From war zones to Kenya’s markets: How an ex-soldier built a $1bn lender
How a former British Army officer arrived in Kenya with little experience in finance and built a lender that has disbursed more than $1 billion in loans.
Wayne Hennessy-Barrett, a former British Army officer, started 4G Capital, a $1bn lender in Kenya, by simply asking small traders what they needed to keep their businesses moving. Thirteen years later, the lender has disbursed over $1bn in loans with a repayment rate of about 95%. Hennessy-Barrett arrived in Kenya with no bank, no loan book, and little conventional finance experience.
He asked the traders what they needed, and they simply said they needed a loan to buy and sell goods. This led to the creation of 4G Capital, which offers working capital loans to micro and small businesses that traditional banks often reject due to lack of collateral or financial records. Hennessy-Barrett's approach uses a credit calculator and data analysis to determine who qualifies for a loan, allowing the company to maintain a high repayment rate.
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