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How India’s Non-Bank Financial Companies are Closing the MSME Credit Gap — And What Other Emerging Markets Can Learn from Their Success
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) make up around 90% of businesses and employ over half of the workforce globally, while generating up to 40% of GDP and creating 70% of formal jobs in emerging markets. Yet according to Sameer Nanda at Ugro Capital Limited, these businesses face an ongoing credit gap that, in India alone, amounts to an estimated ₹80 trillion. He explains how non-bank financial companies are addressing this gap by offering dynamic and flexible lending services designed for MSMEs — and shares useful lessons from their approach that can be applied in other emerging economies with similar credit challenges.
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Zippi, a Brazilian Digital Credit Fintech, Raises Us$15.9 Million to Expand Credit Access for Micro and Small Businesses in Brazil
Securitized through FIDC and supported by Tiger Global, the capital will help double the credit offering to underserved entrepreneurs and SMEs.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Latin America
- Tags
- credit scoring, fintech, MSMEs, startups
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IFAD Surpasses the US $1 Billion Mark in Sustainable Bonds
Since June 2022, IFAD has issued twelve sustainable bonds through private placements to pension funds, asset managers and central banks from five countries in Europea, Africa and Asia in four currencies (US$, EUR, SEK and AUD).
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Global
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Visa and PhilGuarantee Ink Deal to Boost Credit Access for MSMEs in the Philippines
The agreement will have Visa and PhilGuarantee explore credit guarantee schemes tailored for MSMEs, widen lending access through partner financial institutions, etc.
- Region
- South Asia
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Moving Past the ‘Infrastructure of Hope’: Why Investors, Policymakers and Entrepreneurs Must Build a Modern E-Commerce Ecosystem in Southeast Asia
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for over 95% of all businesses in Southeast Asia, and millions of these entrepreneurs have migrated their hustle online. Yet according to Macy Castillo at Enstack, due to a lack of access to reliable payment options and other tools, they are attempting to build modern e-commerce businesses on a foundation of informal agreements and personal trust: an “infrastructure of hope” that leaves them exposed to payment fraud and locked out of formal finance. She argues that this is the central challenge for economic inclusion in Southeast Asia today, and explores Enstack's solution.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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VC Firm Crane Launches $135 Million Fund in Asia Pacific
Crane Venture Partners was founded in 2015 and invests in technology companies at early stages across multiple regions.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Ghana’s Complete Farmer Secures $5 Million Funding From Symbiotics to Strengthen Smallholder Farming
Swiss impact investor Symbiotics has provided a USD 5 million debt facility to Complete Farmer, the Ghanaian agritech startup focused on strengthening agricultural value chains in West Africa.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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RMI Welcomes 18 Climate Tech Startups From Six Countries to Climate Tech Accelerator Third Derivative
Its portfolio represents 27 different countries, with over $3.7 billion raised by companies since their acceptance to Third Derivative, and over 4,400 jobs created.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Global
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