The latest news in investment offerings, financial products and other services relevant to wealth advisors and their clients.

Fasanara Capital, a UK-based tech platform and alterantive asset manager, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, have unveiled plans this week to create a lending strategy for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in emerging markets. In particular, the strategy is aimed at MSMEs run or owned by women.

IFC and Fasanara aim to increase the flow of affordable and efficient financing to MSMEs by investing in trade receivables and digital invoices acquired by fintech companies.

“We are pleased to move forward with this initiative alongside IFC. MSMEs, and in particular women-led MSMEs, continue to face well-recognised financing constraints across emerging markets,” Francesco Filia, Fasanara Capital CEO, said in a statement. “By combining Fasanara’s technology-enabled credit capabilities with IFC’s development expertise, this initiative provides an important opportunity to explore practical solutions that can broaden access to finance and support sustainable economic participation.”

MSMEs drive considerable economic growth and job creation in emerging markets but many struggle with obtaining finance, Fasanara argued. Globally, small businesses face an estimated $5.7 trillion financing gap – with women entrepreneurs most affected. 

This approach will enable fintechs to scale their lending, reach a larger number of small businesses, helping them to expand operations and create more jobs.

Mohamed Gouled, IFC’s vice president for products and clients, added: “Expanding access to fast, flexible financing for MSMEs – including women-owned businesses – is one of the most effective ways to support job creation in emerging markets."

The rollout announcement from the organisations comes ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March. This news service is carrying a number of articles related to women’s experiences of finance, banking and wealth management. See an example here.

Fasanara Capital, founded in 2011, is headquartered in London’s Mayfair district. WealthBriefing spoke to Filia here in late 2024 about trends around decentralised finance (DeFi). For example, his firm’s lending strategies include the approach of buying loans of small and medium-sized enterprises, consumers, real estate firms and football clubs. Filia is something of a thought leader as well as a financial services figure. With his colleague Daniele Guerini, he has published a recent book, The Future of Finance: The Rising Tide of Fintech Lending and the Platform Economy. The book delves into how digital lending and fintech affect business and consumer finance.