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African FinTech and digital lender 4G Capital has disbursed more than $1 billion in loans to entrepreneurs across Kenya and Uganda. Since its founding in 2013, the FinTech lender has served around 800,000 customers through over 7.6 million working capital loans, helping small business owners access the finance and business skills needed to grow resilient enterprises, raise incomes, and create jobs within their communities.
The billion-dollar milestone underscores the company’s long-standing mission to close the financing gap for entrepreneurs who have historically been locked out of formal financial services.
“Reaching the US$1 billion lending milestone is a testament to our amazing customers, their determination, resilience, and ambition. This milestone belongs as much to them as it does to our fantastic team,” said Wayne Hennessy-Barrett, founder and Executive Chairman of 4G Capital.
4G Capital’s model goes beyond straightforward lending. The company pairs supply chain financing with customised business training, enabling micro and small enterprises to strengthen cash flow, build resilience, and unlock growth opportunities. More than half of its customers operate in rural marketplaces where access to formal financial services remains limited, and 73% are women. Youth entrepreneurs also make up a significant portion of its customer base, the company said.
The impact has been substantial. According to the company, its work has supported the creation of more than 1.4 million jobs and generated over $3 billion in economic impact, positively touching the lives of more than 4.1 million people across East Africa.
Customers who build strong repayment histories see their borrowing capacity grow in step with their businesses. On average, borrowers nearly double their loan access within 36 months, boosting revenues by an average of 82% per year, which is a testament to the compounding effect of sustained access to working capital.
Central to 4G Capital’s growth is its proprietary digital financial infrastructure, built around an AI-powered lending layer that equips relationship officers to make faster, smarter credit decisions. The company operates a touch-tech network of more than 1,600 field agents across 226 branches in Kenya and Uganda, blending personalised, on-the-ground service with advanced technology.
Its data-driven lending platform assesses each customer’s individual business cycle to deliver appropriately sized loans while maintaining responsible lending standards. The result is a repayment rate of 95%, which the company says challenges the conventional assumption that serving informal-sector borrowers necessarily means accepting higher default rates.
With $1 billion in loans disbursed, the company says it is prepared to accelerate its next phase of growth and digital innovation, without offering further details. Its biggest strength is the proven model and a rapidly expanding customer base, and this milestone could become a launchpad for the next billion-dollar loan. In February 2026, secured a strategic $2 million investment from the Global Innovation Fund.



