Current partners
Emerald Africa finances early-stage digital lenders in sub-Saharan Africa, helping them extend working capital to the SMEs that need it most.
Incubated as a pilot within Small Foundation, Emerald Africa was created to address a persistent gap in debt funding for digital lenders at the earliest stages of their growth. Without access to debt financing, these companies are forced to use their own equity to fund on-lending, which is a constraint that slows growth and makes it harder to attract outside investment. Emerald Africa steps in at this critical moment, providing the early-stage loans that allow these ventures to prove their model and build the track record needed to scale.
The pilot has deployed capital into nine companies across the continent. Building on that foundation, Emerald Africa is now establishing a dedicated fund to expand its reach and support more digital lenders and, in turn, the SMEs that are supported by them.
