European trade-finance firm Zvilo Group is targeting €2 billion in financing as it expands across sub-Saharan Africa, with plans to make the continent its biggest market by the end of the decade.
The London-based company, which provides working capital financing to small- and medium-sized businesses, is pushing into Africa after backing 3,900 companies in Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia, Turkey and the UK. Zvilo is expanding into nine African countries, with the continent central to its long-term growth strategy.
Zvilo’s expansion is driven by the scale of Africa’s trade finance gap, estimated at $120 billion out of a global gap of $2.5 trillion. The company aims to reduce this gap by providing working capital to underserved SMEs and corporates, helping them finance inputs and trade with intra-African partners and the globe.
The firm services local and cross-border trade finance needs of entire supply chains, ensuring businesses have the working capital they need when they need it for sustainable long-term growth. Its focus is on sectors critical to regional growth, including fast-moving consumer goods, manufacturing and essential commodities.
Zvilo operates as a digital trade finance platform providing fast, data-driven credit solutions to micro, small and medium enterprises, with an expanded €75 million credit facility from Fasanara Capital supporting its push into Africa, Turkey and the broader Middle East. The company has already funded businesses across 39 markets, and its African expansion is being led by Peter Maila, who brings 30 years of finance and investment experience and has been instrumental in investments worth over $2 billion in Africa and South Asia.
In Sierra Leone, Zvilo secured FCDO funding through PROSPER Salone in collaboration with Invest Salone to expand access to finance for small businesses, using a matching grant to build a stronger pipeline of investable companies and deepen its presence on the ground. The company’s approach combines technology-led lending infrastructure with local partnerships to deliver scalable access to capital.
For Africa, Zvilo’s expansion signals growing investor interest in SME trade finance, a segment long underserved by traditional banks. The challenge now is to ensure that the €2 billion financing target translates into real liquidity for the small businesses that create jobs, strengthen supply chains and drive economic growth across the continent.
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