Raba

What Raba does

Raba Marketplace (legal name: Raba Marketplace) operates a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) equipment financing marketplace targeting Nigerian small and medium enterprises. The platform connects buyers with a network of 41+ verified equipment dealers across categories including commercial kitchen equipment, solar power systems, industrial embroidery and sewing machines, fitness equipment, cleaning equipment, and electronics. Customers complete a digital application, receive a credit decision within 24-48 hours, pay a 20% down payment, and then settle the balance in monthly installments over 3, 6, 9, or 12 months — with equipment ownership transferring to the customer upon completion of all scheduled payments. Raba retains ownership of the equipment during the lease term.

The platform is web-based and combines a self-serve equipment catalog with an inside-sales team that handles underwriting, KYC, document verification, and customer support. Supporting features include an SME dashboard for application tracking, an Equipment Request Service for items not in the catalog, and an SEO-focused Raba Blog targeting Nigerian entrepreneurs in food, fashion, and solar verticals. Revenue is generated through the financing spread on installment/lease payments, with no management fees or subscription charges disclosed beyond the equipment financing itself.

In April 2026, Raba expanded beyond its core marketplace with the launch of Tap2Ride, a separate contactless fare payment product for transit use cases — a notable product diversification move for a 1-10 person team that has raised a single $100,000 seed round (October 2025) from Antler and Equitable Ventures. The company is headquartered at Hub One, 10 Hughes Avenue, Yaba, Lagos, and operates exclusively online with no physical retail footprint.

Name

Raba

Legal name

Raba Marketplace

Website

https://getraba.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Raba Marketplace is a Nigerian Buy Now Pay Later platform connecting SMEs with 41+ verified equipment dealers, offering 20% down payment financing on kitchen, solar, embroidery, and industrial equipment with 3-12 month installments across Nigeria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

BNPL Equipment Financing Marketplace

akta.pro primary industry

B2B BNPL (Invoice Split/Net Terms for SMB Procurement) (FSAKACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Merchant-Integrated BNPL (Online Checkout) (FSAKACAA), Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Platforms (BPAMAFAG), Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) (CRAFALAD)

Keywords

• Equipment financing
• Buy now pay later
• SME marketplace
• Equipment leasing
• Installment payments

Headquarters

HQ city

Nguru

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Financing (Installment/Lease Payments): Raba generates revenue by facilitating equipment leasing and financing. Customers pay a 20% down payment upfront and then make regular installment payments over the lease term. Upon completion of all scheduled payments, ownership of the equipment is transferred to the customer. The company retains ownership of the equipment until all payments are complete.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Raba operates an online Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) marketplace that connects Nigerian SMEs and entrepreneurs with 41+ verified third-party equipment dealers across categories including kitchen appliances, solar systems, embroidery machines, fitness equipment, and cleaning/auto equipment. Raba finances purchases by retaining equipment ownership until customers complete installment payments (20% down + 3–12 month monthly installments), earning interest-style income on the financing spread. A separate Tap2Ride sub-product provides contactless fare payment technology.

Product overview

Raba is Nigeria's leading Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) marketplace for business equipment, operating as a unified platform that combines an equipment marketplace with integrated financing services. The core offering consists of the Raba Marketplace connecting SMEs with 41 verified equipment dealers, paired with equipment financing that enables purchases with just 20% down payment and flexible 3-12 month repayment plans. The platform features a Business Equipment Catalog with diverse categories (kitchen appliances, solar systems, embroidery machines, industrial equipment), an SME Dashboard for application and lease management, an Equipment Request Service for sourcing specific items, and educational content through the Raba Blog. A separate product called Tap2Ride provides contactless fare payment services. The platform's architecture centers on the relationship between the marketplace (for browsing and purchasing equipment) and the financing layer (for enabling access through installment payments), with supporting features including a dealer verification system, KYC verification, and customer support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Raba Marketplace Nigeria's leading BNPL marketplace that aggregates business equipment listings from 41+ verified third-party dealers across Nigeria, enabling SMEs and entrepreneurs to browse, compare, and acquire equipment through Raba's integrated financing layer. Targets Nigerian SMEs needing commercial kitchen, solar, embroidery, fitness, cleaning, and auto equipment.
• Equipment Financing / Leasing SME equipment financing service that lets businesses acquire equipment with a 20% down payment and spread remaining costs over 3, 6, 9, or 12 month installment plans. Includes KYC verification, credit assessment, document verification, secure payment processing, equipment delivery and installation, and ownership transfer at end of term with no early payoff penalties.
• Tap2Ride Contactless fare payment system enabling transit payments through tap-to-pay technology. Distinct sub-product from the equipment financing marketplace, serving public transit / fare payment use cases.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24-48 hour approval timeline for equipment financing applications
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• M-Kopa: M-Kopa is a Kenyan pay-as-you-go solar and asset financing platform. It is comparable to Raba because both finance productive equipment (especially solar) for emerging-market SMEs and households via small down payments and recurring installments.
• Branch International: Branch is a pan-African mobile lender offering instant loans to consumers and small businesses. It is comparable to Raba as a competitor in the same digital-credit underwriting space for emerging-market borrowers, though its product is cash loans rather than equipment financing.
• Tabby: Tabby is the leading BNPL provider in MENA. It is comparable to Raba as an emerging-markets BNPL operator with merchant-integrated checkout and short-tenor installments, although Tabby focuses on consumer categories rather than SME equipment.

Direct peers

• FairMoney: FairMoney is a Nigerian digital lender providing salaried and SME loans through a mobile app. It is comparable to Raba as a Nigerian fintech extending credit to underbanked borrowers, though FairMoney focuses on cash loans whereas Raba attaches lending to an equipment purchase.
• TradeDepot: TradeDepot is a Nigerian B2B distribution and embedded financing platform serving informal retailers and SMEs. It is the closest direct peer to Raba because both combine an equipment/goods marketplace with on-platform credit for Nigerian SME buyers.
• Lipa Later: Lipa Later is a BNPL provider for consumers and SMEs across East and West Africa. It is comparable to Raba as an African BNPL operator targeting asset purchases, with similar underwriting and installment mechanics for underbanked buyers.
• Carbon (formerly Paylater): Carbon is a Nigerian digital lender offering credit and BNPL-style products to individuals and SMEs via mobile. It is comparable to Raba because it competes for the same thin-file Nigerian borrower base with short-tenor, app-based installment credit.

Broad incumbents

• Klarna: Klarna is the global BNPL category leader. It is comparable to Raba as the benchmark business model and product experience the BNPL-for-equipment concept references, though Klarna serves consumer merchants in mature markets rather than underbanked African SMEs.
• Flutterwave: Flutterwave is a major Nigerian payments infrastructure provider serving merchants and SMEs. It is comparable to Raba as a Nigerian fintech operating digital commerce/payments products, and represents a potential ecosystem partner or acquirer as Raba grows.

Regional players

• Konga: Konga is a Nigerian e-commerce marketplace. It is comparable to Raba as a fellow Nigerian online marketplace serving SME and consumer buyers, although Konga sells general merchandise rather than financing equipment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/getraba_
• Facebookfacebook.com/getraba
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joinraba

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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 Raba