Kiva has not shut down. The nonprofit continues to report lending through kiva.org; its community funded $166 million in loans in 2025, according to Kiva. The project that did end was Kiva Protocol, a separate initiative whose operations were sunset effective June 30, 2022. That closure was not the closure of Kiva’s core lending platform.
What happened to Kiva?
Kiva remains an operating 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on expanding financial access. Kiva’s finance page reports $166 million in community-funded loans in 2025. Its annual impact reporting says 194,096 loans were funded on kiva.org that year.
The distinction matters because Kiva Protocol and Kiva’s lending platform had different purposes. Protocol aimed to help people build portable records of financial activity; kiva.org connects lenders with borrowers through lending partners. The official Protocol site says its operations ended effective June 30, 2022. Kiva’s finance page also notes the end of Kiva Protocol LLC operations. Neither statement says that Kiva’s nonprofit or core lending service closed.
What is Kiva, and how does it work?
Kiva says its mission is to expand financial access for underserved communities, and that the first loan on kiva.org was funded in March 2005. Its current model connects individual lenders with borrowers through local partners, including microfinance institutions, nonprofits, and other organizations. Kiva also operates a U.S. lending program for entrepreneurs.
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- A borrower applies through a Kiva lending partner. The partner may select borrowers, review applications, and administer loans.
- A lender chooses a borrower and an amount to lend through Kiva. Funds are allocated to that borrower.
- As repayments come back, a lender can lend the returned funds again. Kiva says individual lenders do not earn interest.
Relending does not make a Kiva loan a savings account or an investment in Kiva. Kiva warns that lending involves the risk of losing principal and does not guarantee repayment.
What was Kiva Protocol?
Kiva Protocol was a separate effort to record financial activity that might not appear in conventional credit files. Its intended records could include informal savings and credit, cash aid, and other transactions, helping people with limited formal credit histories build portable financial histories.
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Kiva Protocol’s official site states that operations would sunset effective June 30, 2022. The reviewed official information establishes that end date, but does not give a specific reason for the shutdown. Protocol should therefore be understood as a discontinued project, not as a current Kiva lending service.
How large was Kiva’s lending activity in 2025?
Kiva’s 2025 reporting offers a dated snapshot of activity. These are figures reported by Kiva, not independent findings that Kiva caused particular economic outcomes.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →| Measure | Kiva-reported 2025 figure |
|---|---|
| Loans funded on kiva.org | 194,096 |
| Loans to underbanked women | 81.6% of Kiva loans |
| New lending partners | 18 |
| Borrower survey coverage for impact reporting | 60 Decibels surveyed borrowers working with 26 Kiva lending partners |
Kiva identifies 60 Decibels as the independent survey organization for that borrower research. The survey figure describes the scope of the reporting; it does not by itself establish that every borrower had the same experience.
Is Kiva a company that earns money from lenders?
Kiva describes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, rather than a conventional for-profit microfinance company. It says it does not charge lenders fees. Its operating costs are supported by voluntary lender donations, grants, contributions from foundations and other supporters, and service fees from some lending partners.
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Kiva also describes separate entities for operations, user funds, donor-advised funds, and impact-first funds managed by Kiva Capital Management. A lender’s contribution to a borrower’s loan is not an investment in Kiva and does not earn a financial return.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to check Kiva’s current status and finances
Kiva’s official pages provide the most direct status information: its About page describes the organization and mission; its loan explainer explains the lending process and relending; its finance page covers its nonprofit status and funding; and its impact reporting presents dated activity figures. Kiva Protocol’s official site records the separate project’s sunset.
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