Financial Inclusion
Dealflow | December 5, 2023
FINCA Ventures invests in health access and financial inclusion startups
ImpactAlpha, December 5 – The impact investing arm of microfinance company FINCA backed Berlin-based Euclid, which connects smallholder farmers in Africa and Latin …
Photo by First Australians Capital.
Inclusive Economy | November 15, 2023
Jack Dorsey’s Block backs First Australians Capital for Indigenous-led enterprises
ImpactAlpha, November 15 — Like Indigenous communities in the US, Canada and other countries, many first, or Aboriginal, Australians lack access to housing, …
Photo credit: Verqor
Smallholder Agriculture | November 1, 2023
Verqor scores $7.5 million to provide digital credit to Mexico’s farmers
ImpactAlpha, November 1 – More than three-quarters of Mexico’s five million farmers do not earn sufficient income to live. Mexico City-based Verqor provides …
Twinco founders, Sandra Nolasco and Carmen Marin | Photo by Twinco.
Dealflow | October 30, 2023
Twinco Capital secures €50 million from BBVA to provide trade financing for emerging markets suppliers
ImpactAlpha, October 30 — Madrid-based Twinco Capital has secured a $53 million line of credit to make loans to small businesses in emerging …
Photo by UNI2.
Financial Inclusion | October 26, 2023
Colombian microfinance lender UNI2 snags $3 million in debt from Triodos funds
ImpactAlpha, October 26 — Decades of armed conflict has exacerbated access to credit, payments, insurance and other forms of financial services for households …
Photo by Flourish Ventures.
Inclusive Economy | October 26, 2023
Omidyar Network spinoff Flourish Ventures secures $350 million to invest for a fair financial system
ImpactAlpha, October 26 — Flourish Ventures has raised $350 million to double down on fintech, “which has brought significant advancements and opportunities to …
Photo by InsuranceDekho.
Financial Inclusion | October 12, 2023
InsuranceDekho raises $60 million to expand access to insurance in India
Impactalpha, October 12 — InsuranceDekho spun out of online car shopping site CarDekho in 2017 to bridge India’s insurance gaps. Through some 150,000 …
Photo by LeapFrog.
Dealflow | October 10, 2023
LeapFrog’s emerging consumer fund secures $100 million commitment from IFC
ImpactAlpha, October 10 — LeapFrog Investments has secured a $100 million commitment from the International Finance Corp. for its emerging consumer fund, the …
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 25, 2023
LeapFrog joins insurance tech venture Bolttech’s $246 million equity round
ImpactAlpha, September 25 – Singapore-based Bolttech’s insurance exchange connects businesses to more than 6,000 insurance products from 230 companies in North America, Europe …
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 20, 2023
Incofin sells its stake in Unguka Bank in Rwanda
ImpactAlpha, September 20 – Belgian impact investor Incofin sold its 28% equity stake in Rwanda’s Unguka Bank to Sri Lanka’s LOLC Holdings. LOLC’s …
Financial Inclusion | September 11, 2023
myZoi clinches $14 million to support migrant workers in Gulf states
ImpactAlpha, September 11 – Abu Dhabi-based fintech venture myZoi has found a significant need in the oil-rich Gulf: financial inclusion for the region’s …
United States | August 21, 2023
Channel19 raises $2.7 million to digitize small trucking companies in the US
ImpactAlpha, August 21 – The US supply chain depends on small businesses: the more than 95% of trucking companies in the US operate …
Agents of Impact | August 18, 2023
Monica Brand Engel, Quona Capital: Taking on the messy work of financial inclusion
ImpactAlpha, August 18 – Monica Brand Engel’s advice to impact investors is this: Imperfect execution is ok. “Authentic impact is about accepting imperfection …
Smallholder Agriculture | July 27, 2023
Culttivo raises $14.5 million to extend credit to Brazil’s small-scale coffee producers
ImpactAlpha, July 27 – Brazil is the world’s largest producer of coffee. Most beans are grown and harvested by small producers, whose livelihoods …
