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In June 2020, the Smart Campaign recognized the client protection work of Grameen Cr\u00e9dit Agricole Foundation partner FATEN by awarding it Smart Certification. The Smart Campaign is a global initiative that aims to integrate client protection principles into the financial inclusion sector. The Smart Campaign's Client Protection Certification program publicly recognizes institutions that provide financial services to low-income households and whose treatment standards adhere to the Smart Campaign's seven client protection principles. These principles cover important areas such as pricing, transparency, fair and respectful treatment, and the prevention of over-indebtedness.<\/p>\n
The certification program includes a set of rigorous standards against which institutions are assessed by independent third-party assessors accredited by the Smart Campaign. The assessors are specialized rating agencies with extensive experience and have analyzed hundreds of institutions to date.<\/p>\n
In 2019, the Smart Campaign had already publicly recognized the client protection efforts of three other microfinance institutions, partners of the Foundation, by granting them Certification: Musoni (Kenya), Chamroeun (Cambodia), and Salym Finance (Kyrgyzstan). These institutions thus joined the nearly 120 other organizations specializing in financial inclusion, in more than 40 countries, certified since the program's launch in January 2013.<\/p>\n