Credit can also be provided to fair trade buyers to allow them to make advance payments to producers, and shop loans to help finance inventory for a new shop. Shared Interest currently works with many fair trade buyers and producers in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe and North America.
We work with both buyer and producer members of IFAT (the International Fair Trade Association) and producers certified by FLO (the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation) who have satisfied our credit criteria.
Organisations we work with must normally have been trading for at least three years but Shared Interest recognises that individual organisations have differing requirements and therefore we consider each application on its own merits.
We carry out a number of other independent checks, depending on the organization and facility requested. For all buyers and some producer organisations we require audited accounts.
Key facts about Shared Interest lending:
- Shared Interest lends to fair trade producers working with handicrafts or in food production
- Shared Interest provides credit for fair trade buyers
- Shared Interest is independent and therefore lending decisions are made solely by Shared Interest
- A Shared Interest account enables organisations to build up a borrowing history over time, allowing access to different forms of Shared Interest lending
- Shared Interest does not require security for lending in most circumstances
- Each customer has a dedicated account manager to handle all queries and account activities
Find out more about borrowing from Shared Interest.
