Unlocking Cross-Border SME Lending Growth for a Regional Fintech Firm

Client Background 

The client is a regional financial technology company that provides working-capital loans to small and medium enterprises involved in transport and logistics across Asia and Africa. After building a stable base in this niche, the company wanted to broaden its lending portfolio and tap into the larger cross-border SME financing space, where credit gaps remain significant and competition is still limited. 

Client's Challenge 

The leadership team wanted to understand which SME segments offered the strongest demand for cross-border credit, which corridors were commercially viable, and which markets had the regulatory and digital infrastructure to support scalable lending models. Traditional secondary data did not adequately reflect on-the-ground conditions, such as fragmented supply chains, low formal credit penetration, and uneven data availability. They needed a structured, comparative assessment of opportunity size, market readiness, and partnership feasibility to guide their expansion strategy. 

How Mordor Intelligence Helped 

Mapped Cross-Border Credit Demand

• Quantified working capital gaps among SMEs engaged in import and export trade across four priority markets.
• Identified high-friction trade routes where financing shortages constrained SME growth. 

Benchmarked Fintech Ecosystems and Policy Environments 

• Assessed digital lending maturity, data-sharing systems, and compliance requirements in each geography.
• Mapped regulatory factors shaping cross-border credit, such as KYC processes, FX rules, and digital ID adoption. 

Evaluated Ecosystem Integration Readiness 

• Analyzed the feasibility of embedding lending products with logistics providers, fintech enablers, and alternative data platforms.
• Identified onboarding bottlenecks and the data sources most predictive for SME credit scoring. 

Designed a Structured Expansion Roadmap 

• Delivered a phased go-to-market plan with pilot corridor recommendations, regulatory pathways, and partnership models.
• Created region-specific GTM strategies aligned with SME behavior, credit readiness, and infrastructure maturity. 

Key Findings 

• Four priority markets displayed near-term viability based on demand strength, ecosystem maturity, and regulatory openness.
• Mid-tier exporters in constrained logistics corridors exhibited the highest unmet need for working capital.
• Existing digital lenders were mainly focused on domestic micro and consumer credit, leaving a clear whitespace in cross-border SME financing.
• Southeast Asia showed greater readiness due to better data infrastructure and payment integration, while West Africa required more partner-driven operating models.
• Policy support for alternative credit scoring varied widely, influencing operational feasibility. 

Our Industry Coverage 

Mordor Intelligence has delivered more than 250 opportunity sizing and growth identification engagements across financial services, logistics, agriculture, digital infrastructure, and emerging technologies. Our capabilities include: 

• Opportunity sizing and market prioritization
• Segmentation models that reveal adoption patterns by buyer type and service layer
• Localization and GTM support aligned with regulatory and infrastructure realities
• Scenario-based forecasting reflecting policy, climate, and technology shifts
• Market entry validation covering partnerships, pricing, and readiness signals.

Through structured opportunity identification and ecosystem mapping, Mordor Intelligence enables organizations across sectors to target high-potential markets and scale new offerings.