About Us

The history of Banco da Família  shows one of the most important experiences in inclusive business in Latin America. It started in 1998, as Banco da Mulher, by an initiative of the Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs, of the Commercial and Industrial Association of Lages (SC), with the mission of being a credit alternative to formal and informal small businesses, in a simplified and efficient method – seeking to expand and improve these said businesses, in a way they would contribute to regional development. 

This is how it filled a gap in the supply of credit in order to boost entrepreneurship in the region of Lages (SC), where 98% of businesses were micro or small companies. In 2003, facing new requirements and needs, aiming to increase its coverage, the institution changed and expanded, changing its name to Banco da Família. 

Banco da Família is a microfinance institution, formed by an association, registered as OSCIP (Civil Society and Public Interest Organization). Its operation is authorized and regulated by the Ministry of Justice through the Law No. 9.790. 

With an effective model that allowed it to grow in a sustainable manner, Banco da Família expanded year after year, until it become the largest microcredit operation in the South of the country. In more than 20 years, it has granted approximately R$ 900 million in credit, boosting business in more than 300 thousand credit operations, in more than 130 cities in the South of Brazil. 

The small businesses conceived by Banco da Família’s actions, in the places where its offices and service stations are located, grow and improve the quality of life of entrepreneurial families and the surrounding community. That’s where the main benefit is: when an entrepreneur grows, he helps the entire community to prosper. Other entrepreneurs are beginning to emerge, which can generate jobs and improve the lives of everyone around them, since almost 70% of the income generated at these enterprises circulates within the community. In addition, a large proportion of microcredit clients invest a portion of their profit in their children’s education. Therefore, the entire country benefits from microcredit. 

Banco da Família. A bank when you need it but a family every day!

Our Mission

To promote the improving in quality of life, working in microfinance as an agent of inclusion and social transformation.

Where we are?

We are in several cities in Brazil in the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul:

Administrative council

ISABEL CHRISTINA ANTUNES BAGGIO - President
PAULO CESAR DA COSTA - Vice President
CARLOS EDUARDO DE LIZ - Counselor
ANGELA MARIA ALMEIDA RIBEIRO - Counselor
GELSA LOURDES PARIZOTTO - Counselor
SUELI FELDHAUS - Counselor
WALTER HOESCHL NETO - Advisor

Board of Directors

GEÓRGIA WALTRICK MICHIELIN SCHMIDT - Administrative Director
ELAINE AMARAL FERNANDES - Market Director

Timeline

Know more about our trajectory

80’S AND 90’S DECADE – UNSTABLE ECONOMY. 

The region suffered com low economic and social growth. There was problems of public management, technical and commercial qualification of small and medium companies, which credit were inaccessible.

1997 - INNOVATIVE PROJECT. Watching this scenario, the Secretariat of Development and Regional Integration of Lages, with the support of Sebrae and Acil, they created the project Bairros que Trabalham (BQT), with the goal of identify the microentrepreneurs, offer capacitation and give credit. The project was a success in the two first phase. but it didn’t have resources to give credit.

1997 - DEVELOPMENT PROMOTION. Parallel to this, other initiatives searched the impulse to the economy. That was when, inside the Acil Business Woman Chamber, the idea of create a bank, was born. It couldn’t be like the commercial ones, it has to be diferente of the traditional financial system, focusing totally in small business. After numerous polls and travels to countries like Italy and Germany, finally was decided for the implementation of a Non Governmental Organization connected to the Women’s World Banking (WWB).

MAR| 1998 - INITIAL FUND.  To start operating, the bank would need to form a inicial private capital. The leadership that headed the Project started visiting the companies and entities for presentation and resources captation.

OCT| 1998 - FIRST RESOURCES CAPTURED.  Around R$ 100 thousand were collected among businessmen in the region e Lages’ City Hall, that were enough to start operating and make the difference in people’s life.

OCT| 20TH| 1998 - THE BEGINNING. With lots of enthusiasm, the Banco da Mulher is inaugurated. The officialdom of the institution happened with the ownership of Consulting, Deliberative, Supervisory and the board directors. The event counted with the participation of partners, businessmen, regional and state auditors.

DEC | 1998 - FIRST CREDIT 35 OPERATIONS. The operations performed represented the awakening of a new reality, 15 loans had already been granted for the community, totalizing R$ 25 thousand of active portfolio. Once more, the problem of the lack of resources threatened the work.

JUN | 1999 - THE TURNING POINT. The resources captation had not ceased, the bank had R$ 200 thousand in funds, and the search for credit increased. The success of the institution was already recognized, so much that the BNDES and Badesc contributed together with more than R$1 million as a loan for the fortification of the operation.

