Tala
“Can an alternative-data consumer lender for the global majority become the infrastructure layer behind every emerging-market wallet, remittance, and gig platform offering credit?”
Tala began in 2011 as a smartphone-first consumer microlender in Kenya, scoring borrowers using Android device and behavioral data rather than traditional credit history. Over a decade it expanded to the Philippines, Mexico, India, and now Latin America (Guatemala, DR, Panama) and Vietnam. The most consequential recent pivot is the 2025 launch of 'Tala in a Box' and Credit-as-a-Service: Tala is repositioning from being only a direct-to-consumer lender to being a financial infrastructure company that powers embedded credit inside remittance apps, mobile wallets, and gig platforms in emerging markets. The 2026 CIMB partnership and capital-markets debt structure signal a B2B2C strategy on top of the legacy consumer book.