Grameen micro-lending comes to Scotland with help of Tesco Bank
Yunus Centre Press Release (25 October 2012):
The Grameen micro-lending system, which has helped lift millions of people out of poverty worldwide, is to be launched in Scotland early next year with the aid of Tesco Bank and other major supporters.
Tesco Bank will provide half a million pounds of the loan capital for what will be Grameen’s first venture in the UK. The supermarket bank will also offer savings facilities and business support for aspiring entrepreneurs who wish to start businesses in some of Scotland’s most deprived communities.
The Grameen Scotland Foundation, a charitable body run by a board of trustees, will oversee the running of Grameen-style lending in Scotland, a system originally devised by Nobel Laureate, Professor Muhammad Yunus, the new Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University.
The Foundation has already attracted significant backing from a range of sources, including the Scottish Government, who have donated £100,000, and supporters such as businesswoman and philanthropist Ann Gloag, who has also given £100,000. In addition, the Foundation is in advanced discussions with the European Investment Fund and is expected to exceed its initial funding target of £1 million in the first year of operation.
The Scottish Grameen collaboration was jointly announced by Professor Yunus, Tesco Bank Chief Executive Benny Higgins, the Principal of Glasgow Caledonian University and Trustee of the Grameen Scotland Foundation, Professor Pamela Gillies, and Martin Cheyne, the Chair of the Foundation, at the University on Thursday, October 25.
Tesco Bank – which has created around 1400 new jobs in Glasgow over past three years – will provide basic savings accounts to Grameen borrowers as well as a range of other services, including business advice and advertising space in local Tesco stores, for the new enterprises which will be funded and developed through Grameen loans.
The Grameen micro-lending model was founded by Professor Yunus in his native Bangladesh in 1983 when he established the Grameen Bank. The idea sprung from an earlier ‘experiment’ when the then university lecturer gave $27 of his own money to 42 workers who were in debt to loan sharks. The loans, which were secured by agreeing social contracts, saved the workers from punitive interest repayments which in turn, together with personal commitments, allowed them to support their families better. The borrowers repaid all the loans in full.
Professor Yunus and the Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for the bank’s anti-poverty work. It now operates in 38 countries – with similar models functioning in around 60 more – and has made more than 100 million loans.
The announcement of the formal launch of the Grameen system in Scotland coincides with the installation of Professor Yunus as Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University at a high-profile ceremony to be held on campus on Friday, October 26.
The Grameen Scotland Foundation will oversee the activities of Grameen Officers who will work closely with low-income communities, initially in the west of Scotland, to identify prospective entrepreneurs currently locked out of the financial system who would benefit from small loans charged at competitive rates of interest, known as ‘microloans.’ What makes Grameen unique is that borrowers are not required to provide collateral and are asked instead to evidence a pattern of saving and are encouraged to focus on family health and education.
The initial Grameen pilot scheme will serve Glasgow, North Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire and Inverclyde, four of the five most deprived communities in Scotland.
The Grameen Scotland Foundation will now move to recruit a Chief Executive Officer and plans to raise an overall target total of £3m over the next five years, which will ensure the project can be expanded into other parts of the UK affected by serious social problems. Borrowers will be represented on the Foundation as they will also be stakeholders in the Grameen system, holding the CEO accountable.
Glasgow Caledonian University has worked to facilitate the introduction of the Grameen system to the UK since awarding Professor Yunus an honorary degree in 2008. In 2010, the University set up the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health, which, under the supervision of Professor Cam Donaldson, will undertake research into the long-term social impact of Grameen lending, including the health of borrowers and their communities.
Professor Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank Founder and GCU Chancellor, said:
“I’m not saying change all business – I say give people an option. Poor people need to be given the right opportunities to be able to succeed in their own lives and this is what Grameen helps them to do. We must encourage people to envision their own futures and once that is done find out how to get there – once a person has a vision, it can be made real, and this is what the Grameen Scotland Foundation will work to achieve.”
Benny Higgins, Chief Executive Officer, Tesco Bank, said:
“I am delighted that Tesco Bank can support Grameen's expansion into the UK with the launch of Grameen in Scotland. At Tesco Bank, we aim to play an active role in the communities we operate in, helping to provide opportunities and support to those who need it most. In partnering Grameen in Scotland, we will provide loan funding, professional guidance from our staff and access to our stores to help set up new businesses which, over time, can improve the local economy.”
Professor Pamela Gillies, GCU Principal and Vice Chancellor and Grameen Scotland Foundation trustee, said:
“Although microcredit and community banking has been available in Scotland for many years, it has not been able to break through the deep-rooted economic and social inequalities and persistent poverty which affects too many individuals, families and communities in parts of the UK. The success of the Grameen system in other parts of the world, including the USA , demonstrates that this community-centred approach can make an important contribution to improving not just the economic and social well-being but also the health of those who have the very least in society.”
