“Can a women-focused inclusive fintech close Africa's gender finance gap by channeling urban women's savings into credit for rural smallholder women farmers and SMEs?”
Founded 2020 in Lagos by Solape Akinpelu and Yomi Ogunleye to close the $42bn African gender finance gap. Started with target savings and impact investing that channeled retail capital to smallholder women farmers, then extended into consumer credit and, in 2024, into working-capital loans for women-led SMEs. Operates as a customer-facing consumer fintech built on top of a licensed Nigerian microfinance bank (VFD MFB) rather than holding its own banking licence.
HerVest discloses VFD Microfinance Bank as its banking provider, according to the Embedded Finance Index 2026.
HerVest does not disclose a bank charter of its own; its banking services are provided through VFD Microfinance Bank.
HerVest's lending and capital products are provided by HerVest Loan (in-house).
HerVest's embedded insurance is provided by Royal Exchange General Insurance Company.
HerVest's investing and wealth products are powered by HerVest Impact Investing (in-house).
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 5 layers in HerVest's stack: Banking / BaaS (VFD Microfinance Bank); Lending (HerVest Loan (in-house), HerVest Loan for Women-led SMEs, Credit financing for smallholder women farmers and Personal loans); Insurance (Royal Exchange General Insurance Company); Sponsor bank (VFD Microfinance Bank); Investing (HerVest Impact Investing (in-house)).
HerVest was founded by Solape Akinpelu and Yomi Ogunleye and is founded in 2020, headquartered in Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.
HerVest has raised $750K in total.
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