Africa

·Nov. 2, 2016

MasterCard Foundation Expands Consumer Financial Protection Initiative

Announced today, the MasterCard Foundation is partnering with the Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI) at Accion on a $4.4 million initiative to promote more robust consumer financial protection laws around the world; CFI's Smart Campaign has existed since 2009 and has certified the consumer protection practices of 68 financial institutions to-date; the MasterCard Foundation contribution will support involvement of more parties (such as regulators, non-bank financial institutions and fintech platforms) and more countries; a particular focus will be on sub-Saharan Africa. Source

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Peer to Peer Lending

·Feb. 28, 2017

Just Released: Africa and Middle East Alternative Finance Report

We often hear news about alternative finance in a few main geographies: the the UK and Continental Europe, the US and China....

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Europe News Roundup Online Lending

·Mar. 28, 2017

Bitbond and BitPesa Partner for Improved Financing to SMEs in Africa

German-based marketplace lender Bitbond has partnered with African payments provider BitPesa to improve the lending experience for small and medium enterprise (SME) borrowers; Bitbond will enhance the blockchain lending services of its platform by incorporating cross-border payments through BitPesa; the BitPesa payments platform can make payments in 20 minutes and is now live in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania. Source

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News Roundup Online Lending

·Mar. 29, 2017

Lidya Raises $1.25mn for SME Funding Platform

Lidya has raised $1.25 million to expand its financing services for small and medium enterprises in Africa; the funding round was led by Accion Venture Lab and will help the company enhance its credit scoring for small businesses and improve access to small business funding; it is targeting $4.9 million in loans for its first year of business. Source

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Fintech

·May. 11, 2022

Africa’s fintech scene is as diverse as it is exciting

Nontraditional data is relevant across Africa as credit bureaus don't have the historical depth their Western counterparts enjoy.

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Asia/Pac Fintech News Roundup Online Lending

·Feb. 13, 2017

CCAF Publishes Report on Alternative Finance in Africa and the Middle East

The Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance (CCAF) has released its first report on the alternative finance market, titled, "Africa & Middle East Alternative Finance Benchmarking Report"; the report was created with support from Energy4Impact, UKAid and CME Group Foundation; for 2015 the report cites growth of 59% and a total market of $242 million; Robert Wardrop, executive director at the CCAF says development trends in Africa and the Middle East had a different focus which was on equity crowdfunding and online micro finance as opposed to consumer and business P2P lending in other global markets. Source

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Asia/Pac Fintech News Roundup Online Lending

·Mar. 1, 2017

Lend Academy Article: Just Released: Africa and Middle East Alternative Finance Report

In collaboration with Energy 4 Impact, UKAid and the CME Group Foundation, the Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance has released a study on crowdfunding and P2P lending in Africa and the Middle East; Lend Academy provides details of the report in their article; covers 46 countries in Africa and 12 countries in the Middle East, featuring data on 70 alternative platforms. Source

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Europe News Roundup Online Lending

·Mar. 28, 2017

Capitec Invests in European Online Lender Creamfinance

South African bank Capitec could be acquiring up to 49% of European online lender Creamfinance; the bank has structured an investment deal with three tranches totaling 21 million euros ($22.81 million) and an additional financing round which could include an additional 5.4 million euros ($5.9 million) if shareholders choose to sell an additional 9% stake in the company; Creamfinance provides online consumer loans in six global markets: Poland, Latvia, Georgia, the Czech Republic, Mexico and Denmark; Capitec says it has been analyzing international investments and sees Creamfinance as a good fit because of its business model and specifically its technology-driven approach. Source

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Fintech News Roundup

·Jan. 16, 2020