Finance

South Africa: FirstRand secures $20mln loan to strengthen operations

South Africa: FirstRand secures $20mln loan to strengthen operations
Wednesday, 21 October 2020 17:59

FirstRand, one of Africa’s largest financial institutions, secured a new credit line of $20 million to strengthen its private sector financing activity. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed bank plans to deploy innovative lending solutions for its 700,000 clients.

The financial institution headed by Alan Pullinger (pictured) will pump 30% of the resources into women-led initiatives. FirstRand has supported more than 30,000 women entrepreneurs. With this strategy, FirstRand Limited is redefining its priorities in terms of support for private sector players. In addition to being good savers and responsible clients, as highlighted in the October 2020 joint study by the International Finance Corporation and the FMO, women are increasingly being brought into corporate management. 29% of companies in sub-Saharan Africa are owned by women, according to World Bank statistics of March 2020.

The line of credit obtained by FirstRand Limited is an initiative of Findev Canada, a Canadian institution that provides financial services to the private sector in developing countries.

Chamberline MOKO

On the same topic
Cameroon will issue the first 15-year OTA in CEMAC on February 17, 2026. The Treasury seeks CFA20 billion to test demand beyond the 10-year...
IFC considers up to $8 million in Aruwa Fund II $50 million fund targets Nigerian, Ghanaian SMEs Focus on women-led firms in underserved...
Vista acquires 99.99% of Saham Assurances Niger Company rebranded as Vista Assurances Niger Deal marks entry into Niger’s small insurance...
Beltone acquires Baobab Group for €197.6 million Deal expands footprint into seven sub-Saharan countries Baobab serves 1.6 million...
Most Read
01

Deposits grow 2.7%, supporting lending recovery Average loan sizes small, credit risk persists ...

Togo Microfinance: Deposits and Loans Rise Simultaneously in Q3 2025
02

Oil majors expand offshore exploration from Senegal to Angola Gulf of Guinea accounts for about 1...

Gulf of Guinea regains appeal as a key exploration hub for oil majors
03

Absa Kenya hires M-PESA’s Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, signalling a shift from branch banking to a telecom-s...

Absa Kenya Imports a Telecom Playbook in Bid to Reinvent Retail Banking
04

Ziidi Trader enables NSE share trading via M-Pesa M-Pesa revenue rose 15.2% to 161.1 billio...

Safaricom launches M-Pesa platform for stock trading in Kenya
05

Rwanda, partners break ground on $2 billion Kigali Innovation City Smart city targets ...

Rwanda Mobilises Global, Local Finance for $2Bln Innovation City Targeting Africa’s Digital Economy
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72


EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.