4 Boulevard Poissonnière
75009 Paris - France
Tel / Fax :++33 - (0)1 49 33 19 00
Contact us
Adie was created in France in 1989 by Maria Nowak and two other volunteers, without start-up capital, inspired by the Grameen Bank experience.
The missions of Adie are:
• Microcredit to unemployed and people on welfare creating their own job
• Business development services for the clients
• Advocacy on the basis of field experience
Adie has a proximity network spread everywhere over the French territory including overseas. It has 130 regional offices and 190 contact points. As of December 2010, Adie has 463 staff members, of which 382 are on the field, and 1,708 volunteers involved mainly in business development services.
Adie grants loans for start-ups and existing enterprises as well as personal microcredit for employment and microinsurance. The loan amount is up to € 6,000 which can be coupled with start-up grants funded by the government or by the local authorities and non-interest bearing subordinated loans. Individual financing generally does not exceed €10,000. In 2010, Adie granted over 12,000 loans. Since its inception in 1989, the association has granted 93,000 microcredits.
Adie Connect online services (www.adieconnect.org) provide the option to apply for a microcredit online, access to online business development services and exposure to online communities.
Adie also offers face-to-face business development services at no cost to the clients. This consists of individual support, coaching and group training sessions about administrative procedures, business advice, management, accounting, marketing and banking as well as legal advice. Adie Conseil Info is a client telephone platform, which provides business counseling. In 2010, over 12,900 micro-entrepreneurs were coached.
Adie finances a variety of projects. The main criteria are the capacity and motivation of micro-entrepreneurs as well as the feasibility of the project. Loans are granted by a credit committee made up of volunteers (business and finance professionals) and staff members. A majority of the projects approved are in the trade and service sectors.
Adie has largely contributed to the improvement of the legal and regulatory framework for microcredit and self-employment.
- 2001: Amendment to the banking law allowing MFI’s to borrow and on-lend
- 2005: Law on SMEs: Cap on interest rates on loans to proprietorships enterprise cancelled
- 2005: Law on Social Cohesion: recognition of enterprise creation as a way out of unemployment.
Reduction of social insurance fees for certain categories of low-income self-employed people
- 2006: Simplification of state support to unemployed creating a micro enterprise.
- 2006: Extension of lower social insurance fees for all categories of self-employed.
- 2008: New Status of self-employment and extension of the amendment to the banking law to microenterprises of less than 3 employees
Adie carried out an impact study of its actions in 2010.
- Inclusion rate: 79%
- Survival rate of enterprises financed after 2 years: 68%
- Survival rate of enterprises financed after 3 years: 59%
- 1,38 job created on average (including the micro-entrepreneur herself or himself)
- Satisfaction rate of micro-entrepreneurs about their decision: 90%
- Satisfaction rate concerning Adie’s Services: 90%
Corporate Members
European Microfinance Network 4 rue de la Presse - 1000 Brussels - Belgium - Tel: +32 (0)2 227 27 07 - Fax: +32 (0)2 218 31 41
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