Business & Finance Consulting

What Business & Finance Consulting does

Business & Finance Consulting (BFC), founded in 2003 and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, is a privately held development finance consulting firm serving banks, microfinance institutions, and development-sector clients in emerging markets. The company offers a stack of consulting services — market research, diagnostics and due diligence, operational development, strategy, lending process and product development, HR capacity building, and risk management — alongside a proprietary technology suite purpose-built for financial institutions: MasterAPS (a configurable loan origination system with workflow, credit bureau, and CBS integrations), Credit Factory (industrial-scale credit processing with centralized underwriting), Credit Scoring (statistical/expert scorecards tailored per institution), Collection (debt recovery systems), Sales Process Audit (mystery-shopper-based front-office assessment), and EduBanks (a branded e-learning platform with 50+ courses and certification). Products are sold as annual subscriptions or multi-year implementations, with most pricing customized to client scope rather than standardized.

BFC generates revenue from three streams: professional services consulting engagements, software licenses and implementation (MasterAPS Standard and Pro packages plus configuration services, with annual maintenance), and training/education services (EduBanks platform licensing, course access, certification, and coaching). It operates an enterprise field-sales go-to-market, deploying expert consultant teams on-site to clients across 70+ countries, supported by alliance relationships with multilateral institutions such as EBRD, AFD, and the EU. Anchor partners include central banks and large FIs such as the National Bank of Egypt, Banque Misr, and the Central Bank of Uzbekistan, alongside a long tail of microfinance and regional bank clients. The firm has completed 240+ projects and analyzed 1,550+ financial organizations since founding, holds ISO 9001:2015 certification (June 2023), and operates with 101-250 employees structured as a network of international experts.

Name

Business & Finance Consulting

Legal name

BFC – Business & Finance Consulting

Website

https://bfconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Business & Finance Consulting is a Zurich-based development finance consultancy serving banks, microfinance institutions, and donors in emerging markets through tailored advisory engagements and proprietary lending technology including MasterAPS, Credit Factory, and EduBanks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Services Consulting

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Management & Performance Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAF)

Keywords

• Financial consulting
• Microfinance advisory
• Credit scoring
• Banking software
• Risk advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Customized consulting engagements including market research, diagnostics, due diligence, strategy development, operational development, HR capacity building, and lending process/product development tailored to client needs.
2. Software Licenses and Implementation: MasterAPS loan origination system offered as licensed product with customization and implementation services. Standard and Pro packages available with different feature sets. Subscription-based maintenance and support services post-implementation.
3. Training and Education Services: Online learning platform access and course licensing for financial institution staff. Training delivery, certification, and coaching services. Pricing based on number of learners and modules.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Business & Finance Consulting (BFC) is a Swiss consulting firm that delivers strategic and operational consulting to retail banks, microfinance institutions, and other financial service providers in emerging markets across more than 70 countries. The firm combines advisory services (strategy, capacity building, training, credit and risk transformation, sales quality) with proprietary software products including MasterAPS (loan origination / multi-bank system), Credit Factory (industrial credit processing), Credit Scoring (statistical scoring models), EduBanks (online learning for banking professionals), and a Collection system.

Product overview

BFC offers a modular lending technology ecosystem designed for financial institutions in emerging markets. The core platform is MasterAPS, a loan origination system that manages the entire credit cycle. This integrates with specialized modules: Credit Factory (industrial loan processing), Credit Scoring (predictive analytics for borrower assessment), Sales Process Audit (front office performance analysis), EduBanks (staff training and certification), and Collection (debt recovery management). Together, these products provide end-to-end coverage of the lending value chain from application processing through portfolio monitoring and recovery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MasterAPS: Loan origination and application processing system for managing the entire credit cycle.
• Credit Factory
• Credit Scoring
• Collection
• Sales Process Audit
• EduBanks
• BFC Pulse
• FinTech Wave

