SECP issues licence to SAFCO Microfinance Company

ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has issued microfinance licence to newly-established “Non-Banking Microfinance Company” namely SAFCO Microfinance Company (Private) Limited (SMCL), it is learnt.

Details of the approval and licencing revealed that the SMC is a wholly owned subsidiary of SAFCO Support Foundation (SSF), one of the leading microfinance institutions engaged in providing microfinance services to the low-income marginalised segment of the society.

This transformation is first move of its kind by the management and Board of SSF and is result of the SECP’s concerted efforts to encourage the companies engaged in microfinance business under Section 42 of the Companies Act, 2017, operating as “not for profit” structure to transform into “for profit” structure under linear regulatory structure. The SECP’s move is facilitating the entities to take potential benefits of a large capital base, expand financial services, improve efficiency through improved governance and economy of scale.

After licence, the SMCL will work as entity for benefits of its shareholders along with its clients, it will be able to pay dividends to its shareholders, opening multiple avenues for new local and foreign investments and leverage the competitive interest rates from lenders to expand its operating and financial outreach.

The SAFCO has been operating since 2009 having footprint across the whole of Sindh province with a network of 57 branches providing microfinance services to more than 700,000 unbanked and low-income entrepreneurs, out of them 59 percent are women entrepreneurs and 80 percent of them are rural small holder farmers.

The subsidiary has been formed with the vision to seek multiple avenues of like-minded and well reputed mission driven equity investors from both local and international markets. This will allow the SMCL to further strengthen its balance sheet and leverage it for massive growth, doubling the outreach in the next five years which reinforces SAFCO Group’s towards the National Financial Inclusion Strategy and Sustainable Development goals of improving the lives of unbanked and low-income businesses in Pakistan.

The company management renewed the commitment towards the national objectives set out in NFIS and global SDGs along with a commitment that we have made with PMN in documenting this transformation so that we can support such transformations going forward. This initiative is expected to encourage other market players to consider transforming entities (by establish for-profit wholly owned subsidiaries) and take potential benefits of extending outreach through financial inclusion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022