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GRANTEE ANNOUNCEMENT
January 13, 2010 

ACCION Announces $5.8 Million Project to Develop Savings Account Products for the Poor in Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador

Program funded by Gates Foundation's Financial Services for the Poor initiative aims to reach more than a million savings clients in five years

BOSTON -- ACCION International, a pioneer and leader in global microfinance, today announced that it has received a three-year grant of $5.8 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to introduce savings account products to under-banked populations in Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador.

Under the terms of the grant, ACCION will work with the microfinance institutions (MFIs) BancoSol in Bolivia, Finamérica in Colombia and Credife in Ecuador to expand beyond their current focus on microlending by offering savings products tailored to the needs of their poor clients. For each partner, the project will include developing appropriate savings products, marketing and piloting those products, and introducing appropriate hardware, software and technology systems to integrate savings into their offerings.

To read the full press release visit the ACCION web site.

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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
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