to connect remote communities where traditional banking infrastructure is limited or nonexistent. This enables financial institutions to deliver digital banking services to populations that have historically been excluded from the formal financial system.
The results are compelling: 55% of borrowers are women, 42% are first-time borrowers, and the portfolio maintains a 1% default rate – well below the industry average of 10%. These outcomes demonstrate that expanding access to credit for underserved communities can go hand in hand with strong financial performance, challenging the perception that lending to low-income or first-time borrowers entails higher risk.
We’re proud to share that Realize Impact has reinvested in Eskala. With nearly $10 million deployed across four countries and support from institutions including Kiva, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank, Eskala is demonstrating that serving the world’s most underserved communities is both impactful and financially sustainable.
