Finance shaped to your trade
Five products, each built around a different kind of business cycle — and every one of them explained to you in writing before you sign.
Our lending
Two ways to borrow from Washi
Most of our clients begin with a group-based micro loan, where the trust of your group replaces the collateral you do not have. As a business grows, it can move to individually assessed business lending sized to a larger operation.
Washi Micro Loan
Our flagship product: a collateral-free loan for women running established small businesses in urban slums, peri-urban centres and rural communities.
Washi Small Business Loan
For established enterprises ready to grow beyond what a group micro loan can carry. Assessed individually, with a repayment plan matched to your real cash flow and a business advisor assigned after disbursement. Best for: shops, workshops, transport, agro-processing and service businesses with a trading history.
Washi Working Capital Loan
Short-cycle finance for stock, inputs and seasonal demand — so a good trading opportunity is never lost for want of ready cash. Sized to a specific purchase cycle rather than a fixed calendar. Best for: traders restocking, farmers buying inputs, and businesses with seasonal peaks.
Washi Youth Employment Loan
Designed for young Ugandans building an enterprise that creates work — for themselves and for others. Combined with the mentoring and business coaching a newer operator needs most. Best for: young entrepreneurs with demonstrated experience in their trade.
Washi Salary Loan
A personal loan for salaried employees, repaid from monthly income. This product is in development and is not yet open for applications — register your interest and we will contact you when it launches. Status: in development. Register your interest.
Included as standard
What comes with every Washi loan
These are not extras or upsells. They are part of what it means to borrow from Washi.
A written Key Facts Statement
One page, plain language, in your hands before you sign — the total cost of your credit, your repayment schedule, and every applicable fee.
Your own passbook
Every payment recorded and signed in front of you, so your record is always in your own hands — not only on our system.
Financial literacy training
Practical workshops on budgeting, cash-flow management and reinvestment, before your first disbursement.
A field coach after disbursement
Regular check-ins and operational support to help your business navigate market swings and protect what you have built.
Loan protection for your family
Should a client pass away, the outstanding balance is written off after verification, and any overpayment is returned to her nominee — so a debt is never inherited.
The right to be heard
A route to raise a concern that runs outside the branch, to an independent grievance officer.
Eligibility
Who can apply for a Washi Micro Loan
Our group micro loan programme has clear, published criteria so nobody wastes a journey. To join, you should be able to say yes to each of these:
Criteria for our individually assessed business loans differ. Ask a branch about the requirements for the product you have in mind.
Interest, fees and charges
Washi does not believe in fine print. Every applicable charge — interest, the loan processing fee, the passbook fee and loan protection where it applies — is set out in full on your one-page Key Facts Statement, and explained to you verbally, before you sign anything.
Rates and ceilings vary by product and by term, and are reviewed periodically. For the figures that apply to you today, please speak to any Washi branch or call [+256 XXX XXX XXX]. We will give you the full cost in writing, with no obligation to proceed.
Questions
Common questions about borrowing
Do I need collateral or a land title?
No. The Washi Micro Loan is completely collateral-free. Your loan is guaranteed by your group — the women you form it with — rather than by any asset. This is the whole point of the product: we are built for people who run good businesses but hold no conventional security.
Is the loan given to the group or to me?
To you. Every loan is an individual one, and you alone are responsible for repaying it. The group provides the guarantee and the support, and its meeting is where instalments are collected — but your loan is yours, and it must never be shared with anyone else.
How often do I repay?
Weekly, in equal instalments, at your group's regular meeting. The first instalment falls due at the first meeting after you receive your loan. The exact amount is written into your passbook and your Key Facts Statement before you leave the branch.
Can I repay early?
Yes. If you wish to clear your loan in full before the end of the term, you may. You will need to come to the branch in person to settle the balance, and your record will be updated the same day.
What if I cannot pay one week?
Talk to us early — that is always the best move. Your loan officer will work first with you and your group leaders to find a way through. Washi staff are prohibited from using aggressive, humiliating or harassing methods at any stage. Read our promise on this.
How large a loan can I get?
Your first loan is set within a starting ceiling and, more importantly, is sized to what your business can genuinely repay. Lending you more than your cash flow can carry is not a favour, and we will not do it. Each cycle you complete raises the ceiling available to you next time.
Can men borrow from Washi?
The Washi Micro Loan programme is reserved for women. Our individually assessed business products are open more widely — speak to a branch about which product fits your enterprise.
How long does approval take?
Once your group is formed and your application is complete, a loan officer verifies your business and home, and a manager reviews and approves it. Disbursements run on scheduled days each week at your branch. Your loan officer will tell you the exact date and time.
Not sure which product fits?
Tell us about your business and we will point you to the right one — or tell you honestly if now is not the right time to borrow.