FINANCIA

What FINANCIA does

FINANCIA GROUP is a privately held Société Anonyme incorporated in Benin and licensed by the Ministry of Finance under registration number A.15.0107.L to operate as a regulated financial services provider. The company is headquartered at Avenue Steinmetz in Cotonou and reports a workforce of approximately 14 employees. Its stated mission is to expand access to financing for micro and small enterprises in Benin, an underserved segment that typically lacks access to traditional commercial banking. The company combines regulated deposit-taking and lending activity under a single platform, which is a relatively uncommon structure at this scale in the Beninese market and positions FINANCIA closer to a small community bank than to a pure NGO microfinance institution.

FINANCIA operates three product lines: (1) Credits, spanning order financing (Credits Bon de Commande), working capital (Fonds de Roulement), consumer credit, secured credit backed by pledged collateral (Nantissement), school loans (Prêts Scolaires), group lending for women and disadvantaged youth (Groupements), and agricultural credit; (2) Savings products, including term deposits (Compte Dépôt à Terme), passbook savings (Compte d'Épargne sur Livret), and demand deposits (Compte de Dépôts à Vue); and (3) Money transfer services offered through agent partnerships with Western Union, Wari, MoneyGram, Ria, Flooz, and Mobile Money. Distribution is conducted through the Cotonou headquarters branch and an Android mobile application, supplemented by a website with newsletter signup and Facebook presence. Core technology, proprietary underwriting models, and pricing are not publicly disclosed.

Revenue mechanics are typical of a micro-deposit and microcredit institution: interest income from the credit portfolio is the primary stream, complemented by fees and commissions on money transfer transactions and float income on deposit balances. The company prices individually based on customer assessment rather than published rate cards. The customer base is retail and fragmented across micro and small entrepreneurs, individual consumers, agricultural borrowers, and women/youth group-credit participants. No revenue, AUM, portfolio size, or growth figures have been publicly disclosed.

Name

FINANCIA

Legal name

FINANCIA GROUP

Website

https://financia-benin.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FINANCIA GROUP is a Benin-licensed Société Anonyme headquartered in Cotonou that provides credits, savings accounts, and money transfer services to micro and small entrepreneurs, individual consumers, agricultural borrowers, and women/youth groups in Benin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Microfinance

NAICS

Depository Credit Intermediation (5221), Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation (52229), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153), Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAKAGAA

Microloans & Working Capital Loans

Financial & Insurance/Lending & Consumer Finance/Small Business & Microenterprise Lending

SECONDARYFSAKAGAG

Agricultural & Rural Microfinance

Financial & Insurance/Lending & Consumer Finance/Small Business & Microenterprise Lending

SECONDARYFSAKALAJ

Secured Microloans (Community/Nonprofit, Collateralized)

Financial & Insurance/Lending & Consumer Finance/Pawn Loans & Collateral-Based Consumer Lending

SECONDARYFSABAAAI

Small Business Banking (Microbusiness/Sole Proprietor)

Financial & Insurance/Banking (Commerical, Retail & Consumer)/Retail Banking

Keywords

• Microfinance services
• Consumer credit
• Savings accounts
• Money transfers
• Agricultural lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Cotonou

HQ country

Benin

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Credit/Loan Interest: FINANCIA generates revenue through interest charged on various credit products including working capital loans, order credits, consumer credits, secured credits, school loans, group credits, and agricultural credits targeting micro and small entrepreneurs.
2. Savings Account Services: Revenue from managing savings accounts including term deposits, savings passbooks, and demand deposits that help clients manage their daily business activities.
3. Money Transfer Services: Commission fees from money transfer services including Western Union, Wari, Money Gram, Ria, Flooz, and Mobile Money partnerships.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FINANCIA GROUP provides microfinance services in Benin through three product lines: (1) credit products including order credit, working capital financing, consumer credit, secured (nantissement) loans, school loans, group lending for women and youth, and agricultural credit; (2) savings products including term deposits, passbook savings, and demand deposits; and (3) money transfer services offered via partnerships with Western Union, Wari, MoneyGram, Ria, Flooz, and Mobile Money.

