Group Lending
Group lending with both sides of the relationship in view.
Register the group and its members, originate one group loan from each member's share, and track repayment for the group and every member on the same screen.
- Umoja Solidarity Group
- 12 members · 94% collected
- Group loan GL-2207
- TSh 7,200,000
- Members overdue
- 1 · Rehema Peter, 5 DPD
Two levels, one workflow
Group lending only works when you can see both sides of the relationship at once — the group as a whole, and every member inside it. Ustawi keeps them together on every screen, not on two disconnected systems.
- The group is registered as one object, with a leader and a secretary
- One group loan, approved and disbursed as a group
- Group-level responsibility for the loan, per the institution's product rules
- Collective standing: total due, collected, and outstanding for the group
- Each member is added to the group with their own record
- A member-level share of the group loan — requested and approved
- An individual repayment to make each cycle
- Personal standing: paid, balance and days past due, visible in the group
A group profile — the group and its members together
Open a group and its collective details sit at the top, with tabs for members, loans, repayments and history beneath — the group standing and the member list on the same record.
| Member | Role | Outstanding | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asha Mwakalinga | Leader | 630,000 | Current |
| Neema Kessy | Secretary | 540,000 | Current |
| Rehema Peter | Member | 820,000 | 5 DPD |
| Zainabu Ally | Member | 468,000 | Current |
| Showing 4 of 12 · group outstanding | 6,580,000 | ||
The group loan cycle, registration to next cycle
A group moves through a full lifecycle — and where the relationship continues, closing one cycle sets up the next. The path is the same governed engine, applied at the group level.
Tap a stage to stop on it. Hover pauses the animation.
Registering the group before any loan
The group exists before the lending does. It is registered, given a leader and secretary, and its members are added — so that when a loan is originated, it is originated against a real group.
- Basic infoDone
Group name, branch and lending model recorded
- LeadershipDone
Leader and secretary assigned from members
- MembersIn progress
Members added to the group, each with their own record
- Recognition / eligibilityPending
Group registration details and eligibility captured
- Group readyPending
The group becomes a first-class object, ready to borrow
The exact fields and eligibility rules are configured per institution.
Managing members inside the group
Every member is a record in their own right, but always seen within their group. The member list shows each member's loan, outstanding, what is due, and any days past due — beneath the group's collective summary.
| Member | Loan | Outstanding | Due | DPD | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asha Mwakalinga | #3301 | 630,000 | 157,500 | 0 | Current |
| Neema Kessy | #3302 | 540,000 | 135,000 | 0 | Current |
| Rehema Peter | #3303 | 820,000 | 180,000 | 5 | Overdue |
| Zainabu Ally | #3304 | 468,000 | 117,000 | 0 | Current |
| Fatuma Hassan | #3305 | 576,000 | 144,000 | 0 | Current |
| Mwajuma Said | #3306 | 684,000 | 171,000 | 0 | Current |
Amounts in TSh. Showing 6 of 12 members.
Building a group loan, member by member
A group loan is one loan for the group, made up of each member's share. You select the group and product, add the members taking part, and set each member's amount — the group total is simply the sum of the members' approved shares.
| Member | Requested | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| Asha Mwakalinga | 700,000 | 700,000 |
| Neema Kessy | 600,000 | 600,000 |
| Rehema Peter | 1,000,000 | 800,000 |
| Zainabu Ally | 520,000 | 520,000 |
| 8 more members | 4,580,000 | 4,580,000 |
| Group level Group total | 7,400,000 | 7,200,000 |
Amounts in TSh. The group loan runs on the same origination engine as an individual loan.
The same approval ladder, gated by amount
A group loan is not approved by a different process — it climbs the same ladder as any loan: Loan Officer → Branch → Credit Committee → Board, gated by the group total, with every decision recorded.
- Loan OfficerApprovedBy J. Mushi · 11 Aug 2026 · Recommended
Group in good standing; member shares set.
