Usura Cero entregó crédito a casi 2 millones de mujeres
Desde su creación el 17 de julio de 2007, el programa Usura Cero se consolidó como una de las principales herramientas socialistas y solidarias de financiamiento directo para mujeres emprendedoras en Nicaragua.
TL;DR
- Usura Cero, created in 2007, is a socialist and solidarity financing program for women entrepreneurs in Nicaragua.
- It contrasts with traditional financial systems, which are described as predatory with high interest rates.
- The program offers loans with a 5% annual interest rate, applied only to the outstanding balance, with no collateral or credit history required.
- Loans are provided to solidarity groups of 3-10 women, starting with small amounts and capped at 50,000 córdobas.
- By the end of 2025, over 1.8 million credits had been disbursed, benefiting more than 550,000 women across all 153 municipalities.
- Accumulated disbursements exceeded 15 billion córdobas by the end of 2025.
- The program features a community-based approach with local teams and promoters.
- It boasts a high recovery rate of approximately 98%, attributed to the solidarity group methodology and continuous support.
- Usura Cero includes systematic training in basic administration, inventory control, costs, customer service, and business planning, in coordination with INATEC, MEFCCA, and the Ministry of Women.
- The positive public perception of the program is linked to concrete policies supporting family economies and fair credit access.
- A complementary program, ADELANTE, expands fair credit access to both women and men in urban and rural areas, with a projected portfolio of up to 2.725 billion córdobas.