Fintech Disburses $700m Loans to MSMEs

Moniepoint said it has disbursed over $700 million in loans to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in 2025, with about 75 per cent of the beneficiaries accessing formal business credit for the first time.

The fintech company in its inaugural Impact Report titled “Creating Financial Happiness”, said it had expanded from a financial infrastructure provider into a comprehensive financial ecosystem serving more than 20 million businesses and individuals while processing over $250 billion in annual transaction value.

According to the report, Nigeria’s MSMEs face an estimated funding gap of $32.2 billion, with many entrepreneurs unable to secure financing from conventional lenders because of collateral and documentation requirements. To address this challenge, Moniepoint said it leveraged proprietary transaction data to assess business cash flow and creditworthiness rather than relying on traditional collateral.

The report noted that businesses which accessed credit through the platform recorded a 36 per cent increase in average transaction value, while enterprises banking with Moniepoint employed more than eight million people during the year.

Speaking on the report, co-founder and Group Chief Executive of Moniepoint, Tosin Eniolorunda, said the company’s decade-long journey had evolved from building financial infrastructure to creating opportunities that improve livelihoods across Africa.

“Ten years ago, we began this journey with a simple but audacious goal, to build financial infrastructure that worked for everyone. Today, that goal has crystallised into our mission of creating a world where every African, everywhere, can experience financial happiness.

“This report shows how that vision is taking shape, through the lives and businesses that are improving because they now have access to the right financial tools. For 75% of the businesses we lent to this year, ours was the first formal business loan they had ever received. We also significantly expanded lending to women-owned businesses because we know that when African women thrive, entire communities are uplifted,” he said.

Eniolorunda added: “We are already seeing those investments bear fruit, with businesses that accessed our credit recording a 36 per cent increase in average transaction value, and the enterprises we serve now supporting more than eight million jobs. That is what financial happiness means to us, creating opportunities that help people, businesses and communities grow.”

The report also showed that Moniepoint expanded lending to women-owned businesses, increasing disbursements by more than 300 per cent in 2025. Women accounted for 36 per cent of the company’s loan portfolio, above the industry benchmark of 15 to 25 per cent, while analysis of its portfolio found that women borrowers recorded a default rate 2.5 times lower than men. Additionally, 62 per cent of surveyed female entrepreneurs said a Moniepoint loan was the first formal business loan they had ever received.

Beyond lending, the report highlighted the company’s contribution to financial inclusion through its payment infrastructure. Moniepoint said its POS terminals now operate across all 774 local government areas of Nigeria, enabling 100 million people to make digital payments in 2025, while five million users carried out transactions through its USSD platform, representing a 500 per cent increase from the previous year.

According to the report, customer surveys showed that 83 per cent of users reported improvements in their quality of life, while 85 per cent expressed greater confidence in achieving their financial goals through the platform’s financial services.

The company further disclosed that it expanded beyond Nigeria during the year through the acquisition of Sumac Microfinance Bank in Kenya and launched Moniebook, an integrated business management platform combining payments, bookkeeping and inventory management to help small businesses improve operational efficiency.