Microcred

What Microcred does

Microcred, now operating as Baobab Group (formerly Microcred), is a Paris-headquartered digital financial inclusion group founded in 2005 that provides credit and banking services to micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses in Africa. The company operates through seven wholly-owned subsidiaries across Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal, serving more than 1.6 million customers and disbursing EUR 1.2 billion in loans in 2025 (over EUR 1 billion annually as a baseline). The core product is a unified Financial Services Platform delivering digital and in-branch lending, with 46% of loan volume processed digitally through a proprietary "dynamic and scalable technology platform." Revenue is generated principally through interest income on disbursed micro and small-business loans (transaction-fee / net interest margin model), with pricing not publicly disclosed. Distribution is primarily direct via the in-country subsidiary branch networks, complemented by self-serve digital lending channels; the company has positioned itself as a pioneer in interoperability across the WAEMU zone and maintains a Core-tier partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for SME financing and advisory services.

Name

Microcred

Legal name

Baobab Group

Website

https://microcredgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Microcred (operating as Baobab Group) is a Paris-headquartered digital financial inclusion group serving 1.6 million+ micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses across seven African subsidiaries, disbursing EUR 1.2 billion in loans in 2025 via branch and digital channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Microfinance and Digital Lending

NAICS

Nondepository Credit Intermediation (5222), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Microloans & Working Capital Loans (FSAKAGAA)

Keywords

• Microfinance lending
• Digital financial services
• Small business loans
• Financial inclusion
• Microenterprise financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Loan Disbursement and Interest Income: Baobab provides loans to micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses, generating revenue through interest on disbursed loans. The company disburses over EUR 1 billion in new loans annually and EUR 1.2 billion in 2025.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Baobab Group (formerly Microcred) provides digital financial services, primarily loans, to micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses across Africa through seven country-level subsidiaries. The company disburses over EUR 1 billion in new loans annually (EUR 1.2 billion in 2025) to more than 1.6 million customers, with 46% of loans processed digitally via its proprietary lending platform.

Product overview

Baobab Group operates as a single unified financial services platform serving small businesses across Africa through its seven subsidiaries. The company disburses over EUR 1 billion in new loans annually, with 46% of loans being digital. The platform provides financial services including digital loans designed to fit seamlessly into customers' daily lives, powered by a dynamic and scalable technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Services Platform Core lending and financial services offering providing loans and digital financial services to micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses across Africa through seven country subsidiaries, with digitalization at its core enabling faster, more inclusive, and accessible financial services.

Quantifiable outcome

• EUR 1.2 billion disbursed to customers in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Oikocredit: International cooperative providing debt and equity to microfinance institutions and small businesses in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Functions as both peer in scale and a potential wholesale funder to platforms like Baobab.
• Accion: Global nonprofit with deep microfinance expertise, both investing in and operating digital lending ventures across Africa. Comparable mission of financial inclusion for SMBs and a likely peer at the ecosystem/investor level.
• Incofin Investment Management: Belgian impact investment manager focused on microfinance and small business finance in developing countries. An ecosystem participant that both funds and competes with microfinance operators like Baobab.

Emerging players

• Branch International: Digital lender providing micro and small business credit across Africa and other emerging markets. Directly competes with Baobab for the same underbanked SMB borrower through a mobile-first underwriting model.
• Tala: Mobile-based consumer and small business lender active in Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines and other emerging markets. Targets the same underbanked micro-entrepreneur segment via smartphone underwriting.
• Carbon (formerly Paylater): Digital lending platform operating across Nigeria and other African markets, serving underbanked consumers and small businesses. Comparable end-customer profile and digital-first origination model.
• FairMoney: Nigerian digital lender offering micro-loans and SMB credit, increasingly expanding into deposit and payment products. Overlaps with Baobab Nigeria on customer segment and digital distribution model.

Direct peers

• ProCredit Holding: Frankfurt-listed group of SME-and-microfinance focused banks across Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa. Closely comparable business model of regulated banking subsidiaries serving small businesses with development-finance backing.

Broad incumbents

• Equity Bank: Large East African banking group with deep microfinance and SME roots serving millions of small customers. Comparable mission and customer segment but operates at much larger scale across more diverse product lines.
• Ecobank Transnational: Pan-African banking group with operations across many of the same countries as Baobab, including SME banking products. Overlaps on geography and SMB target market though as a broad incumbent rather than a microfinance specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Baobab_Group
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCquse2ZhcjI9WCvPH0EozLg
• Facebookfacebook.com/baobabgroup.microcred
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupe-baobab
• Instagraminstagram.com/baobabgroupe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Microcred