Creation and Development: The history of IMON INTERNATIONAL started in the early 1990s when Tajikistan was transitioning from a planned economy to new market relations. To solve the growing unemployment problem, the founders of IMON INTERNATIONAL decided to use their resources to teach women entrepreneurship.

Training and Support: IMON INTERNATIONAL studied the experience of non-governmental organizations and began training women in business courses. Thus, the Association of Business Women of Tajikistan (ABWT) was established and registered in 1995. The founders of the organization developed training programs and conducted business training sessions. Women, inspired by the successes of other entrepreneurs, began opening their own businesses.

In 1999, the organization launched the project "Microcredits in Tajikistan." This was a unique and the first project of its kind in Tajikistan, financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The project was launched in close cooperation with Mercy Corps and aimed at providing women, especially in rural areas, with access to finance.

In a short time, the project achieved full self-sufficiency, working daily on creating policies, business procedures, and strategic development plans, as well as institutionalization. IMON INTERNATIONAL is a pioneer in the development of microcredit programs in Tajikistan. The organization quickly built a strong and professional team, mainly consisting of women, trained in microcredit methodology. At that time, the idea of microcredits was entirely new in Tajikistan; no one issued unsecured loans. IMON INTERNATIONAL, together with its team, was the first to offer microcredits to vulnerable segments of the population, primarily women, explaining the economic essence of microcredit and its most essential features in simple terms. This was a revolution in people's minds and their destinies.

IMON INTERNATIONAL changed the outdated model of economic activity "low income – low savings – low investment" to a model "low income – access to credit – investment – higher income – higher savings – higher investment – even higher income."

Transformation into an MDO: From 2003 to 2004, the government of the Republic of Tajikistan, together with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and international donors, developed a law regulating microfinance activities, in which IMON INTERNATIONAL was part of the process.

In 2005, the first credit agreement was signed between IMON INTERNATIONAL and the EBRD, with the funds directed at expanding IMON INTERNATIONAL's client base and loan portfolio.

In 2012, the organization became the microcredit deposit organization “IMON INTERNATIONAL.” A significant milestone in the organization's development was attracting investments into the institute's capital to diversify funding sources and create a long-term development strategy. Socially-oriented investors such as Triple Jump, FMO, EBRD, and Microcapital were the first to invest in the organization's capital. These investors fully shared IMON’s social mission and provided substantial technical assistance to achieve the company's operational and strategic objectives.

Conducting social ratings, SMART certification, building a cohesive team with high corporate spirit in accordance with the best practices of corporate governance, are far from a complete list of social innovations and best practices brought into the institute by the Founders.

Today, “IMON INTERNATIONAL” continues to support the economic development of Tajikistan by ensuring stable access to finance for the population.

Mission of the Organization: To contribute to stable economic development in Tajikistan, improve the quality of life by providing stable access to finance for the economically active part of the population in Tajikistan.

Achievements:

1. In February 2022, MDO IMON INTERNATIONAL successfully passed certification according to Client Protection Principles and received the highest possible rating – the "Gold Certificate." The GOLD level is the highest level of certification and means that IMON INTERNATIONAL meets the strictest client protection principles outlined in the International Universal Standards for Social Performance Management.

It should be noted that IMON INTERNATIONAL is the only financial organization in the Republic of Tajikistan that possesses this certificate. 2. The international rating company "MicroFinanza Rating," certified by the World Bank Group's CGAP for assessing microcredit organizations and banks, conducted an international social rating assessment of MDO “IMON INTERNATIONAL” in January 2022, awarding it an sA- rating.

The social rating analyzed the following aspects and directions of the organization’s activities: social mission, social strategy, balance between financial and social activities, social monitoring, prevention of client over-indebtedness, transparency, responsible pricing, data confidentiality of clients, social responsibility towards employees and the community, environmental protection, availability, quality, and flexibility of services provided. 3. After a thorough analysis of the Company’s activities, the international rating agency MFR awarded CJSC MDO “IMON INTERNATIONAL” an institutional rating of α- high.

This rating is due to a good level of corporate governance, risk management systems, internal controls, high capital adequacy, and low exposure to liquidity and market risks.

The previous institutional rating of a- medium was assigned to the Company in November 2021, and the new rating of a- high in November 2022 is an indicator of reliability and growth in Tajikistan’s financial market.

Bank operations:

- attraction of savings and deposits of individuals and legal entities;

- issuance of microcredits (secured and unsecured);

- opening and maintaining bank accounts;

- transfer of funds at the request of clients;

- issuance of guarantees;

- forward contracts and swaps for yourself;

- settlement and exchange operations;

- cash transactions;

- Issue of payment bank cards and operations on them.

Mission:

Mission is to promote the economic development stability in Tajikistan, facilitate improvement in living standards through providing constant access to finance for economically active population of Tajikistan