Financial Inclusion
Photo by The Money Engineer.
Dealflow | September 30, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Small business lending in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, September 30 — Small and medium-sized enterprises create seven out of every 10 jobs and contribute up to 40% of annual GDP …
Photo by Numida.
Inclusive Economy | September 29, 2022
Numida raises $12.3 million to provide loans to small businesses in Uganda
ImpactAlpha, September 29 — Kampala-based Numida provides unsecured working capital loans, ranging from $100 to $5,000, to micro and small enterprises in as …
Photo by Pie Insurance.
Inclusive Economy | September 22, 2022
Pie Insurance raises $315 million to provide workers’ comp coverage for small businesses
ImpactAlpha, September 22 — Most U.S. businesses are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance, which covers medical expenses, lost wages and rehabilitation costs …
Photo by Jacoblund/iStock.
Low-carbon transition | September 22, 2022
Future scores $5.3 million to reward consumers for reducing their carbon footprint
ImpactAlpha, September 22 — More U.S. consumers are looking to make climate-friendly purchases to reduce their carbon emissions. “There’s a common misconception that …
Credit: PesaChoice
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 8, 2022
CcHUB backs nine fintech startups in Rwanda
ImpactAlpha, September 8 – Nigeria and Kenya-based startup accelerator and angel investor network CcHUB is supporting a cohort of early-stage fintech startups in …
EarlySalary's founders. Photo by Inc42.
Financial Inclusion | August 31, 2022
EarlySalary raises $110 million for instant-cash loans to India’s young earners
ImpactAlpha, August 31 — The Pune-based fintech company aims to provide access to credit for underserved consumers in India’s Tier 3 and 4 …
Photo credit: TeamApt
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 15, 2022
Nigeria’s TeamApt scores backing from QED for digital banking in rural Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 15 – TeamApt is tackling financial access by enabling anyone with a mobile phone and point-of-sales machine to become a local bank …
Dealflow | August 11, 2022
Forage secures $22 million to help low-income Americans order groceries online
ImpactAlpha, August 11 – About 42 million Americans receive help paying for groceries through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as “food …
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 10, 2022
India’s Jodo raises $15 million to help schools and families cover the costs of education
ImpactAlpha, August 10 – Education accounts for 15% to 20% of most Indian households’ income, and costs are going up. Bangalore-based Jodo works with …
Financial Inclusion | August 9, 2022
How Balloon Ventures is (cost-effectively) banking the “missing middle” in Africa
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 9 – Ubora Specialty Crops is the definition of a “missing middle” business that is financially served by just about no one. …
Photo by Umba.
Financial Inclusion | August 4, 2022
Emerging markets neobank Umba acquires a majority stake in Kenya’s Daraja
ImpactAlpha, August 4 — More than half of adults in Africa still don’t have access to banking and financial services, including mobile money …
Image credit: Mottu
Frontier and Growth Markets | July 6, 2022
Brazil’s Mottu secures $40 million to train, insure and finance motorbikes for gig workers
ImpactAlpha, July 6 – In a country with high youth unemployment, the Sao Paulo-based Mottu rents out motorbikes on a weekly basis to make …
Photo by Meta.
Dealflow | July 6, 2022
Black-led OppZo raises $260 million to connect small businesses with financing
ImpactAlpha, July 6 — Miami-based fintech startup OppZo has raised $260 million to provide up to $1 million in asset-based working capital loans …
Photo by India Today.
Dealflow | July 5, 2022
LeapFrog backs Shubham to deliver housing loans for low-income buyers in India
ImpactAlpha, July 5 — LeapFrog Investments has invested in Gurgaon-based Shubham Housing Development Finance Company, a mortgage lender that launched in 2011 to …
Photo by Afolabi Sotunde.
