Access to Credit Services Initiative (ASCI)

The Access to Credit Services Initiative (ACSI), a major development finance program that provides loans to Iraqi entrepreneurs and home-owners to expand their businesses or improve their living conditions. Established in 2003, ACSI provides small, affordable loans to Iraqi individuals who do not otherwise have access to sufficient capital. Families use these loans for home improvement or to expand their small-businesses, thereby improving quality of life; enhancing their financial stability and personal safety, and improving local economies in hundreds of communities across Iraq. Operating in 11 governorates in Iraq—including the cities of Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf and Basra—ACSI has become the largest microfinance program in Iraq.