IQI holds on to partnership with social impact fund Wakibi

January 24 2024 - News

Celebrating yet another successful year, IQI has decided to continue its strategic partnership with the Dutch microfinancing platform Wakibi throughout 2024. For every euro we initially donated to the fund, the social impact was already over six times bigger in 2023. Wakibi has a partnership with the international nonprofit organization Kiva. All of their projects aim to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN). 

Social responsibility

IQI started its partnership with Wakibi in 2021 as an alternative to traditional holiday gifts. For us, as a socially responsible company, this is a wonderful chance to empower people in less developed countries to improve their lives and simultaneously make real impact in a sustainable way. In 2023, we have supported over 273 projects around the world through Wakibi. 

Numbers indicating success

As their latest report shows, Wakibi’s impact has once more grown in 2023. Of the initial €4,000 that IQI donated to the fund in 2021, Wakibi has already supported 122 projects and 610 people in 26 different countries up until now. The total social impact reached €25,571. Since all loans are paid back with a small interest and are then re-used to help other entrepreneurs, the overall social impact of our initial donation is likely to grow even further in 2024. 

Progress of activities in 2024

Given the wide reach and effectiveness of Wakibi, IQI has decided to keep supporting the fund in empowering entrepreneurs from less developed countries. By doing so, we aim to improve their lives and at the same time make real impact in a sustainable way. In the course of coming year, we will again report on the progress and impact of our activities. 

Podcast interview with our CEO

In Wakibi’s podcast the Social Impact Show, our CEO Mark Oostendorp was interviewed to talk about his personal journey and IQI, and to elaborate on IQI’s vision and approach towards sustainability. “At IQI, we aim to drive sustainability beyond our own industry”, he explained. “Our partnership with Wakibi enables us to make social impact in countries where we also do business.”