Oikocredit: EUR 1 Billion Cumulative Investments with Social Impact

2009 Results: Growth in a Year of Global Economic Downturn

AMERSFOORT, The Netherlands, March 25, 2010 - In 2009, a year when financial institutions encountered difficult market
conditions, Oikocredit - one of the world's largest private financiers of the
microfinance sector - achieved record high inflows. Oikocredit's capital
inflow reached EUR 62.9 million and its total assets grew with 13% to a total
of EUR 537 million at year end. Oikocredit's board of directors will propose
to its members to continue paying out 2% dividend to its investors.

Tor G. Gull, Managing Director of Oikocredit: "Another landmark was
reaching EUR 1 billion in cumulative committed loans and investments since
Oikocredit began its operations in 1975. I am proud that despite the economic
downturn still large numbers of individuals and institutions invested in
Oikocredit's mission to empower poor people."

Social return on investments

Oikocredit is committed to ensuring social return on investments.
Measuring and tracking the real-life impact of microfinance is essential to
this. For that reason, Oikocredit has been working side-by-side with two
other knowledge experts, the French organization CERISE and the Grameen
Foundation based in the United States. A social performance management tool
to identify how microfinance institutions (MFIs) can improve their social
performance was applied to over 50 microfinance institutions by Oikocredit's
offices in the Caribbean, Central and South America. In Asia, staff at
Oikocredit's Phillipine and Cambodian offices was trained in the
implementation of tools developed to assess and measure the 'poverty level'
of MFI clients and the extent to which poverty is reduced over time. In
addition, Oikocredit itself underwent a social audit, the first microfinance
investor to do so.

The purpose of net results

Oikocredit's net result in 2009 amounted to EUR 19.3 million (in 2008:
EUR 11.4 million), of which EUR 7.4 million is proposed to be paid as
dividend to the members. Oikocredit uses this net result for the benefit of
its social mission. It pays a modest dividend to its members, who put their
financial interests after the social benefit that their money can have.
Despite the recession, still large numbers of individuals and institutions
invested in Oikocredit's mission to empower poor people. The close-knit
network of regional offices and experts enables Oikocredit to work with
partners that provide loans to people in the poorest areas, where both the
risks and social returns can be high. Oikocredit's aim is to also work in
regions often avoided by other financial institutions.

Oikocredit: private capital for development

Oikocredit is a cooperative financial institution that offers loans or
investment capital to 790 microfinance institutions, cooperatives and small
and medium sized enterprises in over 70 countries. At this moment the project
partners that Oikocredit financially supports reach out to a total of 17.5
million people. Oikocredit is privately financed by individuals,
organisations and churches.

www.oikocredit.org/figures

For more information please contact Kawien Ziedses des Plantes, Manager Communications, on +31(0)33-422-40-40 / +31(0)6-54722324 or by email kziedsesdesplantes at oikocredit.org