Equator Capital Partners

Equator Capital Partners is a fund management company based in Chicago, Illinois, specializing in investments in private sector financial enterprises. The firm focuses on small business banks, microfinance institutions, and inclusive non-bank financial institutions, aiming to promote financial inclusion and support underserved markets. Through its investment strategy, Equator Capital Partners seeks to drive sustainable growth and innovation within the financial services sector.

Frank Kennedy

Managing Director

16 past transactions

onafriq

Series C in 2022
MFS Africa Limited is a leading provider of mobile money interoperability in Africa, facilitating seamless money transfers and payments across the continent. Established in 2009 and headquartered in Accra, Ghana, the company connects mobile network operators through a unified API, enabling a range of services including remittances, merchant and bulk payments, as well as bank-to-wallet transfers. MFS Africa serves various stakeholders, including money transfer operators, banks, and mobile money operators, by offering alternatives for remittances, micro-lending, micro-insurance, and micro-savings. With additional offices in key African cities and London, MFS Africa plays a crucial role in enhancing financial connectivity and promoting financial inclusion across the region.

onafriq

Series C in 2021
MFS Africa Limited is a leading provider of mobile money interoperability in Africa, facilitating seamless money transfers and payments across the continent. Established in 2009 and headquartered in Accra, Ghana, the company connects mobile network operators through a unified API, enabling a range of services including remittances, merchant and bulk payments, as well as bank-to-wallet transfers. MFS Africa serves various stakeholders, including money transfer operators, banks, and mobile money operators, by offering alternatives for remittances, micro-lending, micro-insurance, and micro-savings. With additional offices in key African cities and London, MFS Africa plays a crucial role in enhancing financial connectivity and promoting financial inclusion across the region.

onafriq

Series B in 2018
MFS Africa Limited is a leading provider of mobile money interoperability in Africa, facilitating seamless money transfers and payments across the continent. Established in 2009 and headquartered in Accra, Ghana, the company connects mobile network operators through a unified API, enabling a range of services including remittances, merchant and bulk payments, as well as bank-to-wallet transfers. MFS Africa serves various stakeholders, including money transfer operators, banks, and mobile money operators, by offering alternatives for remittances, micro-lending, micro-insurance, and micro-savings. With additional offices in key African cities and London, MFS Africa plays a crucial role in enhancing financial connectivity and promoting financial inclusion across the region.

Chaitanya

Series C in 2016
Chaitanya is a non-banking financial institution that began its microfinance operations in October 2007 in Nayakanahatti village, Chitradurga district. Initially functioning as a non-governmental organization, Chaitanya transitioned to a for-profit model upon obtaining a Non Banking Finance Company license from the Reserve Bank of India in October 2009. Now operating as Chaitanya India Fin Credit Pvt. Ltd., the company focuses on providing a range of financial services, including digital personal loans, home loans, mutual funds, health insurance, and micro-loans. Chaitanya aims to enhance the livelihoods of its customers and promote sustainable financial well-being in the communities it serves.

Navi Finserv

Private Equity Round in 2016
Navi Finserv provide access to financial services to the rural poor in India.

Kingdom Bank

Private Equity Round in 2016
Kingdom Bank, formerly known as Jamii Bora Bank, is a prominent financial services firm in Kenya, dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and facilitating savings. With a robust capital base of Kshs. 4.4 billion, it ranks among the top 20 highest capitalized banks in a competitive landscape of 43 banks and numerous financial service providers. Kingdom Bank operates 26 branches across the country, focusing on enhancing customer access to its diverse offerings, which include banking, accounting, and lending services. The bank is committed to innovation, leveraging advanced technology to provide state-of-the-art mobile and internet banking solutions, agency banking, ATMs, and card services. This technological investment is central to its strategy, enabling clients to conduct transactions efficiently and conveniently from various devices, thus reinforcing its position as a leader in customer-centric financial services.

Fortis Microfinance Bank

Private Equity Round in 2016
Fortis Microfinance Bank Plc is a microfinance institution based in Nigeria that offers a range of financial services aimed at supporting low-end entrepreneurs, the underbanked population, cooperatives, and high-net-worth individuals. The bank specializes in retail banking and digital banking solutions through its Fortis E-Banking platform. Among its product offerings are various savings accounts, including the Fortis Savings Account, Fortis Young Star Savings Account, and Fortis Active Savings Account, as well as specialized accounts like the Fortis Corporative Movement Account and the Fortis Better Tomorrow Account. Additionally, Fortis Microfinance Bank provides various loan products tailored to meet the needs of its diverse clientele.

SBM Holdings

Venture Round in 2014
SBM Holdings Ltd, founded in 1973 and headquartered in Port Louis, Mauritius, is a prominent banking and financial services group with a significant presence in Mauritius, Madagascar, India, and Kenya. The company caters to retail and corporate customers, as well as government entities, offering a comprehensive range of services. These include savings accounts, loans (home, personal, and student), auto leasing, and various card products. SBM also provides corporate banking solutions such as working capital and project financing, along with treasury products and trade finance services. Additionally, the company has a robust private banking and wealth management division, offering financial planning, investment advice, and portfolio management. Its asset management services encompass securities brokerage, private equity, and fund management, while also facilitating modern banking through internet and mobile platforms. With over 600,000 customers and a workforce of more than 1,300, SBM Holdings has been recognized among the top global banks and is committed to delivering a seamless customer experience through diverse channels.

