How Grameen America is using digital tools to strengthen trust with entrepreneurs

For millions of lower income entrepreneurs in the U.S., building a business often starts without access to the financial system. As a result, they often turn to alternative lenders charging rates as high as 400% — a cost that can undo years of hard-won progress before their business even gets off the ground.

Grameen America has spent more than 15 years closing that gap, providing no-recourse, low-interest loans to small business owners who are building credit, businesses, and financial stability for the first time. With support from Mastercard Strive USA, the organization has been modernizing how it delivers that support at scale, most recently through a Member Mobile App designed to expand digital access without losing the high-touch, trust-based relationships that have always defined its model.

We spoke with Marcus Berkowitz, Chief Product & Innovation Officer at Grameen America, about what this work was designed to change, how the app has reshaped both the member and staff experience, and what it will take to bring personalized, technology-enabled support to more entrepreneurs across the country.

What was this work designed to change?

In the early 2020s, we began to notice two key trends among our Members and staff. First, our Members increasingly used mobile apps and online tools to manage their businesses and began expecting to manage elements of our program the same way. Second, our staff were becoming overwhelmed with their workload, as procedures put in place nearly overnight at the dawn of the 2020 pandemic began to hit scalability constraints during the explosive growth we experienced in 2021 and 2022, driven by newly digitized elements of the program.

Together with Mastercard Strive, we saw an opportunity to address both challenges through a single solution: a member mobile app designed to expand access to digital tools, enhance the member experience, create operational efficiencies through the digitization of our program, and generate data-driven insights into program impact and member satisfaction.

With support from Mastercard Strive, the effort aimed to scale access to affordable capital and other programmatic initiatives while maintaining Grameen America’s high-touch, trust-based model.

What changes do you see when entrepreneurs are able to build credit for the first time?

Building credit for the first time can be transformative because credit history plays an important role in financial health and access to opportunity. Grameen America members repay their loans at a rate of 99%, and these strong repayment behaviors often help them establish or strengthen their credit history.

Improved credit can make everyday life easier, helping members qualify for better phone plans, access housing opportunities where landlords check credit, and become eligible for jobs outside of their businesses that consider credit history. It can also open the door to a wider array of financial products and services that give members a diverse set of liquidity sources.

For many entrepreneurs, building credit is about gaining greater financial stability, flexibility, and access to opportunities that support long-term economic mobility.

What shifted as a result of rolling out your Member app?

The mobile app has become a one-stop shop for all Grameen America program and membership information. Members can access full loan details, make payments, create new loan proposals, and track group meeting attendance, among other things. In addition to saving members time, the app allows them to engage with the program more flexibly and on their own schedule. More broadly, our entrepreneurs are now gaining more confidence with digital tools and embracing their own technology transformation.

99% of Grameen America entrepreneurs are using and relying on the Grameen America app across the country as an accessible channel for program information, with 90% completing their full loan application processes within the app. Further connecting our members to digital tools, like the mobile app, is one of the biggest drivers in ensuring they can have more control over their own financial identities and businesses.

The mobile app also has also created significant efficiencies for Grameen America staff, reducing time spent on administrative and operational responsibilities and currently saving member-facing staff an estimated three or more hours per week on average. As we continue to introduce new features and innovations, these time savings continue to increase, allowing staff to focus more on program outreach, enrollment, and relationship building—the core elements of our high-touch program model.

What did you learn that others in the field should pay attention to?

One of the most important lessons we've learned is that technology can enhance and scale a high-touch, relationship-based model without replacing the human connection at its core. Digital solutions are most effective when they complement, rather than substitute for, personal relationships. By streamlining routine processes and increasing access to information, technology can help organizations reach more people while preserving the trust, accountability, and personalized support that drive meaningful outcomes.

At Grameen America, this approach is rooted in more than 15 years of experience with our trust-based, group-lending model. Our work has consistently demonstrated that people are capable, responsible, and highly motivated when they are given access to opportunity, support, and the tools they need to succeed. Technology has enabled us to strengthen that model, making it easier for members to engage with our program while allowing staff to focus on the relationship-building and community support that remain essential to our impact.

What is the next phase of this work?

The next phase of this work is about building on the foundation we've created and using new digital capabilities to deliver even greater value to our members. Technology has opened up new ways to collect data, measure outcomes, and continuously improve the member experience.

Most importantly, the mobile app has created Grameen America's first direct, individualized channel with members outside of the weekly group meetings. For the first time, we can engage entrepreneurs at scale with personalized support tailored to their unique needs, goals, and financial journeys—a capability that simply wasn't possible before.

We believe the impact we've seen so far is only the beginning. As we continue to enhance the app, we plan to introduce new offerings such as credit-building tools, financial and health education, peer networking, and AI-powered coaching. These innovations will help us deliver more personalized support, deepen engagement, and expand our impact beyond what we originally envisioned.

Most recently, Grameen America's Savings Program was integrated into the mobile app, making it easier for members to open accounts, check balances, and manage their savings. By putting these tools directly into members' hands, we're helping entrepreneurs take greater ownership of their financial futures while creating a platform for continued innovation.

How are digital tools helping you expand access while maintaining a high-touch model?

Digital tools help us expand access while strengthening our high-touch model. The app automates parts of the loan process and enables self-service features for members, saving staff significant administrative time and allowing them to focus more on relationship-building and support.

Technology also reduces trade-offs by allowing us to collect more information behind the scenes rather than requiring members to provide it directly. And because every member has different financial circumstances, tools like credit-building are often more effective through the app than in a group setting, where advice must be more general. Delivering personalized guidance digitally helps us better meet members' individual needs while strengthening trust and engagement.

Where do you see the biggest opportunity to expand financial inclusion for entrepreneurs?

We believe the biggest opportunity to expand financial inclusion is to move beyond providing access to capital alone and build a more comprehensive ecosystem of financial tools and support for entrepreneurs.

Over time, we see opportunities to help members strengthen their financial health through services such as credit-building resources, savings products, personalized financial guidance, and digital tools delivered through the mobile app. We're also exploring how innovations like AI-powered coaching and enhanced peer connections can help entrepreneurs access the right information and support at the right time.

Our goal is to ensure entrepreneurs have access not only to capital, but also to the tools, knowledge, and networks they need to build long-term financial stability and business success.