Last update: 19/12/2024

As a microfinance business, Prospera serves micro-entrepreneurs in Brazil with stand-out solutions such as personal service through Prospera specialists, tailored microcredits and a wealth of financial education content and material. This Santander initiative has been supporting financial empowerment in Brazil for over 22 years.

Financial inclusion is one way to help society prosper, and that’s where Prospera comes in: a microcredits programme designed to address the financial needs of underserved communities and foster inclusive growth. It focuses on supporting micro-entrepreneurs who often face significant barriers in accessing traditional financial services.

By providing financial guidance and microcredits, Prospera helps these entrepreneurs grow their businesses, create jobs and contribute to the local economy. This targeted approach bridges the gap between formal financial systems and previously excluded groups and promotes financial inclusion.

As a microfinance business, it serves micro-entrepreneurs with customized solutions, such as personal service through Prospera Specialist (over 1,400 agents across over 1,700 Brazilian municipalities), microcredits and a plethora of financial education resources and material to help them manage their businesses. Prospera emphasizes financial literacy as a key component of its strategy through workshops, training sessions and personalized mentoring.

The role of financial education and use of cutting-edge technology

Prospera focuses on financial education through face-to-face courses and an online platform that covers essential topics, such as sales techniques and cash flow management to help people acquire the skills needed to manage their businesses and finances effectively.

This programme also uses technology to enhance accessibility and convenience for its users. With digital banking platforms and mobile applications, we ensure that financial services are available even in remote areas. This digital proposition not only broadens our reach but also simplifies the banking experience for our customers, making it easier for them to access and manage their accounts.

A brighter future for our customers

At Santander, we help people realize their dreams and overcome the barriers they face when attempting to maintain and improve a business without having sufficient resources. Because this resource gap is especially prevalent for women, Prospera prioritizes their access to loans. At 2024-year end, 66% of the programme’s portfolio comprised loans to women.

One of the beneficiaries is entrepreneur Allana da Paz Nascimento, who founded an online children's clothing business in 2021. In 2023, she found out about Prospera through Ariana, who works on the programme. She helped Allana get the funds she needed to increase stock, acquire a Point of Sale (POS) terminal and, most notably, open her first brick-and-mortar store.

Staying in Maranhão, we come across Jaqueline, who’s been with Prospera since 2016. Her sweet treats, coffee, fruit and vegetables have helped her business go from strength to strength and contribute to the local economy.

Throughout Brazil there are thousands of stories of women at different ages and with varying businesses who, with hard work and drive, have turned their grand ideas into reality. Other examples include Josicleide, from Gravatá-Pernambuco, who runs a food business; and Francinete, the owner of a small dressmakers in Paraisópolis (São Paulo), who receives help from Prospera specialist Márcia Pereira de Souza. As Márcia says, “Francinete is a natural entrepreneur; she just needed a little help”.

All in all, the Prospera programme exemplifies Grupo Santander’s dedication to financial inclusion. By supporting micro-entrepreneurs, providing financial education, leveraging technology and engaging with communities, we strive to create a more inclusive financial landscape that benefits all.