AUG | 2000 – CHALLENGE OVERCOME. R$1 million lent! The mark is reflex of the effort e determination of people responsible for the implementation of Banco da Mulher, worried with the precarious life condition that the workers of low income had.

SEP | 2001 - AMPLIATION. The Banco da Mulher expanded its action in the region and attend in Otacílio Costa, Correia Pinto, Curitibanos, with visitations in São Joaquim.

OCT | 2001 - A THOUSAND ACTIVE CLIENTS. With three years of operation, the Banco da Mulher meet the goal of reach a thousand active clients.

JAN | 2002 - OSCIP. Was classified as an Organization of Civil Society Organization of Public Interest. Meaning of big recognition for public and private entities, more professionalism, autonomy and transparency.

APRI | 2002 - R$ 5 MILLION IN CREDITS. Reached the historical mark of loans to micro and small business, strengthening the work of create new work stations and income generation.

MAR | 2003 - BANCO DA FAMÍLIA. The Banco da Mulher grew, and changed its name to Banco da Família. The new brand transmits in the design the message of immobilization and support to families.

JUL | 2003 - R$ 10 MILLION. One more historical mark reached. In the last two years, mainly, the performance of the bank was exemplary.

DEC | 2003 RATING B +. Banco da Família obtained the B + concept after an evaluation made by the French organization “Planet Finance”, being classified as one of the best institutions evaluated in Brazil and Latin America.

2005 - 1º INTERNATIONAL LOAN. Oikocredit, social investidor and global cooperative, gives the first loan of US$ 30 thousands.

JUN | 2005 - EXPANSION TO RS. Creation of the first agency in the Rio Grande do Sul.

DEC | 2005  - RATING B +. For the second time, Banco da Família obtained the B + rating concept, remaining among the best rated institutions in Brazil and Latin America.

MAR | 2006 – FOUNDER ASSOCIATION. BF is one of the founders of the Association of Microcredit Organizations of Santa Catarina (Amcred - SC)

NOV | 2006 – TECHNICAL COOPERATION. A deal signed between the Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento (BID) e Banco da Família for the release of US$ 202 thousand (at the time corresponded to around R$ 440 thousand).

MAR | 2007 - FIRST CONVENTION. Reunited 20 contributors of Lages agency and the branch in Caxias do Sul (RS), that participated in lectures, discussions and trainings.

APR | 2007 - 5 THOUSAND CLIENTS. Conquered a bold goal: reach the 5 thousand active clients, one more historical mark for microcredit institutions in Brazil. This mark shows the fidelity of clients with the institutions.

2008 - FINANCIAL EDUCATION. Creation of the program that offers to all community free lectures and support material to stimulate the financial planning and spent control.

MAR | 2010 A MODEL FOR THE COUNTRY. The methodology used by Banco da Família was considered a model for Brazil, by the Financial Inclusion Commission (Sebrae Nacional, the Central Bank and Brazilian Association of Development Financial Institutions).

OCT | 2010 TRANSPARENCY CERTIFICATE. During the 13th Microenterprise Forum (Foromic 2010), Banco da Família received the Certificate of Transparency, by reaching five diamonds in the MIX Market, being a symbol of transparency, quality and reliability.

OCT | 2010 - BNP PARIBAS. One of the biggest banks in Europe, the BNP Paribas, choose the first entity of microcredit to finance in Brazil: the Banco da Família. The french capital bank finances entities of microcredit around the world.

DEC | 2010 AMONG THE 100 BEST. Banco da Família was included for the first time in “The 100 Top” ranking, a publication of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which analyzes the best rated institutions of its kind in Latin America and the Caribbean.

2011 - ZERO INTEREST. The BF start grating, with partnership of the Government of the State of Santa Catarina, a loan to Zero Interest for Individual Microentrepreneur (MEI).

JAN | 2012 – RANKING CATARINENSE. Lages was the city that most closed loan deals in 2011, from the program Zero Interest. The municipality was ahead of Joinville, Florianópolis and Blumenau.

APRI | 2012 – MIDWEST CATARINENSE. Expansion of servisse units to the region.

MAY | 2012 - PLANNING. It implements the PAEX program of Fundação Dom Cabral, the best business school in Latin America to assist in the realignment of strategies, as well as in managerial evaluations to measure and monitor results.

NOV | 2014 CITI AWARD. Banco da Família was selected as the Innovative Microfinance Institution of 2014, with the case “BF Academy” – a continuous training program, designed to develop the human and professional excellence of the institution’s employees.

