As long ago as 1961, the Egyptian government asked the German Savings Banks Association (DSGV) to assist it with the creation of credit cooperatives in the Nile Delta. In the 1980s, Germany's Sparkassen repeatedly received requests for support from developing countries wishing to establish financial institutions. Sparkassenstiftung thus launched projects in Asia – Bangladesh, China and Sri Lanka – and in Africa too - Botswana, Kenya, Namibia and Uganda. In Latin America, it started operating in Colombia and Peru.
Project description: Establishing savings banks in Peru

The fall of the iron curtain and the break-up of the Soviet Union brought new challenges for the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe. The Sparkassen in the former GDR had to be restructured and enabled to operate in a social market economy. Once this task was completed, there followed a surge in the number of requests for support from Central and Eastern European countries.

The Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe responded to this international demand for its expertise and experience by founding the Sparkassenstiftung für internationale Kooperation. Its task is to promote economic and social development in other countries and to expand development-policy engagement.

In December 1991, the DSGV General Assembly adopted a resolution officially establishing the Sparkassenstiftung für internationale Kooperation e.V. which opened for business on 1 June 1992.

Sparkassenstiftung assisted the Philippines-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) CARD to establish its own bank. CARD went on to obtain a bank license in 1997. Today it advises other microfinance institutions throughout Asia.
Regional Project in Indochina and Myanmar

Many of CARD's customers have since moved on from the microfinance sector and built up small and medium-sized enterprises. To support them, CARD purchased a small regional bank in 2011 which it transformed into an SME bank with an extended product range. Through assignments lasting several weeks at a time, experienced professionals from Germany's Sparkassen assisted CARD SME with risk management, product and HR development and cost management – thus promoting economic growth in the Philippines.
Project description: Creation of CARD SME Bank

The German-Polish Savings Banks Cooperation Office was set up to foster cross-frontier business ventures. This Sparkassenstiftung project ended just two years later with the handover of responsibility to the Sparkassen in the German-Polish frontier region. An innovative project, it proved such a major success it is still continuing to support the region's economy and help bring Europe closer together to this very day.
Project description: Creating and consolidating the German-Polish Sparkassen Cooperation Office

Loans for small enterprises in Azerbaijan are promoted using the KfW's German-Azerbaijani Fund. Azerbaijan's Finance Ministry commissioned Sparkassenstiftung to administer this fund in 2006.
Project report: German-Azerbaijani Fund

Second part: » 2005-2017