- Branch ManagerApprovedBy R. Kessy · 12 Aug 2026 · Approved
Within branch mandate for the group total.
- Credit CommitteeIn reviewBy In review · Pending
Group total exceeds branch band — escalated.
- BoardNot required
- 11 Aug · 09:14Submitted for approval by J. Mushi
- 12 Aug · 11:02Approved at branch by R. Kessy
- 12 Aug · 11:03Escalated to Credit Committee (amount band)
Disbursed as a group, allocated to each member
The group loan is disbursed as one, but the release is allocated across the members according to their approved shares — so the group total and each member's allocation are recorded together.
| Member | Allocation |
|---|---|
| Asha Mwakalinga | 700,000 |
| Neema Kessy | 600,000 |
| Rehema Peter | 800,000 |
| Zainabu Ally | 520,000 |
| 8 more members | 4,580,000 |
| Total | 7,200,000 |
Amounts in TSh. Disbursement is gated by the same requirement checks as any loan.
Documents and an auditable history
The group's documents live with the group, and every material action — registration, members added, approval, disbursement — is captured with an actor and a timestamp.
- Group constitution
- Member roster
- Group loan agreement
- Meeting minutes
- Guarantee undertaking
- Group registeredJ. Mushi (Loan Officer)02 Feb 2026 · 10:12
- Members added (12)J. Mushi (Loan Officer)04 Feb 2026 · 14:30
- Cycle 2 group loan submittedJ. Mushi (Loan Officer)11 Aug 2026 · 09:14
- Approved at branchR. Kessy (Branch Manager)12 Aug 2026 · 11:02
- Approved by Credit CommitteeCredit Committee13 Aug 2026 · 10:20
- Group loan disbursedF. Ndosi (Finance)14 Aug 2026 · 12:31
Every member, visible inside the group
From a members' book to one record
Drag the slider: the same repayment cycle, kept in a members' book versus kept in Ustawi.
| Asha M. | 157,500 | 157,500 | ok |
| Neema K. | 135,000 | paid? | via chair |
| Rehema P. | 180,000 | 80,000 | ask chair |
| 6 more | #REF! | 715,500 | ?? |
Group repayment — the group and every member at once
This is the heart of group lending in Ustawi. When a repayment cycle comes due, the group's collective standing sits above a member table showing what each individual owes, has paid, still has as a balance, and how many days past due — the group and every member on one screen.
| Member | Due | Paid | Balance | DPD | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asha Mwakalinga | 157,500 | 157,500 | 0 | 0 | Paid |
| Neema Kessy | 135,000 | 135,000 | 0 | 0 | Paid |
| Rehema Peter | 180,000 | 80,000 | 100,000 | 5 | Partial |
| Zainabu Ally | 117,000 | 117,000 | 0 | 0 | Paid |
| Fatuma Hassan | 144,000 | 144,000 | 0 | 0 | Paid |
| Mwajuma Said | 171,000 | 171,000 | 0 | 0 | Paid |
| 6 more members | 715,500 | 715,500 | 0 | 0 | Paid |
| Group level Group | 1,620,000 | 1,520,000 | 100,000 |
Amounts in TSh. Members repay individually while the group carries collective responsibility per the institution's product rules.
Delinquency, visible inside the group
When a member falls behind, the shortfall is visible both as that member's overdue balance and as its impact on the group. From there it flows through the same collections and dunning ladder as any other loan.
- The overdue member is surfaced inside the group, not hidden in an aggregate
- The group's collective standing shows the impact of the shortfall
- The case enters the standard dunning ladder used across the platform
- Follow-up and any recovery arrangement is your institution's process
- 11–7 DPD — reminder
- 28–30 DPD — first notice
- 331–60 DPD — follow-up
- 460+ DPD — escalation
DPD bands are configured per institution.
See a group and every member on one repayment screen.