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 7, 2022
Nigeria’s Indicina raises $3 million to underwrite loans for credit bureaus and banks
ImpactAlpha, June 7 – Lagos-based Indicina uses alternative data to gauge the credit risks of un- and underbanked people and businesses in Nigeria and …
Call Recording | June 3, 2022
Call No. 43: How responsible fintech in Africa provides resilience in a downturn (video)
ImpactAlpha, June 3 – Just as investment in financial inclusion in Africa was really ramping up, a market downturn threatens to slow progress. Or …
Impact Management | June 2, 2022
To understand the impact of microfinance, ask the borrowers directly
ImpactAlpha, Jun. 2 – Critics of microloans to the poor have often lacked a crucial perspective: comprehensive feedback from borrowers. “Billions of dollars are …
Image credit: Pivo
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 1, 2022
What’s at stake in African fintech as the venture capital market cools
ImpactAlpha, June 1 – The excitement—and volume of capital—surrounding African venture capital is facing a downturn. One sector sure to feel the investor retreat: …
Photo credit: Moves.
Inclusive Economy | May 26, 2022
Moves raises $5 million to help gig economy workers become owners
ImpactAlpha, May 26 — Roughly 57 million U.S. workers work in the gig economy, and that workforce is expected to grow to 86 …
Capitalism Reimagined | May 25, 2022
Risk off? Savvy investors go ‘impact on’ to stay on track in a volatile market
ImpactAlpha, May 25 – Markets have gone risk off. Savvy investors who have gone impact on are weathering the economic downturn. Speculators in crypto, …
Photo credit: IFC.
Dealflow | May 24, 2022
IFC invests $30 million with Partners for Growth to deploy private credit in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, May 24 — San Francisco-based Partners for Growth, which specializes in private lending for growth-stage companies in emerging markets, will invest $30 …
Photo credit: Qoala.
Impact Tech | May 16, 2022
Qoala secures $65 million to make insurance affordable and accessible in Southeast Asia
ImpactAlpha, May 16 — Insurance penetration in Southeast Asia lags the global average. Jakarta, Indonesia-based Qoala is looking to make affordable home, vehicle …
Catalytic Capital | May 12, 2022
Small ‘non-banks’ get creative to bring financial services to India’s most vulnerable populations
ImpactAlpha, May 12 – Financial inclusion is the hottest sector for venture capital in emerging markets. Businesses in the sector are delivering credit …
Photo credit: BRAC
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 12, 2022
BRAC International Microfinance taps capital markets for $40 million for households in poverty
ImpactAlpha, May 12 – BRAC International Microfinance, the non-governmental organization’s international arm, worked with Seattle-based Global Partnerships and Proparco, the French development bank, …
Photo credit: WTOP.
Return on Inclusion | May 9, 2022
Northwestern Mutual invests $5 million in two Black-led lenders in Milwaukee
ImpactAlpha, May 9 — Northwestern Mutual is investing in Legacy Redevelopment Corp. and Northwest Side Community Development Corp. to provide loans to Black-owned …
Photo credit: Payments.com
Financial Inclusion | May 4, 2022
Xepelin rakes in $111 million for financial services for small businesses in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, May 4 — Small and mid-sized businesses in Latin America fail more frequently than similar businesses in other regions. Santiago, Chile-based Xepelin …
Photo credit: Dell Foundation.
Financial Inclusion | May 3, 2022
Open secures $50 million for small business services in India
ImpactAlpha, May 3 — Bengaluru-based Open provides digital banking, payments, invoicing and automated bookkeeping services to more than two million small and mid-sized …
Photo credit: Kinara Capital
Gender Smart | April 19, 2022
Kinara Capital secures $50 million from Nuveen and TripleJump for digital lending in India
ImpactAlpha, April 19 – Kinara Capital provides unsecured, no-collateral loans of up to three million rupees ($40,000) to micro and small businesses in …
Photo credit: Primer.
Dealflow | April 13, 2022
Voyager Innovations raises $210 million for financial services in the Philippines
ImpactAlpha, April 13 — Manila-based Voyager Innovations owns the neobank Maya Bank and PayMaya, a payment app serving 47 million underserved consumers and …
Photo credit: Sigo Seguros.
Impact Tech | April 12, 2022
Sigo Seguros scores $5.4 million to provide equitable auto insurance
ImpactAlpha, April 12 — Hispanic and Black drivers with clean driving records who live in majority-Hispanic and Black neighborhoods pay more for insurance …
Photo credit: Triodos Bank.
