27 June 2003
	SA's Top 20 Companies 4 ABIL Total score: 58,3 Historic score: 44 FM's score: 68

From the murky world of microlending comes this titan of credit. While competitors Unifer and Saambou collapsed spectacularly under bad-debt burdens, Abil's core operating business, African Bank, took market turbulence in its stride. Consistent returns to shareholders and a systems-focused approach to credit management have made African Bank the top financial company among our winners. The time has come to forget the note of surprise in seeing Abil so high up on lists of winners. It has set a new benchmark for microlending and transparency. We think the time is right to take the winning model north of SA's borders.