LAPO Microfinance Bank is an off-shoot of the Lift Above Poverty (LAPO) Organization, a poverty-focused Non-Governmental Organization. It was initiated in the late 1980s in response to the fall out of the implementation of the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP).

The Organization was incorporated in April 2007 and licensed to operate as a regulated State Microfinance Bank by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2010. It became a National Microfinance Bank in 2012.

LAPO Microfinance Bank is an institution that provides a range of financial products and solutions to assist micro, small and medium enterprises, and members of low-income households in 34 of the 36 states in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and boasts of a broad network of over 500 branches.