Kiva’s Field Partners, also known as micro-finance institutions (MFI’s), all receive a field partner risk rating between 1 and 5 stars. You can navigate to the field partners and detailed information by clicking on the About tab at www.kiva.org
In addition to the risk rating, Kiva posts the delinquency rate and default rate of each MFI. The risk rating is based more on how long the MFI has been involved in microlending and their record or ability to collect and repay the loans. Some MFI’s have a newly established working relationship with Kiva and a high rating while others have worked with Kiva for several months and still have lower ratings despite delinquency and default rates of 0%. Once you find a business you wish to invest in, I would recommend doing a little research on the MFI/field partner. A delinquency or default rate of 0% may provide a false sense of security given that the relationship with Kiva is just a couple of months. The lender (BRAC Uganda) working with the entrepreneurs I invested in, have only been working with Kiva for about a month, but they have an established record in microlending.
