Vista Bank Sierra Leone

Vista Bank Sierra Leone (Vista Bank) is a commercial bank committed to supporting SME growth by expanding access to credit in a challenging market characterised by high interest rates, limited financial products, and strict collateral requirements. Vista Bank is a subsidiary of Vista Group Holding, a financial services company focused on building a world-class pan-African financial institution group that fosters economic and financial inclusion.  

In 2025 Small Foundation partnered with Vista Bank to support a pilot lending initiative. Small Foundation is providing a portfolio guarantee which will allow Vista Bank to trial flexible credit products to reach local SMEs – particularly to businesses that may not meet conventional credit requirements.   

Alongside this, Vista Bank is receiving technical assistance from Invest Salone to strengthen its credit processes and build capacity to serve a growing SME portfolio. The Africa Resilience Investment Accelerator (ARIA) is also supporting the partnership by connecting the bank with development finance institutions (DFIs) to enable future growth. 

 Small Foundation’s investment in Vista Bank will increase SME lending and also help Vista Bank to build a stronger, more connected ecosystem for small business finance in Sierra Leone. 

Blog posts:
Unlocking SME lending in Sierra Leone: a step towards more inclusive finance

Practice area: Investments
Investment years: 2025-present
Region: Sierra Leone