APR | 2016 POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE. Banco da Família was rated as one of the top five institutions in the sector in Latin America and the Caribbean by the international MicroRate institute in terms of financial and social performance.

FEB | 2017 - BASIC SANITATION. Visit of members of Water.org (USA), for a partnership with the Banco da Família. The intention is to facilitate the access of low-income families to basic sanitation and drinking water.

2017 - SC GUARANTEES. Banco da Família, founding member of the first Credit Guaranty Association of Santa Catarina, created to expand the possibilities of access to credit.

APR | 2017 - SIGNED AGREEMENT. Partnership with Water.org is a reality. With technical support of US$ 330 thousand Banco da Família pledges to allocate R $ 24.5 million in credit, aimed at providing 8,400 families with access to treated water to basic sanitation.

JUN | 2017 - EVENT IN MEXICO. President Isabel Baggio participates in the Meeting 2017 SPTF – Social Performance Task Force, in Mexico City, as representative of Amcred- SC, presenting the case MF of SC for other microcredit institutions in the world.

MAY | 2018 THE BEST OF BRAZIL. Banco da Família was classified by MicroRate as the best and largest private microfinance institution in Brazil and the second best in Latin America and the Caribbean.

MAY | 2018 - BF SANITATION TIGER. Tigre signed a partnership to bring sanitation to needy communities through the BF Saneamento special credit line. The initiative is part of the project involving Water.org.

JUN | 2018 - PARANÁ. After completing 20 years of operations, BF continues its expansion project in the south of the country and inaugurates the first branch in Paraná, in União da Vitória. With 20 units in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, it has growth prospects in the three southern states of Brazil.

JUL | 2018 - THOUSAND HOMES FINANCED. Credit line, exclusive for the construction of real estate of up to R $ 25 thousand, came after the realization that microcredit can go beyond the financing of small businesses.

NOV | 2018 AMCRED-SUL / THE “TALENTS” AWARD. The story of Pedro dos Santos, which proves the impact that microfinance has on entrepreneurship and on the socioeconomic development of the State, earned Banco da Família and Pedro the award “Talents in the Microfinance Program of the Southern Region of Brazil 2018”, granted by the Association of Microcredit and Microfinance Institutions in the Southern Region of Brazil (Amcred - Sul).

NOV | 2018 COMMITTEE MERIT FROM SANTA CATARINA’S LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. The Commendation of Legislative Merit is the highest honor granted by the Legislative Assembly of Santa Catarina. It aims to recognize the activity of private individuals, legal entities and other organizations that, within the scope of their duties, carry out relevant and prominent actions in Santa Catarina, for the benefit of society.

DEC | 2018 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. Banco da Família was one of the organizations chosen by the Legislative Assembly of Santa Catarina to receive the Social Responsibility Certificate, that recognizes companies from Santa Catarina committed to transparency in institutional relations, the well-being of society and environmental preservation.

AUG | 2020 – BF launches the “Produtores da Serra” Project: a case of self-love. Cheese, honey and jellies, juices, sausages, cookies. Delicacies turned into small businesses. Nothing more natural than Banco da Família, created to develop micro-businesses and encourage income generation, being side by side with this initiative. It is in the same DNA. In the same way of seeing the world. Thus, was “Produtores da Serra” Project, to support the commercialization, dissemination and enhancement of local product through the union of its producers, Banco da Família and private partners.

SEP | 2020 – Banco da Família expands its operations in Paraná, reaching Irati and surroundings. New operation in the State of Paraná will also serve the cities of mallet, Rebouças and Rio Azul. This is the second operation of Banco da Família in Paraná, since 2018 the institution has had a branch in União da Vitória. The Irati operation will also serve the nearby cities of Mallet, Rebouças and Rio Azul.

SEP | 2020 – Banco da Família signs a partnership with  Federasul , an entity that gathers 158 business associations from the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The agreement will expand the offer of credit lines under different conditions to companies and private individuals in Rio Grande do Sul.

NOV | 2020 – We arrived in Guarapuva to serve micro and small business entrepreneurs. The difficulties in obtaining credit, that are well known among entrepreneurs and low-income families, were accentuated during the new Coronavirus pandemic, in the opposite direction of this movement, Banco da Família, which already operates in the regions of União da Vitória and Irati, arrived in November in Guarapuava and nearby cities.

NOV | 2020 – ODS Santa Catarina Award, an initiative of the ODS Santa Catarina National Movement. The second edition of the ODS SC Award recognized BF Sanitation as one of the initiatives that work with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nations.

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