Opening Markets through Strategic Partnerships: An Analysis of the Alliance between FIE and Pro Mujer
This case study examines the linkage between Fomento a Inciativas Economicas (FIE), a regulated finance company, and Programa para la Mujer (ProMujer), a non-government organization (NGO). It demonstrates how FIE leveraged ProMujer's branch infrastructure to offer deposit services.
The case study presents a literature review on strategic alliances, interviews with key informants and focus group interviews with clients in ProMujer branches. It discusses challenges encountered in the implementation as well as positive and negative influences of donor involvement.
The case study highlights the importance of management commitment, trust between partners, training and internal marketing and a sound regulatory framework. It emphasizes the importance of having a clear but flexible structure for the alliance, and states that:
- FIE could to capture deposits from many new clients without building new branches due to the alliance;
- ProMujer was able to offer regulated deposit services without transforming into a regulated financial institution due to the alliance;
- Strategic alliances can increase the scale and scope of services, improve efficiency, and lower costs for the institutions and their clients;
- Alliances such as the one created by FIE and ProMujer are replicable in a sustainable way.
