dfcu Bank financed 6,527 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2025 and supported community initiatives reaching more than 25,000 Ugandans through healthcare interventions, according to its inaugural Report to Society 2025, launched at Serena Hotel in Kigo.
The report brings together the bank’s activities in enterprise financing, women’s economic empowerment, healthcare, agriculture and environmental initiatives, setting out how its banking operations and community investments contribute to Uganda’s economic development.
Launched in the presence of leaders from dfcu Limited, dfcu Bank and dfcu Foundation, the publication also presents itself as an accountability tool through which customers, shareholders, regulators and other stakeholders can assess the institution’s contribution beyond its financial performance.
Dr Winifred Mary Tarinyeba Kiryabwire, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of dfcu Bank Limited, said the report was intended to make the bank’s contribution to society more visible while strengthening transparency and responsible decision-making.
“For more than six decades, dfcu has been part of Uganda’s economic transformation, supporting businesses, expanding financial inclusion and creating opportunities for individuals and communities,” she said.
“Our inaugural Report to Society brings that responsibility into focus. It documents the impact of our work while reinforcing the importance of sound governance, transparent reporting and responsible decision-making.”
Kiryabwire said the publication would provide stakeholders with a basis for assessing the bank’s contribution and identifying areas where it could do more. She added that it would also support the progressive strengthening of dfcu’s sustainability reporting and accountability practices.
The report highlights the bank’s financing of 6,527 SMEs in 2025, reflecting its role in providing financial services to businesses operating across different sectors of the economy. SMEs contribute to production, trade, services and employment, making access to appropriate financing important to enterprise growth.
Charles M. Mudiwa, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of dfcu Bank Limited, said the report was rooted in the institution’s responsibility to account for the resources and trust entrusted to it by customers, investors and the wider public.
“Our customers and stakeholders entrust us with their money, their businesses and their confidence. We therefore have a responsibility to account for how we use those resources and what they help us achieve,” Mudiwa said.
“This report is our first comprehensive step in bringing that account to the public and demonstrating how dfcu has contributed to the livelihoods, enterprises and communities that make up Uganda.”
He said the publication brought together impact stories and figures from the bank’s work over the years, providing stakeholders with a clearer picture of its contribution beyond conventional banking services.
Foundation targets businesses seeking to scale
The report also highlights the work of dfcu Foundation, which supports enterprise development, financial inclusion and access to formal financing.
Dr James Ssemwanga, Chairperson of the dfcu Foundation, said the Foundation’s transition from a Business Development Centre in 2024 was intended to strengthen its role in supporting enterprises and sustainable economic growth.
He said many businesses had moved beyond the start-up stage but still faced barriers to expansion, including limited access to finance, business-development services, markets and strategic partnerships.
“Uganda’s economic growth depends not only on helping businesses start, but also on enabling promising enterprises to become stronger, more productive and more resilient,” Ssemwanga said.
“Many businesses have the potential to grow, create jobs and support wider value chains, yet they need more than capital alone.”
According to Ssemwanga, the Foundation has supported more than 4,000 enterprises since 2018 and reached over 80,000 beneficiaries, the majority of whom are women and young people.
He said the Foundation facilitated approximately Shs38 billion in credit in 2025, while its longer-term ambition for 2025–2030 is to support more than 100,000 additional beneficiaries by strengthening enterprises, connecting value chains and developing productive market ecosystems.
The report records Shs38.08 billion in financing facilitated through the Foundation. The figure reflects its role in connecting enterprises to formal financial services and helping them access resources for investment and growth.
The bank’s Women in Business programme is another key initiative highlighted in the publication. According to the report, the programme has supported more than 80,000 women entrepreneurs through enterprise development and access to financial services.
Healthcare and environmental initiatives
Beyond banking and enterprise support, the report highlights dfcu’s community health interventions, which, according to the campaign figures, reached more than 25,000 Ugandans.
Through a three-year partnership with Rotary Uganda, dfcu Bank committed Shs1 billion to expand access to preventive healthcare through community medical camps.
The outreaches provide free outpatient consultations, diagnostic tests, medicines, dental and eye care, health education and referrals. They also offer screening for conditions including hypertension, diabetes, HIV, cancer and sickle cell disease.
Recent medical camps were held in Jinja, Mbuya, Mutungo, Kasenyi Landing Site and Kamwokya.
The report presents the partnership as part of the bank’s broader community investment, extending its activities beyond financial services to address some of the barriers people face in accessing healthcare.
It also highlights environmental initiatives, including 62,000 trees reportedly planted or distributed in 2025. The figure was presented in the campaign materials accompanying the report.
Jimmy D. Mugerwa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of dfcu Limited, the group’s holding company, said the report reflected the institution’s ambition to combine financial performance with responsible corporate citizenship.
“For us, the long-term success of dfcu cannot be measured by financial results alone. It must also be reflected in the opportunities we help create, the resilience of the communities we serve and the contribution we make to Uganda’s economic future,” Mugerwa said.
He said the report was intended to encourage greater transparency among businesses by demonstrating the importance of reporting not only financial results but also contributions to society.
Mugerwa added that dfcu, which began operating in Uganda in 1964, remained committed to building a resilient institution while contributing to the country’s development.
Helena Mayanja, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at dfcu Bank Limited, said the publication connected the bank’s impact stories with results recorded across women’s entrepreneurship, SME financing, healthcare, enterprise development and environmental initiatives.
“Behind every figure are people, enterprises and communities whose progress matters,” Mayanja said.
She said the report was an opportunity to demonstrate how the bank’s stated purpose of transforming lives and businesses translated into practical action, while reinforcing its commitment to transparency, credible measurement and continuous improvement.
The inaugural Report to Society 2025 brings together dfcu’s reported activities and impact figures in a single publication. Its longer-term value will depend on how consistently the institution measures and reports results, enabling stakeholders to assess the outcomes of its programmes alongside the resources committed.
