Chicago, IL – Opportunity International, a global nonprofit organization committed to ending extreme poverty around the world, announced their findings in the 2025 60 Decibels Microfinance Index Report. Conducted by the independent research organization 60 Decibels, the MFI Index is the world’s largest financial inclusion benchmark grounded in client voice, built from interviews with 24,450+ microfinance clients in 39 countries.

The report reveals an overall high satisfaction rate from Opportunity clients, especially for populations typically excluded from formal markets. Top survey findings from the survey show:

• 90% of clients reporting increased business income
• 92% of clients reporting improved quality of life 
• 79% of clients reporting increased access to children’s education
• 66% of clients reported improved quantity and/or quality of meals

“Measuring impact. Learning from our clients what works and what doesn’t. Improving livelihoods and lives,” said Opportunity International CEO Atul Tandon. “This year’s 60 Decibels survey highlights how our clients are thriving—and confirms that our partners lead globally, with Standard Microfinance Bank in Nigeria ranked among the top three. These insights guide our mission to help bring an end to extreme poverty with data-driven action.“

Training and Support Uplift Most Vulnerable Clients

The report explores how the most vulnerable clients—people living in extreme poverty, rural households, and many women—face greater barriers to realizing benefits from microfinance.

Representing about one quarter (26%) of the overall population surveyed, these clients report markedly lower gains when offered credit alone. However, Financial Service Providers that offer additional services like financial education, savings programs, and insurance can bridge these gaps and dramatically improve outcomes for vulnerable populations.

Opportunity International’s partner-rich model and human-centered strategies aim to provide those exact financial inclusion supports and trainings for the most vulnerable clients – underscored by this year’s impressive client satisfaction scores.

Throughout its portfolio of microfinance institution (MFI) partners, Opportunity International outperforms the Index’s global MFI benchmarks on 18 out of 23 key indicators. This is the second year in a row in which Opportunity partners have exceeded the majority of indicators, with particularly high marks on accessibility of financing, repayment affordability and client protection, and household impacts on health and education.

Opportunity International Partners Recognized as Global Leaders

Two standout partners, Standard Microfinance Bank in Nigeria and Cashpor Bank in Asia, emerged some of the highest-performing MFIs in the world. Both institutions have been recognized for their fantastic outreach to some of the most impoverished households in their regions, and for achieving outstanding client outcomes far above global benchmarks.

These recognitions are scored on a weighted average of their performance across six dimensions: access, business Impact, household impact, client protection, resilience, and agency—all which underscore Standard’s commitment to delivering transformative, client-focused services.

ABOUT OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL:

Opportunity International is a global nonprofit that has been equipping people to build sustainable livelihoods and educate their children for 54 years. Opportunity provides 21 million families with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2024, Opportunity International and its partners helped fund more than 19,000 schools that reached 3.4 million children. Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X.

ABOUT 60 DECIBELS:

60 Decibels is a global impact measurement company that aims to make it easy to listen to the people who matter most. Its Microfinance Index provides insights into the experiences of microfinance clients worldwide. For more information, visit www.60decibels.com.