Blogs

Our latest Virtual Marketplace session on August 6, brought together six newly joined fintech members from Ethiopia, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Singapore, and the UAE. The event showcased innovative fintech solutions that address critical challenges in SME finance, foster partnerships, and promote knowledge sharing across the network.

Company Presentations

Kifiya (Ethiopia) – AI-Powered Ecosystem for MSME Credit Access

Kifiya is an Ethiopian-based AI ecosystem and tech infrastructure company focused on bridging the $400 billion credit gap for MSMEs in Africa. Munir shared the company’s evolution from a payment service provider in 2011 to a data-driven AI infrastructure firm.

Key challenges addressed include:

• Lack of credit history and collateral
• Inadequate product relevance for diverse MSMEs
• High cost of low-value credit management
• Loan portfolio risk
• Limited distribution channels in rural areas

Kifiya’s ecosystem comprises five core platforms:

1. AI-driven decisioning infrastructure for MSME scoring
2. Financial tech infrastructure for uncollateralized credit and microinsurance
3. Climate-smart AgriTech for smallholder farmers
4. Sharia-compliant finance platform
5. Agent and merchant network for last-mile delivery

Impact: Enabled six banks to provide $350 million in credit to 482,000 MSMEs and $92 million in input credit to 75,000 farmers.

Seu Ativo (Brazil) – Receivables Marketplace

Seu Ativo is a Brazilian fintech aiming to unlock trillions in receivables trapped in SME balance sheets. Wagner highlighted the challenges SMEs face in Brazil, including:

• Limited access to credit and capital markets
• High borrowing costs (up to 100% annually)
• Extended payment terms (up to 180 days)
• Low financial literacy

Seu Ativo platform acts as a receivables exchange, connecting SMEs directly with investors, bypassing intermediaries. It enhances asset valuation through transparency and secure transactions, supported by Brazil’s evolving regulatory framework.

Benefits:

• Lower discount rates for suppliers
• New investment opportunities for financiers
• Sustainable supply chains for buyers

The platform is market-ready, scalable, and supported by Brazil’s top fintech law firm.

M1xchange (India/Dubai) – Central Bank-Regulated Invoice Discounting Platform

M1xchange is a central bank-regulated exchange in India facilitating invoice discounting for MSMEs. It connects:

• 75+ financiers
• 65,000 MSME sellers
• 2,400 corporate buyers

Key innovations:

• Many-to-many relationships replacing bilateral financing
• Competitive bidding for receivables
• Unified KYC accepted across financiers
• Exclusive MSME participation

Impact: Grew from a $4 million market in 2017 to $40 billion in 2024. The platform is fully digital, leveraging India’s public digital infrastructure (e.g., GSTN, NSDL, DigiLocker).

International Expansion: Launched in Nigeria, with $130 million funded in 20 months. Plans to expand across Africa, GCC, and Southeast Asia.

Fauree (Pakistan/UAE) – Supply Chain Finance Infrastructure

Fauree is a Saudi-backed fintech operating in Pakistan, Oman, UAE, Bangladesh, Ghana, and expanding into Zambia. It offers Sharia-compliant and conventional financing solutions, including:

• Receivables financing
• Distributor financing
• Export and agri-financing

Key differentiators:

• Built by bankers for banks
• Embedded capital solutions within supply chains
• ESG engine for sustainability reporting

Achievements:

• Opened 50,000 accounts in one day for agri-financing in Pakistan
• Partnered with 18+ financial institutions and onboarded 10,000+ suppliers

Fauree emphasizes infrastructure over funding, aiming to build trust and transparency for SME inclusion.

MonetaGo (Singapore) – Fraud Prevention in Trade Finance

MonetaGo addresses duplicate financing and document manipulation fraud in trade finance using secure, privacy-preserving technology. Their platform uses:

• Encryption
• Hashing
• Confidential computing

It enables real-time document verification across institutions without compromising data privacy.

Global Reach:

• Live in India and Singapore
• Integrated with SWIFT (accessible to 11,000+ institutions)
• Active in ASEAN, Middle East, and Africa

Impact:

• In India, helped increase MSME onboarding by 206% and liquidity by 219%
• In Singapore, built the national trade finance registry post-2020 fraud scandals

MonetaGo’s solution levels the playing field for SMEs by reducing verification costs and improving approval rates.

Ezee.ai (India) – AI-Powered Lending Platform

Ezee.ai offers a no-code, AI-enabled lending platform for financial institutions targeting SMEs. It supports:

• Product design and configuration
• End-to-end lending lifecycle
• Compliance and document analysis

Key features:

• AI-driven product launch and rule engine
• Financial statement analyzer
• ESG and regulatory compliance modules

Benefits:

• 4–6x faster product launches
• Lower project costs
• Higher revenue through rapid experimentation

Ezee.ai’s modular platform includes loan origination, management, decisioning, and collections, tailored for diverse geographies and SME segments.