I always felt that adding loans in the USA to Kiva was a bit of a step away from their original aim. I've read the arguments explaining it, but it still seems a very different scenario to most of the other countries that they cover.

I was intrigued to notice just now (under the countries I haven't yet lent to) that Japan, South Korea and Singapore are also on the list.

Interested to know what others think about having countries like these (where there are many other lending options and state assistance available) covered by Kiva.

I am trying to get a small loan with Kiva, but it says they are only accepting applications from entrepreneurs using referral links from one of Kiva’s community partners (Trustees or Hubs), any advice? Does anyone know a community partner name that would be willing to let me use a referral link?

The way I think about my loans through Kiva is, I am diverting money that would otherwise be more conventionally invested. I'm earning 0% interest (actually -1.79% due to defaults and currency changes), while the local microfinance institution is earning more standard interest from the clients that it is loaning my money to. So therefore, my "charity" is the difference between what I could be earning and what I'm really earning (or slightly losing).
Lately I have been exclusively selecting loans to women retail entrepreneurs in the Lome Grande Marche in Lome, Togo (for a variety of personal reasons). All of them are handled by Assilassime Solidarite. It charges 12% to its clients across the board, its clients being people living with HIV, disabilities, single mothers, and former sex workers.
So they get 12% return on money they are paying me 0% for. I'd probably earn about 12% if I invested it here -- so that's my charitable contribution.
I donate $0 to Kiva (since I am in Canada and don't get a deduction).
I grow my Kiva portfolio with earnings I make in an account I keep at about the same level at GoPeer, a Canadian peer-to-peer lender. There, I earn about 14% (after defaults), and when I consider them together -- microloans to Canadians and other people around the world -- I end up with about an overall 6% return, which is pumped back into both accounts, growing both sides equally.
And I get a personal satisfaction from Canadian borrowers subsidizing impoverished borrowers in Togo.

Maybe you landed here through the reddit random link, maybe you clicked a search engine link. You have read some and maybe you are thinking about it, maybe you dismissed it.

Why?

This is not a guilt/shaming thing, not at all.

Kiva has it's issues.

If you have not given $25 but are in a position to be able to, is there anything we could answer that might nudge you to helping someone?

Been lending on Kiva since flip phones were still a thing. Just hit the 99th lending percentile — which sounds impressive until you realize it just means I’ve been giving away tiny chunks of money every month for over a decade.

I started out funding education loans, now I’ll lend to anyone whose story resonates — farmers, shop owners, students — doesn’t matter. I never check repayment rates, because honestly, that’s not why I’m here.

In these years, I’ve learned so much from the borrowers — resilience, hope, creativity. It’s humbling. I don’t post about it on social media, I just keep showing up each month with my little contribution.

Sure, my net worth hasn’t exactly skyrocketed (instant noodles still make a regular appearance in my kitchen), but my life feels richer in ways money can’t measure.

I really hope Kiva keeps going strong so more people can discover it. Anyone else here quietly doing the same?

https://www.kiva.org/gifts-that-give-back

I think Kiva could promote this a little more.

You buy something, you get the item, kive make money and you get to advertise kiva.

Hello all. I recently became aware of this app through a podcast and i had a few questions for more experienced users. I'm interested in using this as a form of investment/saving. What are the returns like on average? Is it worth lending smaller amounts? Is it viable as a form of investment ?

I’m looking at a lot of the stories about what people need the loans for and they just don’t make sense. For example a woman in Togo wants $1250 (25% more than the average annual income) for “3 bags of rice, 6 bags of soybeans, and 2 cans of oil”

Am I missing something?

Click a loan and at the Bottom of Loan details, there is an option: “Partner covers currency loss”

If you want to filter loans with currency loss, use these steps:

Visit Kiva. Com and Login

Click “Find a loan”

Click Lend -> All Loans

Click “Filter” -> Scroll to the Bottom ->

Advanced Filters -> Legacy Filters

Click “Filters” -> Scroll on the Left -> Other

Click “Exclude loans w/ currency risk”

== AI on Google and search results do not have this information which is why I am posting it here ==

https://www.kiva.org/about/finances

Scroll down to Kiva form 990 - FY 2023

That will open a PDF.

Check point 15 in Expenses.

Almost 18 million in Salaries, other compensation, employee benefits. That seems to be high?

That said, I know nothing of finance or employing people.

Got an email which told me I had $50 to lend. All good, logged in, found a loan, allocated the full $50.

At 'checkout' Kiva wanted me to add $10 for them.

I declined.

I always decline.

You?

Today I got dozen emails notifying me that dozen of my loans to different people defaulted. They all had the same message attached:

Una desaceleración de la economía del país, junto con los altos precios en las materias primas, ha generado una reducción considerable en los ingresos reales de los cliente dificultándoles el pago oportuno de sus obligaciones activas. A raíz de esto, desde las áreas front se viene realizando un acompañamiento permanente para monitorear la salud financiera de los clientes y establecer planes de acción ajustados a cada situación. Cuando no es posible evitar el deterioro de los créditos, la Corporación mantiene su compromiso de seguir realizando todos los esfuerzos razonables para la recuperación de los dineros adquiridos a través de KIVA..