Products and services

• MasterAPS Proprietary loan origination / multi-bank management information system for retail lenders and microfinance institutions, combining secured on-premise software and a SaaS option for smaller banks. Supports end-to-end loan lifecycle management and is offered in tiered packages (e.g., Standard and Pro) including a Multi-Bank SaaS option.
• Credit Factory Proprietary software for industrial credit processing, configured to a bank's lending process and portfolio. Designed to support high-volume retail/industrial credit workflows at banks and MFIs.
• Credit Scoring Software that simplifies and implements the building of statistical credit scoring models using advanced analytics and statistical methods, targeted at banks and MFIs that need to construct or refresh their scorecards.
• EduBanks Online e-learning platform for banks and other financial institutions to study economics, finance, and banking topics, used for capacity building and certification of banking professionals.
• Collection Proprietary debt collection system for financial institutions, used to manage collections workflows and recover overdue retail and microfinance loans.
• BFC Consulting & Training Services Strategy, operational consulting, and training services for retail banks, microfinance institutions, central banks, and donor-funded programs across retail, agricultural, SME, green, and microfinance segments, delivered through multi-year engagements in 70+ countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30%+ increase in loan processing efficiency
• +13 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBFC partners with EBRD on youth entrepreneurship programs including the Youth in Business (YiB) Programme with €200 million investment in Central Asia. Hosts launch events and provides technical assistance for EBRD-funded financial inclusion initiatives across multiple countries.
• AFD (French Development Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplements Finance in Common project in Egypt supporting sustainable finance development. Provides technical assistance for green finance and ESG integration in partnership with AFD-funded initiatives.
• EU (European Union)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-financed technical assistance projects supporting MSMEs and financial institutions. Active in EU-funded development finance initiatives across emerging markets.
• National Bank of Egypt (NBE)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides expertise sharing and training for NBE staff on sustainable finance strategies and ESG risk management as part of Finance in Common project implementation.
• Banque MisrmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSupports Banque Misr in upskilling for sustainable finance through training programs on ESG integration and green finance strategies.
• Central Bank of UzbekistanmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConducted webinar on service and sales quality research for Central Bank of Uzbekistan. Provides technical assistance for financial sector development.
• BFC Membership OrganizationsminorOthersBFC is a member of various professional organizations in the financial sector development space. Logos displayed on website indicate membership in industry associations related to microfinance and financial inclusion.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Finastra: Finastra provides core banking, lending, and digital channel software to thousands of banks globally, including in emerging markets where BFC operates. Its loan origination and credit decisioning products compete with MasterAPS and Credit Factory for IT budget at BFC's target bank clients.
• Palladium (formerly Cardno Emerging Markets): Palladium is an international development consultancy delivering financial sector, private sector development, and governance projects for DFIs and bilateral donors globally. Comparable to BFC in target clients (DFIs, emerging market regulators, MFIs) and consulting engagement models, but with a wider service portfolio.
• DAI (Development Alternatives, Inc.): DAI is a large international development consulting firm implementing donor-funded financial sector projects (USAID, FCDO, EBRD) across emerging markets. It overlaps with BFC on financial inclusion, SME finance, and capacity-building mandates, but at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Frankfurt School of Finance & Management: Frankfurt School runs one of the largest development finance advisory and training practices globally, with banking certification programmes and consulting engagements serving the same donor/development bank clients as BFC. It is broader and larger but competes for many of the same capacity-building mandates.
• nCino: nCino is a global cloud-based bank operating system whose loan origination and onboarding modules compete with BFC's MasterAPS at larger, more digitally mature banks. Not a direct consulting peer, but a software competitor for the same loan-origination budget at bank clients.
• FICO: FICO is the dominant global provider of credit scoring and decisioning platforms used by retail and SME lenders worldwide. It is a competitor to BFC's Credit Scoring product for any bank evaluating enterprise-grade risk analytics, particularly as emerging market banks upgrade.

Direct peers

• MicroSave Consulting (MSC): MSC is a development finance and financial inclusion consulting firm that advises banks, MFIs, and digital finance players in emerging markets across Africa and Asia. Highly comparable to BFC: both target the same customer base (banks, MFIs, donors), deliver similar diagnostics-plus-software bundles, and compete for the same EBRD/World Bank/UNDP consulting panels.
• MicroFinance Centre (MFC): MFC is a Polish-based microfinance resource centre and consulting organisation serving MFIs and inclusive finance players across Europe and Central Asia. It directly competes with BFC for donor-funded microfinance consulting and capacity-building assignments in overlapping geographies.
• Internationale Projekt Consult GmbH (IPC): IPC is a German development finance consultancy delivering technical assistance, capacity building, and software tools (including its IMicrofin S/microbanking suite) to financial institutions in emerging markets. It overlaps almost exactly with BFC on customer segments (MFIs, agricultural lenders, DFIs), services (lending process improvement, training, software), and geographic focus (Eastern Europe, Central Asia, MENA).
• Bankers Academy: Bankers Academy is a US-based provider of compliance and skills training for banks, including e-learning platforms targeting retail and commercial banking staff. Highly comparable to BFC's EduBanks product offering and competitive for the same training budget at emerging-market bank clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bfconsulting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/111478

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Business & Finance Consulting