Dar es Salaam — April 10, 2025 — Tanzania Commercial Bank (TCB) has partnered with supply chain financing startup Ramani to join its Financial Marketplace, a platform offering fast and scalable loans to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across Tanzania.
Why it matters
Access to credit is a major hurdle for African SMBs. Over 50% of Tanzanian small businesses cite limited financing as a key barrier to growth (World Bank, 2024).
Ramani’s Marketplace is tackling this by digitizing the loan process—making it easier and cheaper for banks to underwrite and manage credit.
By the numbers
- $210M+ in total loans facilitated
- $47,000 average loan size
- $5M disbursed via the Marketplace since launch
- 136% month-on-month growth
Zoom in
- TCB becomes the second capital partner after Stanbic Bank joined in 2024.
- SMBs in key sectors like FMCG, LPG, cement, and fuel now have more financing options, better terms, and lower fees.
- The Marketplace supports MDCs working with top brands like Coca-Cola, Diageo, and AbinBev.
How it works
Ramani launched the Financial Marketplace in mid-2023 as Tanzania’s first national-scale SMB financing platform. It replaces traditional, paper-based lending with a fully digital process—handling origination, underwriting, monitoring, and collections.
What they’re saying
“Supply chain financing has long been the Achilles’ heel of SMB growth,” said Iain Usiri, CEO & Co-Founder of Ramani. “This partnership with TCB strengthens our mission to redefine financing for African businesses.”
“We’re addressing the critical challenges that Tanzanian businesses face,” said Jesse Jackson, Chief Digital & Innovation Officer at TCB. “Financial inclusion and innovation are key to economic progress.”
What’s next
Ramani is transitioning from direct lending to a full-scale B2B e-commerce platform by mid-2025, further integrating financing with digital trade to accelerate SMB growth across East Africa.
