Triterras Inc. (OTC Expert Market: TRIRF), a global fintech company and leading innovator of inclusive finance solutions for the world’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and Conektr, a digital lower trade, groceries, and HoReCa marketplace platform, today announced a collaboration to provide access to working capital to micro and small retailers across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that are utilizing 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 commented “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.
About Conektr
Conektr Hub is a “digital grocery” solution that integrates the entire B2B2C value lower-trade chain (including end consumers) while providing its participants with all the building blocks of a 21st century business. The company was founded in 2016 in Dubai by Madhusudhanan Janakarajan, a FMCG industry veteran, and has over 5,000 retailers on its platform. The platform has caught the attention of FMCG majors that use the platform to distribute their products in a cost-effective and effective way. For more information, please visit https://www.conektr.com.
About Triterras
Triterras is a global fintech company co-headquartered in Singapore and Dubai and leading innovator of inclusive finance solutions for the world’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The company launched and operates Kratos™ one of the world’s largest digital financing platforms to directly connect MSMEs with lenders online and source capital across commodity trading, supply chain, logistics, and ecommerce finance. For more information, please visit http://triterras.com.