Dr Martin Cheyne, Chair of the Grameen Scotland Foundation, said:
“Professor Yunus has already demonstrated that this model of microfinance works in many different economies. It is about more than simply money – Grameen can lift people out of unemployment, improve health and give families a real opportunity to be independent. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tesco Bank, and the many other individuals and organisations who have supported us in bringing this unique social innovation to the UK and Europe for the first time.”
Notes to Editors
- The Grameen Method: The Grameen system works closely with the community it intends to serve to identify prospective entrepreneurs and offer them loans with a competitive interest rate. Groups of five people, predominantly female, are formed which then go through a short financial training course. Each borrower gets a loan to start or expand their small business. They then receive further financial advice, training and support as repayments are made. After full repayment, borrowers can apply for another loan so their businesses can continue to grow. The loans are typically used to finance social businesses, such as lunch clubs, laundries and cafes, dependent on the wishes of the borrowers. Scotland is not the only ‘developed’ economy to introduce the Grameen system of micro-lending. Grameen America launched in 2008 in New York and repayment rates are above 99 per cent.
- Professor Muhammad Yunus and GCU: Professor Yunus was awarded an honorary degree by Glasgow Caledonian University in 2008. He visited the University in 2010 and March 2012, meeting with Scottish Government Cabinet Minister for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney. He was announced as the new GCU Chancellor in June 2012 and will be formally installed as Chancellor in a high profile ceremony to be held on Campus on Friday, October 26.
- Grameen and GCU: In 2010, Glasgow Caledonian University set up the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health to provide the research arm for the Grameen pilot project, assessing the extent to which the Grameen system addresses the issue of access to microcredit and the longer term impact on the health and well-being of customers and their communities. Leading health economist Professor Cam Donaldson holds the Yunus Chair in Social Business and Health. In collaboration with the Grameen Trust and Professor Yunus, GCU also helped establish the Grameen College of Nursing in Dhaka in 2010 and a GCU professor is the Principal of the College, Professor Barbara Parfitt CBE.
- Glasgow Caledonian University is an international university delivering excellence in learning, teaching and applied research, with a strong commitment to the common good. It has 17,500 students at its main Glasgow campus and another 2,500 at outreach campuses in London, Bangladesh and Oman. The University has just embarked on a £25million campus redevelopment programme in Glasgow which will transform the heart of the University and further enhance the student and staff experience.
- Tesco Bank is the UK’s largest supermarket bank. Since launching in 1997, it hasgrown to serve 6.5 million customer accounts across a range of financial products and services and has over 3000 staff based in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle. Tesco Bank aims to be the financial services provider of choice for Tesco customers by giving them good service, great value and rewarding their loyalty. Principal activities includecredit cards, savings, personal loans, mortgages and general insurance including car, home, pet and travel. It also operates a network of cash machines (ATMs). Customers can buy products by telephone and online, and many products are available in-store. Tesco Bank aims to play a positive role in the community and has committed an investment of in excess of £1.5 million over four years in sport, education and art programmes for the development and wellbeing of young people in the communities across Scotland and the North East.
For further information, please contact:
Peter John Meiklem, GCU Research and Community Communications Officer:
0141 331 8671, 07432 838668
Roisin Eadie, GCU Press Officer: 0141 331 8614, 07824 537 598
George Gordon, Head of Communications, Tesco Bank 0131 479 1351
Grameen Scotland Foundation: http://www.grameenfoundation.org.uk/
enquiries@grameenfoundation.org.uk.
Glasgow Caledonian University is holding a news conference onThursday, October 25 to announce a major funding development for a Grameen initiative in Scotland, based on the system originally devised by Nobel Laureate and anti poverty campaigner Professor Muhammad Yunus, which has helped lift millions out of poverty.
News conference: Thursday, October 25
WHAT: News conference to announce a major funding development for a Grameen initiative in Scotland, modelled on the micro-lending institution which has helped lift millions out of poverty worldwide.
WHEN: 3pm Thursday, October 25. Photo opportunities available
WHERE: GCU Lead Department, First Floor, William Harley Building,Glasgow Caledonian University
WHO: Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank; Professor Pamela Gillies, GCU Principal and Vice-Chancellor; John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth; Grameen Scotland Foundation chairman Martin Cheyne; Benny Higgins, Tesco Bank CEO.
WEB STREAMING: The news conference will be streamed live atwww.gcu.ac.uk/yunus and questions may be submitted to yunus@gcu.ac.ukfrom 3.30pm on Thursday, October 25
Source: Yunus Centre
Updated Date: 25th January, 2017