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Pact Provides Investment in Tala to Increase Access to Financial Services for Underserved Groups

Pact Provides Investment in Tala to Increase Access to Financial Services for Underserved Groups

Published 08-27-19

Submitted by Pact

Pact, an international NGO, has closed a subordinated debt investment in Tala, a global fintech. This investment will support Tala’s lending efforts in Kenya, one of several countries where they provide rapid, flexible, small loans to first-time borrowers. Pact selected Tala for its unique ability to target customers who previously have been excluded from formal financial services due to lack of credit scores and other traditional methods of demonstrating credit. Through its proprietary alternative credit model that leverages mobile data, Tala can develop proxies for credit through various customer profiles.

Having unlocked access to loans for four million customers to date, Tala’s mission to “expand financial access, choice and control for three billion underserved globally” aligns well with Pact’s goals to enable resilient livelihoods and expand economic opportunities in the communities we serve.

Pact’s investment in Tala’s latest debt facility marks an important milestone. Tala founder and CEO, Shivani Siroya, said “We are delighted to have Pact as an investor in this latest debt facility. Our aligned objective is to channel world-class expertise and resources toward solving the world’s toughest problems, and there couldn’t be a more important time to have this focus."

Building on this investment, Pact will also be supporting Tala’s expansion efforts into new geographies by developing an ecosystem of partnerships to deliver the financial services needed to enable and empower communities.

“Our investment in Tala, a company revolutionizing access to financial services for those typically excluded, illustrates a new way in which we can affect radical positive change for the people we serve—our shareholders. We’re testing the boundaries for models of collaboration between the private and social sectors,” said Brian Vo, Vice President of Social Investment and Innovative Finance at Pact. “By leveraging a spectrum of investment vehicles, we have the flexibility to match our impact capital to solve the problem, not the other way around."

To learn more about Tala, visit their website at www.tala.co. To learn more about Pact’s work in financial inclusion and impact investments, visit www.pactworld.org/ventures.

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Pact

Pact

Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.

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