Across Cameroon, millions of people earn money every day through informal businesses, freelance work, transport, retail, agriculture and other forms of self-employment. Yet for many of them, proving their income to a bank remains difficult. A Cameroonian startup is trying to change that by helping financial institutions see the economic activity happening outside traditional employment.
The idea addresses a major challenge in Cameroon’s financial system. Many workers and small business owners generate regular income but do not receive conventional salaries or maintain the financial records banks typically require when assessing loan applications. As a result, their ability to repay can be overlooked even when they have consistent cash flow.
Cameroon’s banking sector continues to face a financial-inclusion challenge, with a large share of the population remaining outside the formal banking system. At the same time, digital finance and fintech platforms are creating more ways to record transactions and understand customers’ financial behaviour.
The startup’s opportunity lies in turning everyday economic activity into useful financial data. Instead of relying primarily on payslips, collateral or traditional credit histories, technology can help lenders assess patterns such as transaction frequency, revenue consistency and business activity.
For banks, this could create a new class of customers. Informal workers who were previously considered difficult to assess could become eligible for working-capital loans, personal credit or other financial products. For borrowers, access to formal credit could provide the capital needed to expand businesses, purchase equipment, manage cash-flow gaps or respond to emergencies.
The approach also fits into a broader shift across African fintech, where startups are using data and digital platforms to make lending more accessible. Cameroon already has fintech companies working across payments, lending and financial services, while regional payment infrastructure is increasingly connecting banks and mobile-money ecosystems.
However, convincing banks to lend to informal earners will require more than collecting data. Financial institutions must be confident that the information is accurate, customers have consented to its use, and lending decisions comply with financial regulations. The startup must also demonstrate that its model can reduce default risk rather than simply identify more potential borrowers.
The timing could be significant. Cameroon is experimenting with new financing mechanisms designed to improve access to credit for small and growing businesses, including a CFA5 billion pilot focused on youth and women-led enterprises. Such initiatives highlight the growing recognition that conventional lending models do not reach enough entrepreneurs.
If the startup succeeds, its biggest achievement may not be becoming another lender. Instead, it could become the bridge between Cameroon’s informal economy and its formal banking system—helping banks understand millions of people who already earn, spend and contribute to the economy every day, but remain largely invisible to traditional credit systems.
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