Sustainable energy and financial inclusion: The first DSIK project partnership in Brazil
Together with Banco Palmas, DSIK supports the “Palma Solar” program, which promotes local and community-based solar energy generation. The aim is to provide clean and affordable energy for families and small businesses, thereby making a concrete contribution to a socially and environmentally just energy transition.
Banco Palmas was founded in 1998 by Joaquim Melo in a suburb of the northern Brazilian city of Fortaleza and, as Brazil's first banco comunitário (community bank), is deeply rooted in the local community. Its approach aims to strengthen the local economy, promote small businesses, and responsibly integrate low-income populations into economic processes. This is an important building block for inclusive growth in a rapidly developing country like Brazil.
This approach goes far beyond traditional financial services: Banco Palmas supports sustainable food cultivation, offers training in crafts and the arts, and thus promotes sustainable sources of income and social cohesion in the neighborhood.
Today, Banco Palmas is part of a network of over 100 bancos comunitários, reaching almost 400,000 people across Brazil. The focus is on marginalized population groups, primarily indigenous communities, small farmers, and residents of favelas.
The partnership with DSIK is part of the regional project on sustainable finance in Latin America. Close cooperation will also strengthen Banco Palmas institutionally, enabling it to further develop reliable and sustainable financial models and disseminate them nationwide. The partnership thus combines climate protection with regional economic growth and makes an important contribution to reducing social inequality.
You can read more about our sustainable finance project in Latin America here.