I obviously understand a risk associated with Kiva loans and I expect to loose some if not all the money throughout time, I feel like this explanation of why a couple of hundred of my dollars defaulted is insufficient. Since about a dozen or so lenders of the same facilitator defaulted at the same moment "a slowdown in the country's economy" is an insufficient reason for all defaults.

I expect more transparency from Kiva as to what went wrong with this particular faciliator and why.

What do you guys think?

Kiva has let us know that new legislation in Nicaragua impacts on capital transfers, which may affect Kiva operations.

As a consequence, no new loans from Nicaragua are posted until it becomes clear how to navigate the new situation. Funded/fundraising loans have been refunded to lenders – impact on paying back loans seems unclear as yet.

Just so you know what’s going on.

I was wondering if anyone is familiar with GraphQL or the Kiva API system (or using an API in general).

Kiva has an API (Application Programming Interface), which in theory allows people to make their own apps associated with the website. There is information on it here:

https://www.kiva.org/build

But like many things with Kiva, it feels a bit dead.

You can play around the the Kiva API here:
https://api.kivaws.org/graphql%20%7B%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20membershipType%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20loanCount%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20teamPublicId%0A%20%20%20%20%7D%0A%20%20%7D%0A%7D%0A&operationName=null)

I was wondering if anyone had either the skills to play around with it, or any ideas with what you could do with it.

Hello All,

We have just introduced user flairs to this subreddit for anyone who would like to make your membership of a certain Kiva team known on this subreddit. I'm obviously not going to create a flair for every single team, so at the minute we only have a flair for every team that was discussed in this post. However, if you see that your team isn't listed as a option, just post here and I'll add it.

When I first joined Kiva, I was aware that Teams existed, but beyond that I didn't really see much point in them. I joined the Ireland team and it put a little Irish Tricolour beside all my loans and that was good enough for me. Then after a few years I came across the Climate Pilots, and really liked that there was some discussion on the message board and it helped me find loans that I was interested in by either looking at the suggested loan list, or seeing the loans that other members were funding.

Full disclosure: I got more involved in the team and I'm now one of the Team Captains.

I think for me the big difference was going from a team based on who I was (Irish), to a team focused on a specific objective - loans that help combat climate change.

Are you a member of any teams? If so, do you actually engage in the team in anyway?

It doesn't seem like many posts are made here and I am now aware of Kiva's recent (or relatively recent) woes relating to executive compensation, etc. but I have been lending on the platform in 2009 and have over 1200 loans over that time.

I have been in touch with with their support team about the maps found on their website. While there have been no loans in Ukraine for a couple years now due to the ongoing war there, I was getting ready to relend some funds when I noticed this glaring error on their map: Crimea is shown as part of Russia, with quite demarcation that makes it appear to not be an "error" at all. I sent them these screenshots. Moreover, when Ukraine loans were still active, Crimea was still clearly shown as being Ukrainian, despite the Russian occupation since 2014.

I just got a response saying it was in fact and error and will be changed in 3-5 business days. Still, I am not impressed that Kiva would not catch this.

Curious about what lending percentile other Kiva lenders are at. I've been leaning in Kiva for 3 or 4 years. I'd be curious on how much i need to lead to get to a higher %.

When I look at my Lending Stats, I have 4/10 badges. There's nothing to click to see what the other six badges are called, and no explanation for some of the badges I do have.

I have two badges for contributing on International Women's Day, which makes me wonder if there's a badge for an earlier Women's Day that I'll never be able to obtain.

I also have an "Equity" badge, but there is zero information about what that means or how I obtained it.

When I Google, it talks about social performance badges, but Equity is not listed. I'm not sure those badges are the same as the badges in my profile.

What are the ten possible badges to earn? How many do you all have?

I gave a couple of hundred a few years ago and let that rotate - would lend back out as the money came back.

I'm leaning toward a monthly giving though, but setting a cap.

What do you do?

As a long time Kiva user it was unfortunate to see it was restricted. I requested mod status and hey - here we are :)

My stats: https://imgur.com/a/03kwWHc

I believe that Kiva is a force for good. I am also conflicted with just how it operates.

I would like the sub to focus on the good, to highlight how we can enable others and to constructively criticise the organisation when needed.

The usual Rediquette rules apply and will be expanded as and when needed.

Abide :)

From their stats, agriculture and food are highest, but what sways you?

https://images.ctfassets.net/j0p9a6ql0rn7/4khCulYNvM8xVvDIGvFUXB/1f62c63de27082a836e515399db6412a/graphic_wafflechart_LoanSectors.svg?w=2048&h=872&fit=scale&f=center&fm=webp&q=65

Kiva have a good page here

https://www.kiva.org/impact

What for you leaps out as a favourite? Or something neglected?

I'm sorry but it's ridiculous to think that a college educated American who needs money is anywhere near the same level of in-need as the unbanked, underserviced, forgotten percentage of the population the platform was intended to serve.

Seeing Americans get 15,000$ fully funded while someone in the Congo is getting 50$/400$ is absolutely disgusting and should be moderated.

I'm actually really angry about this.