Shareholders
ProCredit Holding is the parent company of a global group of ProCredit banks, present on 3 continents. ProCredit Holding was founded as Internationale Micro Investitionen AG (IMI) in 1998 by the pioneering development finance consultancy company Zeitinger Invest.
ProCredit Holding is committed to expanding access to financial services in developing countries and transition economies by building a group of banks that are the leading providers of fair, transparent financial services for very small, small and medium-sized businesses as well as the general population in their countries of operation. In addition to meeting the equity needs of its subsidiaries, ProCredit Holding guides the development of the ProCredit banks, provides their senior management, and supports the banks in all key areas of activity, including banking operations, human resources and risk management. It ensures that ProCredit corporate values, international best practice procedures and Basel II risk management principles are implemented group-wide in line with standards also set by the German supervisory authorities.
Zeitinger Invest is the leading shareholder and strategic investor in ProCredit Holding. Zeitinger Invest has been the driving entrepreneurial force behind the ProCredit group since the foundation of the banks.
ProCredit Holding is a public-private partnership. In addition to Zeitinger Invest and ProCredit Staff Invest (the investment vehicle of the staff of ProCredit), the other private shareholders of ProCredit Holding include the Dutch DOEN Foundation, the US pension fund TIAA-CREF, the US Omidyar-Tufts Microfinance Fund and the Swiss investment fund responsAbility. The public shareholders of ProCredit Holding include KfW (the German promotional bank), IFC (the private sector arm of the World Bank), FMO (the Dutch development bank), BIO (the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries) and Proparco (the French Investment and Promotions company for Economic Cooperation).
The legal form of ProCredit Holding is a so-called KGaA (Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien, or in English a partnership limited by shares). This is a legal form not uncommonly used in Germany which can basically be regarded as a joint stock company in which the role of the management board is assumed by a General Partner, and in which the General Partner has consent rights over certain key shareholder decisions. In the case of ProCredit Holding, the General Partner is a small separate company which is owned by the core shareholders of ProCredit Holding AG & Co. KGaA: Zeitinger Invest, ProCredit Staff Invest, DOEN, KfW and IFC. The KGaA structure will allow ProCredit Holding to raise capital in the future without unduly diluting the influence of core shareholders in ensuring the group maintains dual goals: development impact and commercial success.
ProCredit Holding has an investment grade rating (BBB-) from Fitch Ratings Agency. As of mid-2013, the equity base of the ProCredit group is EUR 513 million. The total assets of the ProCredit group are EUR 5.8 billion (mid-2013).
Zeitinger Invest GmbH is a limited liability company based in Frankfurt. The company emerged from Internationale Projekt Consult GmbH (IPC) in 2016 and is the leading shareholder and strategic investor in the ProCredit group. Zeitinger Invest is wholly owned by members of the Zeitinger family, who believe strongly in the idea of Europe and its humanistic values.
Since 1980, the family have been breaking new ground in the field of development, pursuing their objectives by carrying out consulting assignments and assuming management responsibility. One of the guiding principles underlying their activities is the commitment to transmitting entrepreneurial values, which Zeitinger Invest regards as the motor for long-term sustainable development. In particular, as a founding shareholder of ProCredit Holding, the company has set new standards in the establishment of target group-oriented financial institutions in developing countries and emerging economies, as it is convinced that strong and well-functioning financial institutions are the most important prerequisite for effectively financing small entrepreneurs on a socially balanced, lasting and environment-conscious basis.
ProCredit Group 