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 11, 2022
Blue like an Orange backs Acceso Crediticio for taxi lending in Peru
ImpactAlpha, April 11 — Blue like an Orange Sustainable Capital, the investment firm launched by former World Bank officials to unlock debt financing …
Photo credit: Women's World Banking.
Gender Smart | April 5, 2022
Women’s World Banking raises $103 million to invest in financial inclusion for women
ImpactAlpha, April 5 — New York-based nonprofit Women’s World Banking has raised $103 million for its second fund to invest in providers of …
Photo credit: Khazna.
Financial Inclusion | April 4, 2022
Lendable and Quona Capital back Khazna’s lending in Egypt
ImpactAlpha, April 4 — The Central Bank of Egypt, which aims to accelerate the digitalization of the country’s financial sector, has struggled to …
Photo credit: Accion.
Inclusive Economy | March 29, 2022
Vivriti Capital secures $55 million for lending to small businesses in India
ImpactAlpha, March 29 — Chennai-based Vivriti has deployed $700 million in loans for small and medium-sized enterprises, which account for most of the …
Image Credits: Zafaran Photography.
Smallholder Agriculture | March 22, 2022
Apollo Agriculture raises $40 million to bank smallholder farmers in Africa
ImpactAlpha, March 22 — Nairobi-based Apollo has used satellite imagery data and machine learning to underwrite loans to Kenya’s small-scale maize farmers since …
Moove's founders Jide Odunsi and Ladi Delano.
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 15, 2022
Moove raises $105 million for revenue-based vehicle financing in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, March 15 — Moove, launched in 2020, provides car loans to Uber and other ride-hailing drivers in Lagos, Accra, Johannesburg, Cape Town, …
Photo credit: Stellar.
Financial Inclusion | March 14, 2022
Stellar raises $7 million to help everyday consumers pay bills and build credit
ImpactAlpha, March 14 — Austin, Texas-based B-Corp. Stellar wants to disrupt the poverty cycle through credit-building. It is targeting the 132 million Americans …
Photo credit: Claudine Gossett.
Dealflow | March 3, 2022
Serena Ventures raises $111 million to back diverse founders building inclusive solutions
ImpactAlpha, March 3 — San Francisco-based Serena Ventures is looking to invest in founders “with diverse points of view” that are building inclusive …
Photo credit: M-KOPA.
Dealflow | March 2, 2022
M-KOPA secures $75 million for pay-as-you-go financing for unbanked Africans
ImpactAlpha, March 2 — Nairobi-based M-KOPA launched in 2011 to help low-income rural households in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda replace dirty and expensive …
Photo credit: MarketForce.
Inclusive Economy | February 23, 2022
MarketForce raises $40 million to digitize Africa’s small retailers
ImpactAlpha, February 23 — Around 95% of retail transactions in Africa are done in cash. Nairobi-based MarketForce is aiming to reach one million …
Photo credit: Flutterwave.
Financial Inclusion | February 17, 2022
Nigeria’s Flutterwave rakes in $250 million at a $3 billion valuation
ImpactAlpha, February 17 — Flutterwave launched in 2016 to help banks and businesses in emerging markets transact across borders and currencies. With more …
Photo credit: Neon
Dealflow | February 16, 2022
Spanish bank BBVA adds $300 million to its stake in Brazilian neobank Neon
ImpactAlpha, February 16 – Neon launched in 2016 to provide credit and other digital financial services to Brazil’s low and middle income individuals, …
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 9, 2022
Africa’s biggest bank turns to fintech to extend lending to informal businesses
It may take the threat of a fintech disruption to get local commercial banks focused on lending for micro and small businesses in …
Dealflow | January 31, 2022
Floatpays raises $4 million to give South African workers access to earned wages
ImpactAlpha, January 31 – South Africa has the highest unemployment rate in the world. About 100,000 workers support themselves through gig-based apps like …
Photo credit: John Martin PERRY.
Dealflow | January 27, 2022
KKR invests $45 million in GrowSari to digitalize ‘sari-saris’ in the Philippines
ImpactAlpha, January 27 — GrowSari, launched in 2016, helps more than 100,000 Filipino owners of brick-and-mortar retail convenience stores, or “sari-sari” stores, make …