THRIVE: Access to Appropriate Finance for Displacement-Affected Communities

THRIVE brings together DRC and microfinance institutions worldwide to increase access to finance for displaced and unbanked populations. By strengthening local financial actors and providing technical assistance, it supports responsible and sustainable financial inclusion.

The challenge

Globally, about 1.4 billion adults are unbanked, and in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, access to finance is one of the most significant yet overlooked barriers to self-reliance and durable solutions. The inability to access safe, reliable, and affordable financial services perpetuates cycles of poverty and dependency on humanitarian assistance for displacement-affected households. Without access to finance, households in fragile areas are unable to invest in businesses, smooth consumption during shocks, or rebuild after crises, and are left vulnerable to predatory financial services. For women and youth in particular, the exclusion from formal financial systems limits their capacity to launch or scale livelihoods and plan for the future.

The opportunity

Humanitarian organisations' traditional grant-based assistance approach fails to address the root causes behind displacement-affected households' financial exclusion and leave recipients without a sustainable source of finance when humanitarian projects end. THRIVE responds to this gap by working with local financial institutions to address the causes of exclusion, build trust, generate evidence on the financial performance of displacement-affected clients, and develop appropriate products that can continue and expand beyond DRC’s direct involvement.

Fostering innovation

The THRIVE partnership model is context-adapted and draws on DRC's global expertise on promoting financial inclusion among displacement-affected communities and structuring innovative financing mechanisms. The THRIVE process involves Financial Inclusion Analyses of each context, followed by identification and structuring of strategic partnerships with suitable financial institutions. Monitoring, learning, and evidence generation are also integral to the THRIVE model, to demonstrate viability and enable replication.