According to www.gtreview.com, Easetrade — a digital supply chain finance platform co-financed by the Trade and Development Fund (TDF), Trade Catalyst Africa (TCA), and the Mastercard Foundation — aims to finance approximately 5,000 MSMEs and disburse US$150mn in loans over the next three years.
Targeted Inclusion for Youth- and Women-Led Businesses
To expand financial access for underserved groups, Easetrade will deploy credit-scoring tools from Solv Kenya and Kaleidofin that evaluate business viability, transaction history, and cash flow — moving “beyond traditional tangible assets” instead of requiring collateral. This approach directly addresses structural barriers faced by youth- and women-led enterprises across Kenya’s agricultural and commercial supply chains.
Easetrade also plans to train 6,400 enterprises in financial literacy, record-keeping, and digital skills. According to Mary Kamari, executive director at TDF, this training is designed to “empower MSMEs to understand and leverage data-driven credit scoring, positioning them to meet strict lender requirements”.
The platform enables structured financing instruments including dealer finance and invoice discounting. It has already executed a US$9.2mn financing agreement with Faulu Microfinance Bank, which is actively disbursing funds across multiple supply chains and agricultural value chains.
Broader Context: A $330bn Financing Gap
The initiative responds to a systemic challenge documented by the African Development Bank: an estimated 80% of African SMEs lack access to formal financing, representing a financing gap of approximately US$330bn. Easetrade’s model seeks to close part of that gap through blended finance and capacity building.
Duncan Onyango, chief executive of TCA, stated: “By blending rapid, data-driven lending with capacity development, we are empowering a new generation of agribusiness owners to fulfil large contracts, expand into export markets, scale operations and create thousands of jobs in rural communities.”
Other recent capital flows targeting Africa’s underserved SMEs include a combined equity investment of US$7.5mn from the Africa Food Security Fund and its manager, Exeo Capital, into Africa Global Trade Finance.
Source: gtreview.com
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
