Financial Inclusion
Image credit: Credable
Financial Inclusion | March 22, 2023
Credable raises $2.5 million to accelerate embedded finance in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, March 22 – A raft of tech-enabled companies are delivering essential goods and services, such as food supplies and transportation, to low-income …
Image credit: Trukkr
Financial Inclusion | March 16, 2023
Accion Venture Lab bets on ‘embedded finance’ in India, Pakistan and Indonesia
ImpactAlpha, March 16 – Lack of access to finance is a critical barrier to small business growth – and thus, to economic growth …
Dealflow | March 13, 2023
Accial Capital secures $35 million to finance women-led businesses in Latin America and Asia
ImpactAlpha, March 13 – Accial Capital provides debt to startups and financial institutions serving businesses and consumers. The Miami-based investment firm’s portfolio includes …
Image credit: Comun
Financial Inclusion | February 16, 2023
Spanish-language digital bank Comun secures $4.5 million from investors.
ImpactAlpha, February 16 – Nearly 10% of the Hispanic population in the U.S. is unbanked and 40% don’t have a credit card or …
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 15, 2023
InsuranceDekho raises $150 million in debt and equity to expand insurance coverage in India
ImpactAlpha, February 15 – The pandemic ignited demand in India – and many other places – for health insurance products, making India one …
Signals | February 6, 2023
Four ways impact investors are supporting economic mobility for Black Americans
ImpactAlpha, February 6 — The median Black household in the U.S. has one-tenth the wealth of the median white household. Over the next …
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 1, 2023
MNT-Halan raises $200 million to expand access to financial services in Egypt
ImpactAlpha, February 1 – MNT-Halan’s evolution into an Egyptian “super-app” is long and complex. The quick version: In 2019, founder Mounir Nakhla merged …
Smallholder Agriculture | January 23, 2023
BlueOrchard invests $5.29 million in Brazilian insurer Newe for climate resilience
ImpactAlpha. Jan. 23 – Climate-driven floods, droughts and extreme weather around the world caused more than $268 billion in costs last year. Most …
Photo by Komunal.
Financial Inclusion | January 18, 2023
Komunal raises $8.5 million to digitalize financial services in rural Indonesia
ImpactAlpha, January 18 — Surabaya-based fintech startup Komunal has raised $8.5 million from investors including East Ventures Growth Fund, AlphaTrio Sustainable Technology Fund, …
Image credit: VilCart
Frontier and Growth Markets | January 10, 2023
VilCart raises $13 million to digitalize India’s mom and pop shops
ImpactAlpha, January 10 – Bangalore-based VilCart helps India’s kiranas, or mom and pop shops, digitalize their business operations and source inventory. The company, …
Photo by Akulaku.
Financial Inclusion | January 4, 2023
MUFG Bank bets $200 million on Indonesia’s Akulaku to gain access to underbanked consumers
ImpactAlpha, January 4 — Tokyo-based MUFG Bank, the megabank created by the 2005 merger of Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group and UFJ Holdings, is …
Photo credit: SarvaGram
Frontier and Growth Markets | January 4, 2023
Elevar Equity re-ups investment in SarvaGram to speed financial inclusion in rural India
ImpactAlpha, January 4 – SarvaGram provides consumer and business loans to rural and peri-urban households in India that otherwise have difficulty accessing affordable …
AVLA's team | Photo by AVLA.
Financial Inclusion | December 5, 2022
Creation Investments closes $270 million fund for financial inclusion in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, December 5 — Creation Investments Capital Management has raised $270 million for its fifth fund to invest in eight to 10 companies …
Photo by Ahamove.
Good Jobs | November 30, 2022
Igloo raises $46 million to provide insurance for gig economy workers in Southeast Asia
ImpactAlpha, November 30 — In Southeast Asia, insurance coverage as a benefit for employees is a luxury most small and even medium-sized businesses …
Photo by Pivo.
Financial Inclusion | November 29, 2022
Pivo scores $2 million to provide financing and tools for Nigeria’s vendors
ImpactAlpha, November 29 — Pivo provides financial services and digital tools to 300 small- and medium-sized vendors in Nigeria’s manufacturing supply chains. Launched …
Photo by Goodwell Investments.
Dealflow | November 23, 2022
Goodwell Investments raises €50 million to drive inclusive growth in Africa
ImpactAlpha, November 23 — Dutch impact investor Goodwell Investments is looking to raise €150 million for its second uMunthu fund to invest in …
Photo credit: Root Capital
Signals | November 15, 2022
Women-led agribusinesses notch greater profits, faster growth and less risk
ImpactAlpha, November 15 – Financing smallholder farmers is difficult work. New data from Root Capital suggests that investing in women delivers the trifecta investors …
Photo credit: Quona Capital
Dealflow | November 9, 2022
Quona Capital raises $332 million for its third financial inclusion fund
ImpactAlpha, November 9 — Washington, D.C.-based Quona Capital exceeded its $250 million target for its latest fund, raising $332 million to back ventures expanding access …
Photo credit: Tienda Pago
Frontier and Growth Markets | November 8, 2022
Inclusive fintechs build on gains to help emerging market businesses weather the economic storm
ImpactAlpha, November 8 – First it was Covid lockdowns. Then global supply-chain disruptions. Now, the rising cost of goods and interest rates is tightening …
Dealflow | November 7, 2022
Acrecent raises $34.8 million from impact investors to lend to Puerto Rico’s small businesses
ImpactAlpha, November 7 – Guaynabo, P.R.-based Acrecent Financial Corp. has for nearly 20 years provided business loans, equipment financing and real estate lending …
Financial Inclusion | November 2, 2022
Bamboo Capital Partners exits Honduran microfinance institution Banco Popular
ImpactAlpha, November 2 — Luxembourg-based emerging and frontier markets investor Bamboo Capital Partners is exiting its investment in Banco Popular a decade after …
Photo by Evisort.
Dealflow | October 14, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Impact M&A
ImpactAlpha, October 14 — The year has seen an uptick in impact mergers and acquisitions, including Mirova’s purchase of SunFunder to expand clean …
Photo by Vistaar Finance
Financial Inclusion | October 13, 2022
Warburg Pincus takes control of Indian micro-enterprise lender Vistaar Finance
ImpactAlpha, October 13 — New York-based Warburg Pincus is acquiring a majority stake in Vistaar Finance, an India-based non-bank financial company that provides …
The Net Purpose team | Photo by Net Purpose.
ESG | October 13, 2022
Net Purpose raises £10 million for a fact-base of social and environmental performance
ImpactAlpha, October 13 — London-based data analytics provider Net Purpose has raised £10 million to help investors measure the performance of their portfolios …
Photo credit: FACES, Ecuador
Catalytic Capital | October 11, 2022
Gawa Capital’s Huruma Fund: A case study in blending finance for farmers’ financial inclusion
An investment 18 months ago in Ecuador-based microfinance institution FACES has enabled 3,500 smallholder farmers to access financial services. A technical assistance grant …
Photo by Peopleimages.
Policy Corner | October 3, 2022
U.S. Treasury channels $8 billion to help CDFIs and MDIs boost small-business lending
ImpactAlpha, October 3 — Community development financial institutions, or CDFIs, and minority depository institutions, or MDIs, played a vital role getting aid to …
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 …