WESTPAC Microfinance Loans – Asia Pacific

Gail Kelly has today announced an Australian banking first by agreeing to match microfinance loans made by Westpac Group employees to disadvantaged individuals in the Asia Pacific region and Indigenous Australia through a special new initiative with World Education Australia.

World Education Australia is an independent not-for-profit agency specialising in microfinance, financial and functional literacy and livelihood programs to improve the lives of the poor in a sustainable way.

The Westpac Group and the Westpac Foundation has helped support the development of World Education Australia’s new microfinance online lending portal Good Return, and will now extend its partnership to a formal Matching Loans program.

Making ‘Good Returns’

‘The Westpac Group is very encouraged by the work being undertaken by World Education Australia and is delighted to be able to provide a formal Matching Loans program for our employees to support micro-entrepreneurs,’ said Gail Kelly, CEO of The Westpac Group .

Under the initiative, employees will be able to provide loans to micro-entrepreneurs from as little as $25 via the Good Return website (

Good Return has plans to help more than 16,000 micro-entrepreneurs over the next three years by providing access to appropriate financial services, as well as necessary financial and livelihood development training. Every borrower listed on the Good Return online loan portal is a genuine borrower who has traditionally been excluded from appropriate financial services.

‘Sustainable banking goes further than just providing finance. By supporting this new initiative, The Westpac Group and its employees can help make a real difference in assisting individuals and communities out of poverty,’ Gail added.

‘This initiative continues the evolution of The Westpac Group’s workplace giving program which has provided extensive support to a vast range of community organisations’ since it began more than 11 years ago.’

Later this month, The Westpac Group will match around $1.5 million of employee donations to approximately 600 Australian-based charities through the Matching Gifts program. Since the program’s inception, more than 1,300 Australian-based charities have received over $22 million from employees and The Westpac Group.

A hand up not a hand out

Guy Winship, CEO of World Education Australia said his organisation was delighted that The Westpac Group will match dollar for dollar the loans made by employees.

‘We believe these micro finance loans can make a substantial contribution towards individuals and communities in their journey out of poverty,’ said Guy.