Piloting a revolving fund through catalytic blended finance

In fragile economies like Somaliland, access to finance can be the difference between a promising idea and a business that provides income and opportunity. Many adolescent girls and young women have the ambition but lack the collateral, credit history or guarantors that banks require.

The BLOOM⁣ Revolving Fund through Catalytic Blended Finance is helping to close that gap. Implemented by World Vision Somalia with partners Shaqodoon and MicroDahab, the pilot combines grant funding from BLOOM with matching capital from local financial institutions to create a revolving loan facility. Instead of one-time grants, the fund offers affordable, Sharia-compliant loans that are repaid and reinvested, so the same capital can support new groups of women and young entrepreneurs over time.

The fund builds on BLOOM's Savings for Transformation groups, entrepreneurship training and mentoring, giving young people ages 15 to 24 a clear pathway from learning financial skills to accessing formal finance. The pilot prioritizes adolescent girls and young women, internally displaced persons, youth with disabilities and other marginalized groups.

Beyond financing businesses, the pilot will generate practical evidence on how blended finance can build a more inclusive and resilient financial system in fragile contexts.