Easetrade
Democratising Trade Finance for Africa’s SMEs
Unlocking growth for thousands of small exporters.
Project
The Problem
Access to finance remains one of the biggest barriers for Africa’s SMEs.
In Kenya, banks often demand collateral worth more than double the loan amount
A World Bank survey found that small borrowers were asked to pledge assets equal to 240% of the loan value.
Even then, banks reject around 60% of SME loan applications
Citing insufficient collateral, poor financial records, or lack of credit history
Check out
IFC Insights Report
.
No surprise then that about 70% of MSMEs
report difficulties accessing bank finance with collateral requirements consistently ranked among the top barriers
(Kenya Bankers Association, WPS-86).
Result?
Thousands of promising businesses remain locked out of affordable finance — stifling growth, exports, and job creation.
Add Your Heading Text Here
$2M for lending and $8M for capacity building
Target
leveraged from Banks and DFIs
financed in 5 years
worth of lending unlocked
Investor Returns
annualised.
by September 2025
Projected Impact
The platform, set to be operational by September 2025, is projected to finance over 7,500 SMEs in five years, unlock $164M in lending, and deliver annualised investor returns of 13–20%.
For Investors
SMEs
EASETRADE is both a tech play and a development play:
attractive returns (13–20% projected annualised) combined with high social impact in job creation, export growth, and financial inclusion.
The EASETRADE model
allows investors to co-invest in a blended finance model.
For SMEs in the export sector,
access to working capital with no collateral required, enabling them to take on larger orders and expand into export markets.
Solves Africa’s trade finance gap
Inclusive finance for women and youth SMEs.
Tech-driven, scalable model.
Attractive returns + social impact.