TuranBank OJSC

Venture Round in 2013
TuranBank OJSC is a financial institution based in Azerbaijan that offers a range of banking products and services to both corporate and retail clients. The bank provides services such as business loans, consumer loans, deposits, savings accounts, and money transfer solutions. Additionally, TuranBank issues plastic cards to facilitate transactions for its individual and commercial customers. By catering to the diverse financial needs of its clientele, TuranBank plays a significant role in the country's banking sector.

FBC Holdings

Private Equity Round in 2013
FBC Holdings Limited is a diversified financial services group based in Harare, Zimbabwe, with a range of banking products and services offered through its subsidiaries. The company operates across six key segments: Commercial Banking, Microlending, Mortgage Financing, Short Term Reinsurance, Short Term Insurance, and Stockbroking. The Commercial Banking segment engages in money and foreign exchange markets and provides retail, corporate, and international banking services, as well as corporate finance. Microlending focuses on short-term loans to the informal market, while the Mortgage Financing segment offers housing development and mortgage lending services, alongside savings and investment products. The Short Term Reinsurance and Short Term Insurance segments underwrite various classes of reinsurance and insurance, including fire, engineering, motor, and marine. Lastly, the Stockbroking segment provides services related to equities markets and investment advisory.

Satin Creditcare Network

Venture Round in 2013
Satin Creditcare Network Limited is a non-banking finance company based in Gurugram, India, specializing in microfinance services. Founded in 1990, the company primarily offers collateral-free microcredit facilities to economically active women, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas where access to mainstream financial services is limited. Its services include loans for individual businesses, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as financing for solar lamps, bicycles, consumer durables, and the development of water connections and sanitation facilities. Additionally, Satin Creditcare Network has a housing finance subsidiary that caters to the affordable housing segment. The company operates on a Joint Liability Group model, facilitating community-based lending, and serves clients across 23 states and union territories in India. Through its subsidiary, Taraashna Services Limited, it also provides business correspondent services to other financial institutions, further extending its reach within the underserved market segments.

Khushhali Microfinance Bank

Private Equity Round in 2012
Khushhali Microfinance Bank Limited is the first and largest microfinance institution in Pakistan, established in 2000 and headquartered in Islamabad. The bank provides a range of microfinance and banking services aimed at micro, small, and medium enterprises, as well as low-income households. Its offerings include group and individual loans, loans for agriculture, livestock, asset purchases, and working capital. Additionally, Khushhali Microfinance Bank provides current and savings accounts, term deposits, debit cards, insurance solutions, remittances, and online banking services. The institution operates across all four provinces of Pakistan, as well as in Jammu and Kashmir and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, facilitating financial inclusion and supporting the economic development of underserved communities.

MFinance

Private Equity Round in 2011
MFinance is a financial services company in Zambia operating in the micro-finance segment of the market. It is licensed as a deposit taking institution by the Bank of Zambia ranking amongst the market leaders; it is part of the MFS Group, one of the leading diversified financial services groups in Zambia, listed on the Lusaka Stock Exchange. MFinance has two business units notably providing credit to salaried employees of public and private sector enterprises, through the salary-deduction mechanism, and to micro, small and medium sized enterprises (‘MSMEs’). In both segments of the market, the credit is for relatively modest amounts and for relatively short periods thereby reducing the risk of non-payment.

UB Finance

Venture Round in 2011
UB Finance Co. Ltd. is a finance company based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, that has been operational since 1961. The company offers a diverse array of financial solutions tailored for both businesses and individuals. Its services include investment options such as fixed deposits and savings accounts, as well as leasing solutions for passenger and commercial vehicles, machinery, construction equipment, and agricultural equipment. Additionally, UB Finance provides hire purchase schemes for both new and pre-owned vehicles and offers various loan products, including personal, commercial, and micro loans, alongside flexible working capital and pawning services. The company maintains a network of branches across several locations in Sri Lanka, including Ambalangoda, Negombo, Tissamaharama, Kurunegala, Galle, and Kadawatha. UB Finance operates as a subsidiary of Union Bank of Colombo PLC.

Chaitanya

Series A in 2011
Chaitanya is a non-banking financial institution that began its microfinance operations in October 2007 in Nayakanahatti village, Chitradurga district. Initially functioning as a non-governmental organization, Chaitanya transitioned to a for-profit model upon obtaining a Non Banking Finance Company license from the Reserve Bank of India in October 2009. Now operating as Chaitanya India Fin Credit Pvt. Ltd., the company focuses on providing a range of financial services, including digital personal loans, home loans, mutual funds, health insurance, and micro-loans. Chaitanya aims to enhance the livelihoods of its customers and promote sustainable financial well-being in the communities it serves.

Sathapana Bank

Private Equity Round in 2006
Sathapana Bank, established in 1995, is a microfinance institution headquartered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It specializes in providing financial services to low-income individuals and small businesses, particularly women, in both urban and rural areas. The company offers a range of credit and savings products, including individual and group loans, seasonal and SME loans, passbook savings, fixed deposit savings, and local money transfer services. Sathapana Bank operates through a network of over 140 branches and service points across Cambodia. In 2012, it was acquired by Maruhan Japan Bank Plc., becoming a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate. The bank aims to contribute to Cambodia's economic growth by supporting its people and businesses with accessible financial services.
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