Conektr and Triterras partner to deliver working capital to SMBs in the UAE

By Leandra Monteiro

Triterras Inc, a global FinTech company and Conektr, a digital lower trade, groceries, and HoReCa marketplace platform, announced a collaboration to provide access to working capital to micro and small retailers across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that are utilising the Conektr app to manage their inventory.

This program, made via Triterras’ Invoice Bazaar platform, is among the first of its kind to give small businesses in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) space the ability to quickly secure working capital for procurement through a completely digital process and with simple Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements. Over 7,000 retailers are targeted in the first phase of the program.

“Neighborhood retailers globally have historically been unbanked for access to credit. Our collaboration with Conektr will help break this cycle through an easy-to-onboard, paperless process that is available to thousands of micro and small retailers on the Conektr platform that are in need of financing to help operate and grow their businesses,” said Anand Nagaraj, Triterras’ Executive Vice President of Business Development. “This collaboration is the latest step in our journey to provide cutting-edge lending solutions to underserved market segments, enabling their continued contributions to both local and global economies.”

Madhusudhanan Janakarajan, Founder and CEO of Conektr said, “This collaboration is built on Conektr’s long history with Invoice Bazaar, which, prior to its acquisition by Triterras, was the first institution to help us with our own working capital and whose services we continue to use for our procurement cycle. We know first-hand that the availability of working capital can help small retailers maintain their inventory, leading to customer retention and business growth, so this is an important advancement for the ecosystem of micro and small retailers in the region. We expect around 2,000 retailers to register upon launch with more to follow, highlighting the very real financing challenges MSMEs face running their businesses.”

In addition to large hypermarkets and grocery retail chains, there are approximately 25,000 small retailers located in residential and commercial areas of the UAE. Given their close proximity to customers, these retailers make up a significant portion of consumer purchases for essential groceries and FMCG products. However, unlike large retailers, many small retailers are unable to secure bank credit and are forced to depend on the owners’ equity or supplier credit. As digitization takes hold and major brands attempt to disrupt the space, Conektr’s B2B2C platform empowers retailers to go digital and deliver to consumers through the Conektr app.