ESAF Factsheet

USAID’s Expanded and Sustained Access to Financial Services (ESAF) program in the West Bank and Gaza, a $36 million three-year cooperative agreement managed by FHI 360 under the FIELD-Support LWA, has made a mission of sustainably extending the reach of the financial sector to under-served populations, giving Palestinians the opportunity to establish small businesses, grow their enterprises, and secure their financial stability in a changing environment.

By working with a range of local partner institutions, ESAF is helping build a more inclusive financial sector in the West Bank and Gaza and increase sustainable access to financial services for Palestinian households and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Some of the key results of the ESAF program to date include:

• 33,125 households and enterprises accessing financial services (credit and savings) through financial institutions;
• $147 million lent to Palestinians through partner FIs facilitated through program activities;
• 50,600 jobs created or sustained by MSMEs accessing financial services; and
• $26 million worth of products sold by 50 small businesses that have been supported through a fixed capital funding mechanism.