Frontier and Growth Markets | July 19, 2023
World Bank supports fintech startups from oft-overlooked markets in Southern Africa
ImpactAlpha, July 19 – The World Bank-backed Fintech Challenge awards small investment readiness grants to early-stage enterprises providing affordable financial services to underserved …
Dealflow | July 5, 2023
BlueOrchard secures $50 million for climate adaptation in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, July 5 – The Schroders impact investing group is among the few investors directing capital to climate adaptation in vulnerable countries. BlueOrchard …
Image credit: Aviom
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 14, 2023
Aviom Housing Finance scores $30 million to help low-income Indians become homeowners
ImpactAlpha, June 14 – Aviom Housing Finance offers affordable housing loans to low-income families in India, many of whom work in the informal …
Financial Inclusion | June 6, 2023
MoCaFi raises $23.5 million to help deliver financial aid to underserved communities
ImpactAlpha, June 6 — Billions of dollars in government funding are left unspent each year. Digital payment provider MoCaFi (short for Mobility Capital …
Dealflow | May 25, 2023
Village Capital and Volunteers of America back Let’s Get Set to help low-income mothers claim tax benefits
ImpactAlpha, May 25 — Millions of low-income tax filers in the US miss out on an estimated $12 billion each year in unclaimed …
Photo credit: M-KOPA
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 16, 2023
M-KOPA lands $255 million in equity and impact-linked debt for financial and gender inclusion
ImpactAlpha, May 16 – M-KOPA helped build Africa’s off-grid, pay-as-you-go solar market. Now the The Nairobi-based company brands itself as a fintech company, …
Photo by MPOWER.
Dealflow | May 9, 2023
MPOWER secures $150 million debt investment from Goldman Sachs for higher-education financing
ImpactAlpha, May 9 — Washington, D.C.-based MPOWER provides loans that don’t require a cosigner or collateral to international students and “DREAMers” to attend …
Dealflow | May 9, 2023
El Salvador’s Cubo raises $3.5 million to digitize payments for small businesses
ImpactAlpha, May 9 — El Salvador’s Cubo launched in 2021 with an easy-to-use digital solution for micro and small enterprises in Central America …
Photo by R2.
Financial Inclusion | May 8, 2023
Mexican embedded finance venture R2 secures $100 million line of credit from Community Investment Management
ImpactAlpha, May 8 — R2 has secured a $100 million from San Francisco-based impact investor Community Investment Management. The Mexico City-based venture provides …
Dealflow | May 4, 2023
Encourage Capital invests in Svakarma Finance to promote clean energy access for India’s small businesses
ImpactAlpha, May 4 – Mumbai-based Svakarma Finance is using an on-the-ground lending network with fintech to provide credit and other financial services to …
Gender Smart | May 3, 2023
Anthemis scores backing from Visa and BMO for women-focused fintech fund
ImpactAlpha, May 3 – Despite growing recognition of gender-based investing, the needle on how much women-led startups raise hasn’t moved in years. In …
Dealflow | May 2, 2023
Cross-border processor Rev acquires online payments company Netspend to reach underbanked customers
ImpactAlpha, May 2 – Roy and Bertrand Sosa founded Netspend during the dot-com boom. Their innovation: prepaid debit cards. “We thought, how are …
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 24, 2023
Jacob Haar: Helping emerging market lenders ‘leapfrog’ the US (podcast)
ImpactAlpha, April 24 – Jacob Haar’s work in microfinance in Azerbaijan inspired him to tackle obstacles to financial inclusion at home in the …
Catalytic Capital | April 18, 2023
Why ’embedded finance’ is emerging as the future of global financial inclusion (Q&A)
ImpactAlpha, April 18 – Borrowers and beneficiaries financed by the World Bank are buckling under the weight of expensive debt, fragile post-Covid economies, …
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 …