How we work
At Five Talents we’ve reimagined microfinance: no contracts or collateral, but groups that save, learn and grow together.
We don’t do microfinance. We do something more sustainable.
Traditional microfinance has often focused on lending small sums with high interest rates, sometimes without adequate training or support. At Five Talents, we take a different approach - one that’s rooted in long term community transformation, not short term transactions.
Through local partners we support and help facilitate savings-led community groups that are owned and run by their members. These groups offer a safe place to save, access to small loans, and - crucially - the training and support people need to make those tools work for them.
We provide literacy, business skills and financial education so that each individual - often starting with little or no formal education - can grow a business, increase their income, and build resilience for the long term. All without depending on external credit or incurring debt.
We do not inject external capital for microloans. Instead, all loans are made from members’ own savings. Members set the interest rates themselves, and any interest earned is shared among the group as a dividend at the end of the year.
Unlike many microfinance models, our approach is:
Locally owned: groups are formed, led and managed by the community
Cost-effective: every £1 invested supports sustainable change for years to come
Empowering: members make their own decisions, set their own interest rates, and share their own profits
We don’t simply offer financial services - we help people rewrite the rules of what’s possible, together, by harnessing the power of what they have.
Why are we different?
We believe transformation starts with knowledge. That’s why we are digitising much of our monitoring, evaluation and learning through Commcare, a mobile data platform.
Moving from paper to digital tools allows us to collect data more efficiently and view close to real-time insights. By combining numbers with qualitative insights, groups themselves start to self-analyse the “why” behind the results, strengthening our learning but also giving the group a valuable reflection on where they are.
We then visualise this information through simple, accessible dashboards. These bring the data to life, giving programme leaders a clear view of trends, from new businesses launched to changes in household income, and helping them make better decisions. By reimagining how we measure change, we’re not only tracking transformation; we’re helping to deepen and accelerate it.
In a 2025 episode of Dimagi's High-Impact Growth podcast, members of the Five Talents programme team share how we have shifted from top-down credit programmes to grassroots savings groups, and how data, technology, and dignity have become central to that evolution.
The Five Talents model
