FSDT

Name

FSDT

Legal name

Financial Sector Deepening Trust

Website

https://fsdt.or.tz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Inclusion Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Results-Based Financing (RBF) & Performance-Based Grants (BPADAOAF)

Keywords

• Financial inclusion services
• Market systems development
• Financial sector research
• MSME financial access
• Donor-funded facilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

Dar Es Salaam

HQ country

Tanzania

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding: FSDT is a donor-funded financial sector market facilitator. Funding comes from development partners including Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, EU, TradeMark Africa, and other international development organizations. The organization does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FSDT is a donor-funded, nonprofit financial sector market facilitator that uses the Market Systems Development (MSD) approach to deepen financial inclusion in Tanzania. It convenes financial service providers, regulators, policymakers, and development partners to co-create inclusive financial solutions, deliver research and data insights (notably FinScope Tanzania), build market capabilities, and support the development of financial infrastructure, instruments, and gender- and youth-responsive products.

Product overview

FSDT operates as a unified market facilitation organization rather than a platform product company. Its offerings consist of research and insights services (primarily FinScope Tanzania surveys), advisory and capacity-building programmes (Policies & Regulations, Capability Development), infrastructure support (Financial Infrastructure, Financial Solutions), and impact-driven market facilitation initiatives. These work together as an integrated approach to financial inclusion, with FinScope providing data-driven insights that inform programme design and market interventions across all focus areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FinScope Tanzania: A nationally representative demand-side survey providing insights into the financial needs, preferences, and behaviours of adult Tanzanians (16 years and above), including their attitudes regarding money management, financial products and services, demographics and lifestyles.

Products and services

• FinScope Tanzania A nationally representative demand-side survey providing insights into the financial needs, preferences, and behaviours of adult Tanzanians (16+), including attitudes toward money management, financial products and services, and demographics across mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. Used by FSPs, policymakers, and development partners for evidence-based product and policy design.
• F4G Programme (Finance for Growth) A multi-stakeholder programme that delivers quality financial solutions to support the economic development and growth of women and youth Micro and Small Enterprise Merchants and smallholder farmers, by working with FSPs, regulators, and real-sector partners.
• Policies and Regulations Advisory Advocacy and technical support service aimed at improving policies, legal, and regulatory frameworks that promote gender equality and create economic and financial opportunities for women and youth in Tanzania.
• Financial Infrastructure Support Support service that improves the availability of relevant financial sector infrastructure (e.g., instant payment systems, digital ID, KYC utilities) to equip financial sector players and stakeholders to meet the needs of women and youth.
• Financial Solutions Development Support Technical and design support to financial service providers to develop and scale innovative, responsive financial solutions for women and youth, including alternative credit scoring models for farmers and MSMEs.
• Capability Development Programmes designed to improve the confidence and capability of women, youth, smallholder farmers, and MSMEs to demand and effectively use appropriate financial solutions.
• Research, Data, and Insights Research and evidence services that help FSPs, policymakers, regulators, and other financial sector stakeholders identify market opportunities, develop appropriate financial solutions, and design cost-effective delivery models and regulatory frameworks.
• Impact Driven Market Facilitation Market Systems Development (MSD) facilitation service that builds strategic partnerships, provides thought-leadership, supports development of financial instruments (loans, guarantees, quasi-equity, funds, grants), and drives inclusive digital economy initiatives to benefit financially excluded Tanzanians.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Stanbic Bank TanzaniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2024At CSO Week 2024, Stanbic Bank Tanzania and FSDT hosted a joint session on Tanzania's cross-border trade landscape and MSME financial solutions. Stanbic's strategies include supporting cross-border traders with formal financial products, business incubator programs, and specialized credit products including Structured Trade Commodity Finance.
• TradeMark Africa (TMA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2024FSDT and TradeMark Africa signed a strategic partnership for the Financial and Digital Inclusion for Women Traders in Tanzania project. With a grant of $453,000 (1.18 billion TZS) funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the partnership focuses on improving market access and information, boosting use of digital financial services, and advocating for supportive policy and regulatory environment for women traders. The project aims to benefit over 5,000 women traders.
• Vodacom TanzaniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2017Vodacom Tanzania, through M-Pesa, is a key partner in driving mobile financial services in Tanzania. FSDT collaborates with Vodacom on initiatives to expand digital financial inclusion and interoperability.
• National Microfinance Bank (NMB)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2008From March 2008 to February 2011, FSDT partnered with NMB and Alliance for Green Revolution (AGRA) on the Agro-dealers Guarantee Scheme Project. Total Guarantee Fund was USD 2,100,000 (FSDT contributed USD 1,100,000, AGRA USD 1,000,000) for NMB to lend up to TZS 9.5 billion to agro-dealers to serve smallholder farmers.
• National Identification Authority (NIDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSDT collaborates with NIDA to discuss introduction of Universal National ID from birth, working on enhancing e-KYC, Mobile Digital National Identification (m-ID), and National ID for All initiatives to enable financial sector to tackle barriers to inclusion for women and youth.
• Bank of TanzaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSDT worked closely with National Payments Directorate at BOT to facilitate development of Tanzania Instant Payment System (TIPS), a national retail payment infrastructure promoting interoperability and electronic retail payments.
• NBC BanksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSDT collaborated with NBC Bank to spark innovation in product development through evidence-driven financial solutions design approaches. NBC shifted strategies to actively engage with customers in their communities.
• NMB BanksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSDT worked with NMB Bank on product innovation and supported the bank in developing inclusive financial solutions for underserved populations.
• Equity BanksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSDT supported Equity Bank to adopt agency banking model to improve access to relevant, appropriate, and sustainable financial services to the underserved.
• CRDB BanksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSDT supported CRDB Bank to adopt agency banking model to bring financial services closer to consumers, especially those in remote areas.
• Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSDT partnered with DSE for the Enterprise Growth Market (EGM) acceleration program, run in partnership with UDSM Business School, KPMG Advisory, Institute of Directors Tanzania, Banks, and SSC Capital, to provide capacity building to SMEs and facilitate access to capital markets.
• UDSM Business SchoolsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in DSE Enterprise Acceleration Program providing business education and mentorship to SMEs.
• KPMG AdvisorysecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting partner in DSE Enterprise Acceleration Program providing advisory services and expertise for SME capacity building.
• Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory partner working with FSDT on digital financial services policy, sim card registration requirements using National ID, and promoting mobile money adoption.
• CARE TanzaniasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in webinar discussions on financial inclusion for women and youth, sharing experiences from women and youth empowerment projects.
• KPMGsecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConducted financial sector ecosystem analysis for FSDT responding to need for understanding of financial service providers' offerings for women and youth and potential regulatory hurdles.
• Norwegian Church AidsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in discussions on cross-border trade and MSME support, contributing advocacy and partnerships expertise.
• Tanzania Consumer Advocacy and ResearchsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner working on establishing harmonized trade policies and consumer advocacy in financial services.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FSD Mozambique (FSDMoç): FSD Mozambique applies the same financial sector deepening market facilitator model in Mozambique, including FinScope-style surveys and donor-funded MSD programming. Directly comparable in structure, mission, and methodology to FSDT.
• FSD Zambia: Financial Sector Deepening Zambia operates as a donor-funded market facilitator focused on inclusive finance in Zambia, sharing FSDT's convening, research, and capacity-building approach with the same FSD-family lineage.
• FinMark Trust: FinMark Trust is a South Africa-based independent facilitator promoting financial inclusion through FinScope surveys and MSD programming. It pioneered the FinScope methodology that FSDT adapted for Tanzania, making it a closely comparable peer.
• FSD Kenya: Financial Sector Deepening Kenya operates the closest peer model to FSDT — a donor-funded market facilitator advancing financial inclusion in Kenya through research, policy advocacy, and partnership brokering. Both share the MSD approach, FinScope-style surveys, and a similar funder base anchored by Gates.

