Kenya’s Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) has partnered with the African Guarantee Fund for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (AGF) and Nairobi-based fintech firm- ECap, to introduce a solution that will see suppliers of Corporate Institutions, receiving payment for goods and services offered, without having to wait for the stipulated credit period.
The solution, known as Reverse Factoring or Supply Chain Financing, borrows from the traditional invoice discounting facility given by banks. However, unlike the traditional product, which was offered to suppliers, Reverse Factoring is extended to Corporate Customers as long as they have a good credit standing with CBA. Their suppliers are the eventual beneficiaries.
CBA becomes the first Kenyan bank to offer the solution through an Open platform, which gives participating buyers access to liquidity.
“This is yet another innovative solution that we are introducing for our Corporate Banking segment. We have leveraged technology and teamed up with the leading provider of financial guarantees across the continent, to address some of the key concerns affecting business today. In particular, this solution will spur growth among Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) by availing working capital faster to enable them finance new projects,” said Jeremy Ngunze, Chief Executive Officer, CBA Kenya.
The solution works by having corporate buyers approve and submit their supplier invoices to CBA through an online platform, and the bank in turn facilitates immediate payments to suppliers with recourse to the corporate buyers. This ensures that suppliers are able to access their payments before the due date. The business model has been quite successful in the United States of America, Europe, South Africa, and some countries in Asia.
“The quick pace at which technology is advancing has provided a tool that innovative financial sector players will use to revolutionize this industry. CBA has set a pace that will support the growth of SMEs, many of whom do not have huge capital reserves to allow them take on all the new projects that come their way. Together with CBA, we intend to track and document the economic impact arising from this development,” said Felix Bikpo, Chief Executive Officer, AGF.
In addition to improving SME operations, Reverse Factoring also reduces the administrative burden placed on procurement and finance teams, who ordinarily have to deal with each of the individual suppliers on a regular basis. This responsibility has now been extended to CBA, which will manage all the payments on behalf of the corporate institutions.
The solution has been developed by Ennovative Capital (ECap), a Nairobi based Fintech. According to Chief Executive Officer, Kefa Nyakundi, the solution provides a marketplace for SMEs supplying goods and services to credit worthy buyers to trade their approved invoices without the need for the SME suppliers to undergo credit assessment. This structured financing model allows participating SMEs to incur debt only when borrowing for expansion, rather than on routine working capital.