Pact Global Microfinance Fund

Starting in 1997, Pact, with the support of UNDP, had been making small loans to Myanmar’s rural villagers to help them build their incomes and improve their lives.

Pact’s longstanding microfinance operations in Myanmar were turned over in 2012 to the new government-licensed entity Pact Global Microfinance Fund (PGMF) as a result of new national microfinance regulations that Pact played a leading role in developing. With the support of an international partner, PGMF began working in 2013 with nine Myanmar-based NGOs to develop their own microfinance operations in particularly remote areas of the country.

Pact Global Microfinance Fund grew to become Myanmar’s largest microfinance institution, serving 2.3 million people, before its closure in 2023. For most of those it served, PGMF was the only access to affordable credit available. Each client attended business education classes where they learn how to save and use their loans to develop and grow their income-generating activities. Nearly all of PGMF's clients were women micro-entrepreneurs, with an average loan amount of $300. PGMF's focus on women entrepreneurs reduced inequalities within Myanmar and helped families to lift themselves out of poverty.