Others

• Bank of Tanzania (National Payments Directorate): The Bank of Tanzania is Tanzania's central bank and FSDT's most important regulatory partner, with which FSDT co-developed the Tanzania Instant Payment System (TIPS). It is not a peer competitor but rather the regulator that FSDT most directly serves and convenes.

Broad incumbents

• UNCDF (United Nations Capital Development Fund): UNCDF provides catalytic capital, capacity building, and policy advisory services for inclusive finance in LDCs including Tanzania. It operates at greater scale and broader scope than FSDT but shares the donor-funded market facilitator ethos.
• CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor): CGAP is a global partnership housed at the World Bank that drives financial inclusion research, policy advocacy, and capacity building. As a broad incumbent, it overlaps with FSDT's research and convening mandate but at a global rather than country-specific scale.

Regional players

• Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB): TADB is a Tanzanian state-owned development finance institution focused on agricultural financing. While it is a DFI lender rather than a market facilitator, FSDT works in overlapping territory on smallholder farmer credit and could be considered a complementary regional peer.

Emerging players

• Accion: Accion is a global nonprofit focused on financial inclusion through investment, advisory, and research. While primarily a microfinance operator and investor rather than a pure facilitator, it engages in adjacent capacity-building and advisory work in emerging markets.
• Opportunity International: Opportunity International is a global nonprofit providing microfinance and capacity-building services in developing markets, including East Africa. Its mission overlaps with FSDT's financial inclusion focus but operates through direct service delivery rather than market facilitation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fsdtanzania
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fsdtanzania7178
• Facebookfacebook.com/fsdtanzania
• LinkedIntz.linkedin.com/company/financial-sector-deepening-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/fsdtanzania/?igshid=o6fy0kzs096e

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about FSDT