Product overview

FINANCIA is a financial services company operating as a unified platform offering two primary product lines: credit products (Credits) and savings products (Épargne), along with money transfer services. The credit portfolio includes financing for working capital and purchase orders (Credits Bon de Commande, Credits Fonds de Roulement), consumer credit, secured credit (Credits Nantissement), school loans (Prêts Scolaires), group lending for women and youth (Credits Groupements), and agricultural credit (Credits Agricole). The savings offerings comprise term deposits (Compte Dépôt à Terme), savings accounts (Compte d'Épargne sur Livret), and demand deposits (Compte de Dépôts à Vue). The company also provides money transfer services through partnerships with Western Union, Wari, MoneyGram, Ria, Flooz, and Mobile Money. FINANCIA primarily serves micro and small entrepreneurs as well as SMEs in Benin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Order Credit (Credits Bon de Commande) Credit product for financing purchase orders, enabling small entrepreneurs and SMEs to fund their working capital and order fulfillment.
• Working Capital Credit (Credits Fonds de Roulement) Working capital financing for small entrepreneurs and SMEs to support their daily operational cash flow needs.
• Consumer Credit (Credits à la Consommation) Consumer credit products offered to individuals for personal purchases and expenses.
• Secured Credit (Credits Nantissement) Secured credit products backed by collateral (pledged assets) for borrowers who can provide guarantees.
• School Loans (Crédits Prêts Scolaires) School loans designed to help families prepare for the academic year with financing for educational expenses.
• Group Lending (Credits Groupements) Group lending products targeting women, young girls, and underprivileged youth to support collective financial access.
• Agricultural Credit (Credits Agricole) Agricultural credit products to help farmers finance and valorize their harvests and farming operations.
• Term Deposit Account (Compte Dépôt à Terme) Term deposit account offering fixed-term savings with guaranteed returns for customers.
• Passbook Savings Account (Compte d'Épargne sur Livret) Savings account providing flexible deposit options for customers to accumulate savings over time.
• Demand Deposit Account (Compte de Dépôts à Vue) Demand deposit account enabling customers to manage their daily financial activities with accessible funds.
• Money Transfer Services (Transferts d'Argent) Money transfer services through partnerships with Western Union, Wari, MoneyGram, Ria, Flooz, and Mobile Money to meet daily liquidity needs of the population.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Western UnioncoreOthersWestern Union money transfer service partnership allowing FINANCIA customers to send and receive international remittances. Western Union is a global leader in cross-border money transfer services.
• WaricoreOthersWari money transfer service partnership enabling domestic and international money transfers for FINANCIA customers across West Africa.
• Money GramcoreOthersMoney Gram international money transfer partnership providing global remittance services to FINANCIA customers.
• RiaminorOthersRia money transfer service partnership offering international money transfer capabilities to FINANCIA customers.
• FloozminorOthersFlooz mobile money and transfer service partnership enabling mobile-based financial transactions for FINANCIA customers.
• Mobile MoneycoreOthersMobile Money partnership enabling mobile-based money transfers and transactions for customers who prefer digital and mobile financial services in Benin.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ProCredit Bank: Development-oriented bank group focused on SME and microfinance lending across emerging markets, including West Africa; comparable in target customer and credit discipline philosophy.
• Société Générale de Banques au Bénin: Major full-service commercial bank in Benin providing consumer credit, SME lending, savings, and remittance services; competes for the same urban MSE and individual consumer base as FINANCIA.
• Orabank: WAEMU-headquartered banking group present in Benin offering SME banking, consumer credit, savings, and money transfer; broader portfolio than FINANCIA but directly competes for the same MSE and consumer segments.
• Ecobank Benin: Subsidiary of pan-African Ecobank group operating full-service retail, SME, and remittance banking in Benin; an incumbent competitor for both deposits and micro/SME credit.

Direct peers

• ADVANS Group: Pan-African microfinance and SME banking group with a Benin subsidiary offering credit, savings, and remittances to MSEs and individuals — a directly comparable model to FINANCIA's product mix and target customer.
• Cofina (Compagnie Financière Africaine): West African financial group specializing in SME and microfinance lending across the WAEMU region; comparable to FINANCIA in segment, geography, and working-capital product orientation.
• Baobab (formerly Microcred Group): West African digital microfinance platform serving small entrepreneurs with credit, savings, and digital payments; overlaps heavily with FINANCIA's working capital, group lending, and remittance services.

Regional players

• Cauris Microfinance: WAEMU-focused microfinance institution serving small entrepreneurs and individuals with credit and savings products; regional peer with similar customer profile to FINANCIA but operating primarily outside Benin.

Emerging players

• ACEP International: Microfinance network focused on financial inclusion for small entrepreneurs and vulnerable populations in francophone Africa; comparable to FINANCIA in social mission and microcredit orientation.
• MTN MoMo (MTN Benin): Mobile money operator in Benin offering payments, savings, and increasingly credit to MSEs and individuals; competing for the same remittance and digital banking wallet that FINANCIA currently captures via agency partnerships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/financiasa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 FINANCIA