| Brief History | Involvement in Microfinance | Regulatory Framework | Distinctive Features |
The Alliance of Philippine Partners in Enterprise Development, Inc. (APPEND) is a network of microfinance institutions. APPEND formally started in 1991 as an umbrella organization of microfinance organizations to help alleviate poverty in the Philippines. It functioned as a secretariat, coordinating and organizing activities to strengthen the operational capabilities and spiritual experience of the Board, management and staff.
In 1998, APPEND members formally launched the Philippine Scale-Up Program to accelerate their expansion and serve a greater number of poor Filipinos. New standards of operations were developed to make branches self-sufficient in a lesser amount of time. The APPEND office structure and Board were reorganized in 1999 to better manage the implementation of the program.
In 2000, APPEND, Opportunity International and five APPEND member organizations signed a memorandum of agreement to put up a bank named Opportunity Microfinance Bank (OMB). The bank was envisioned to be a world-class Christian microfinance bank serving a significant number of poor people on a national scale, providing business development and transformational services to its clients. OMB started its operations in 2001.
Presently, APPEND has a membership of ten microfinance non-government organizations and one thrift bank. The APPEND Network has an outreach of more than 500,000 clients through 170 branches in 127 key cities and provinces all over the Philippines. By year 2007, the APPEND Network aims to have an outreach of one million microentrepreneurs.
From being a secretariat, APPEND has grown to become the catalyst to greater cooperation and mutual edification of its member organizations. From its vantage point, it occupies a strategic position to perceive events and trends at the national level and assist its members to meet and respond to the challenges that lie ahead.
APPEND provides support services to its member institutions through the following services: program and fund management, institution and capacity building, research and materials development, and resource mobilization.
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