The group book, from institution to member
The whole group book, on one screen
Above every group and every member sits the portfolio view — active groups, members inside them, what is due this cycle, what has been collected, and exactly which groups carry an overdue member.
| Group | Branch | Members | Outstanding | Collection | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umoja Solidarity Group | Kariakoo | 12 | 6,580,000 | 94% | Members overdue: 1 |
| Tumaini Women's Group | Kariakoo | 15 | 8,150,000 | 100% | Current |
| Maendeleo Traders | Mwanza | 10 | 5,020,000 | 100% | Current |
| Nuru Youth Group | Arusha | 14 | 7,340,000 | 78% | Members overdue: 3 |
| Bidii Farmers Circle | Mbeya | 18 | 9,600,000 | 96% | Members overdue: 1 |
| Amani Market Group | Dodoma | 11 | 4,880,000 | 100% | Current |
Amounts in TSh for the current repayment cycle.
From institution down to a single member
Because the group and the member are modelled together, performance drills straight down the hierarchy — institution, branch, group, member, loan — without switching systems or losing the thread.
Group monitoring on measurable indicators
A group's standing is described with figures you can check — collection rate, members overdue, portfolio at risk, days past due, missed instalments — not a black-box score. Every indicator ties back to real member data.
Management and branch analytics
Because groups roll up by branch, management sees the group book the way it is actually run — portfolio indicators at the top, and a by-branch breakdown beneath.
| Branch | Groups | Outstanding | Collection | Members overdue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kariakoo | 18 | 96.2M | 96% | 4 |
| Mwanza | 16 | 82.4M | 95% | 5 |
| Arusha | 14 | 71.0M | 89% | 12 |
| Mbeya | 20 | 104.8M | 96% | 8 |
| Dodoma | 12 | 48.6M | 98% | 3 |
| Tanga | 16 | 25.6M | 97% | 5 |
Amounts in TSh.
On the same engine as the rest of your book
Connected across the Ustawi platform
Group Lending is not a bolt-on. It shares the same loan record, the same ledger, and the same collections engine as the rest of the platform.
Group loans originate and service on the same core engine.
Explore app →An overdue member's DPD drives the standard dunning ladder.
Explore app →Group guarantee and any security tie into the disbursement gate.
Explore app →Disbursement and every repayment post double-entry journals.
Explore app →A distinct, member-owned savings product — kept separate.
Explore app →Group Lending vs. VICOBA
The two are often confused, but they are fundamentally different products. Group Lending is your loan book; VICOBA is a member-owned savings circle. Ustawi handles both, in apps built for each.
| Dimension | Group Lending | VICOBA / Savings Groups |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the fund | Your institution lends its own funds | Members own and pool their own savings |
| Purpose | Joint-liability microfinance lending | A self-managed savings & lending circle |
| Liability | Group responsible to repay the lender | Members lend to each other; no external loan |
| Loan source | A loan on your book, on the core engine | Internal loans from the group's own fund |
| Main record | A group loan on your lending portfolio | A fund ledger with cycles and share-out |
| Core workflow | Origination → approval → disbursement → repayment | Cycle open → meetings → fund → share-out |
Behind every group are real people
A group loan is a relationship between your institution and a circle of members who stand together. The two-level view exists so that the collective standing and each member's individual repayment are both in front of the officer who serves them.
Ustawi models group lending around your product rules — individual repayment alongside group-level responsibility — rather than forcing every group product into one shape.
Getting live
How we get you live
A structured rollout, from mapping your group-lending policy to originating your first group loans on Ustawi.
- 01Discover
Map your group products, amount bands, and joint-liability rules.
- 02Configure
Set group products, the approval ladder, and disbursement gates.
- 03Migrate
Bring existing groups, members and balances onto the platform.
- 04Test
Validate group and member repayment, approval and accounting.
- 05Train
Bring officers, branch, committee and finance staff up to speed.
- 06Go live
Originate and service group loans, with support on hand.
See Group Lending in a live demo
Request a DemoFrequently asked questions
Group lending is joint-liability microfinance lending to a formal group; VICOBA is a member-owned savings circle with its own fund ledger — see VICOBA / Savings Groups.