African mobile payment services provider BitPesa has partnered the Germany-based SME lending platform Bitbond to improve access to financing for businesses in Africa.
Bitbond connects fixed-income investors with small business owners who need loans, and uses blockchain technology to make global cross-border lending possible.
The partnership with BitPesa will allow borrowers who receive funding on Bitbond to have their loan paid out directly to a mobile money or bank account. BitPesa pays local currency out to the borrower’s preferred payment option within minutes. The integration between Bitbond and BitPesa is now live in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania.
“Ten per cent of our global user base comes from Sub-Saharan Africa. We are excited to work with BitPesa in this region because there is a huge unmet demand for small business financing,” said Bitbond founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Radoslav Albrecht.
“Together with BitPesa, we can significantly improve our service. This means that a small business owner from Kenya can receive loan funding from investors from all over the world via Bitbond and have the funds paid out to his mobile money account in 20 minutes. This is an unprecedented level of innovation and convenience in the entire online lending space.”
BitPesa founder and CEO Elizabeth Rossiello said her company was always excited to partner with companies that make doing business in Africa easier and more efficient.
“Our customers are businesses looking to grow across the continent and beyond. Better access to efficient financing is a tremendous way to boost their growth,” she said.
