New York, NY, June 19, 2024 — BDA Partners is pleased to announce that its client, Amartha, an Indonesian microfinance technology company, has successfully raised growth capital in a funding round led by Accion Digital Transformation Fund, with participation from Maj Invest and Women’s World Banking. The investment aims to help deliver Amartha’s ambition of building a platform providing a full suite of financial products and services to underserved women-led small businesses in mainly rural areas across Indonesia by harnessing the power of data and AI.
BDA was the exclusive financial advisor to Amartha on the transaction. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Amartha has developed a comprehensive digital financial infrastructure that connects microbusinesses in Tier 2 and 3 cities across Indonesia. By incorporating an embedded lending and funding model for both institutional and retail investors, Amartha streamlines personalised financial solutions that resonate with their customers. Amartha also offers payment services and a proprietary credit scoring system, providing a highly integrated microfinance technology option for digitising Indonesia’s grassroot communities. To date, Amartha has disbursed working capital of over 25 trillion Indonesian rupiah (US$1.6 billion) to over 2.5 million women-led businesses in rural and peri-urban areas of Java, Sumatra, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi and Kalimantan.
Managed by Accion Impact Management, the Accion Digital Transformation Fund builds on Accion’s experience supporting banks and finance companies around the world to connect millions of people and small businesses to the digital economy. Investments from the US$152.5 million fund focus on companies serving micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across South and SE Asia, LATAM and Africa, providing growth capital and strategic support for digital transformation.
Ramdhan Anggakaradibrata, Chief Financial Officer of Amartha, said, “Amartha and Accion have shared objectives – reducing inequality in access to financial services. The latest funding from Accion Digital Transformation Fund will help strengthen our ability to leverage the power of data and AI. We will not only meet the current needs of our customers but also anticipate future trends and challenges. This approach will help us remain at the forefront of FinTech innovation, continually evolving to provide cutting-edge financial solutions that empower our customers and drive sustainable growth.”
Njord Andrewes, Managing Partner of Accion Transformation Capital and member of Amartha’s Board of Commissioners, said, “Through its unique business model and marketplace platform, we believe Amartha is in a prime position to connect many women-led small businesses across Indonesia to responsible financial services for the first time. We are partnering with Amartha to provide both strategic support and growth capital, as they work to reach new clients in underserved areas using digital technologies.”
Rica Wirianata, Partner, BDA Partners, said, “This transaction epitomises robust cross-border interest in the thriving Indonesian economy. We continue to be excited about backing high quality category leaders like Amartha.” Anindita (Andi) Das, Managing Director and Head of Technology SE Asia, BDA Partners, said, “This is a landmark transaction in the SE Asian FinTech space that truly reflects how impact investing is enabling the democratisation of financial services. Amartha’s successful fundraise is a renewed vote of confidence in the region’s dealmaking environment with investors backing high-growth, profitable companies. We are delighted to have advised Amartha on this transaction and congratulate Amartha and Accion on their partnership.”
BDA Deal Team
Jeff Acton, Partner, Co-Head of Tokyo, Head of Technology, Tokyo
Rica Wirianata, Financial Sponsors Group, Singapore
Anindita Das, Managing Director, Head of Technology SE Asia, Singapore
Rishi Das, Director, Singapore
Joscelin Kee, Vice President. Singapore
Daryl Lee, Associate, Singapore
John Chui, Analyst, Singapore
Brandon Heng, Analyst, Singapore