Tanzanian startup Ramani, a Y Combinator-backed supply chain financing platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Tanzania Commercial Bank (TCB) to enhance financial access for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
Launched in June 2023 by Iain Usiri, Calvin Usiri and Kibet Martin, Ramani has built a financial marketplace that is Tanzania’s first national-scale financing platform for SMBs. It leverages proprietary technology to digitise the entire lending process, simplifying origination, underwriting, monitoring, and collections.
TCB joins the marketplace as its second capital partner to provide scalable supply chain financing to micro-distribution centres (MDCs) of leading Fast-Moving Consumer Goods brands such as Coca-Cola, Diageo, and AbinBev, following Stanbic Bank’s partnership in 2024.
The move will provide SMBs with benefits, including a wider selection of loans, reduced fees, and improved repayment terms. This expansion further strengthens Ramani’s marketplace, positioning it as a resilient and diverse financing platform that supports key industries, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), cement, and fuel stations.
To date, Ramani has facilitated over US$210 million in cumulative loans, with an average loan size of US$47,000, and has disbursed US$5 million through the marketplace within a few months, having achieved a remarkable 136 per cent month-on-month growth. Ramani is rapidly transitioning from direct lending to a B2B e-commerce platform, aiming for a full transition by mid-2025.
“Supply chain financing has long been the Achilles’ heel of SMB growth, but Ramani is turning this challenge into an opportunity. Our financial marketplace is helping businesses access capital, expand operations, and remain competitive. Partnering with Tanzania Commercial Bank strengthens our existing relationship with Stanbic Bank. We’re the framework as a leading B2B marketplace for SMBs across the continent and are committed to redefining financing while setting a new standard for financial accessibility in Africa,” said Iain Usiri, CEO and co-founder of Ramani.
