The problem
Small and medium enterprises create most jobs in Jordan and Egypt, yet banks treat them as unlendable: collateral requirements, thin credit files, and slow decisions shut young firms out of growth capital, leaving a persistent SME funding gap.
How it works
Liwwa runs a technology-enabled lending operation: a business applies online, proprietary credit models underwrite it without traditional collateral, and qualifying borrowers receive loans of up to $100,000 in approximately two days. The loans are financed through Liwwa’s debt marketplace at liwwa.com, which sells the investments to hundreds of retail investors across MENA alongside banks and development-finance institutions.
Pain points
Collateral demands SMEs can’t meet, loan decisions that take weeks, founders with no formal credit history, and regional investors with no vehicle for earning returns from SME debt.
Business model
Originate-and-fund economics: Liwwa earns spread and fee income on SME loans, matching borrower demand with funding from its retail debt marketplace plus dedicated debt facilities from banks and development-finance institutions.
Challenges
Operating across Jordan and Egypt concentrates currency and credit-cycle risk in the loan book; each growth phase needs new debt facilities while portfolio quality — historically around 2.7% arrears — has to stay intact at larger volumes.
Funding
- Raised: $18.5M pre-Series B (Sep 2022) — $4.5M equity led by existing investors DASH Ventures, FMO, Edgo, Bank al Etihad, and DEG, plus debt financing.
- Earlier: $6M FMO-led equity plus $15M debt (Feb 2020) from 500 Startups, Chris Larsen, Edgo, EFG-EV, Wamda, Bank al Etihad, DASH Ventures, and Silicon Badia, marking the Egypt expansion.
- Debt: $5M loan agreement with the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to on-lend to Jordanian SMEs.
Latest — May 2024
In May 2024 Liwwa secured a $5 million loan agreement with the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), aimed at expanding lending to small and medium enterprises in Jordan and supporting job creation.