As Nigeria’s business environment continues to grapple with tightening liquidity, rising operating costs, and constrained access to traditional credit, alternative lenders are increasingly stepping into a critical gap in the financial ecosystem.
One of the most prominent players in this space is Zedvance, a financial services firm that has steadily evolved from a consumer-focused lender into a structured commercial financing partner for businesses across key sectors of the economy.
Speaking to Global Business Report, the AG Executive Director of Commercial Solutions at Zedvance, Ayooluwa Oladimeji, outlined how the company’s expansion into SME and commercial lending is reshaping its growth trajectory while also addressing Nigeria’s widening credit gap.
According to him, the transition is less of a pivot and more of a strategic expansion, driven by the need to support businesses that form the backbone of Nigeria’s productive economy. Over the past 18 months, Zedvance has significantly scaled its commercial lending operations, disbursing close to ₦100 billion to businesses operating across multiple sectors.
Oladimeji noted that this achievement, while still a fraction of Nigeria’s estimated multi-trillion-naira funding gap for small and medium-scale enterprises, represents a strong entry point into a market with vast unmet demand for structured financing.
At the heart of Zedvance’s expansion is a technology-driven lending model designed to improve speed, accuracy, and efficiency in credit delivery. The firm leverages artificial intelligence, automated workflows, and data-led risk assessment tools to evaluate borrowers, analyse financial behaviour, and streamline loan processing.
This digital-first approach, Oladimeji explained, allows the company to better understand business cash flows, assess creditworthiness in real time, and structure financing solutions that align with operational realities.
Beyond technology, Zedvance is also leaning heavily on risk management expertise and deep market understanding to support businesses that are often underserved by traditional financial institutions. Its model is built around what it describes as partnership-led financing, where clients are engaged not merely as borrowers but as long-term collaborators in business growth.
A key focus of its operations is liquidity provision, which Oladimeji described as the critical link between business ambition and execution. The company provides tailored funding solutions across sectors such as mobility, FMCG distribution, agro-processing, logistics, e-commerce, and the gig economy.
In practical terms, Zedvance supports supply chain financing by offering working capital to manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, ensuring smoother movement of goods from production to market. It also provides invoice financing, inventory funding, and equipment loans to enhance operational efficiency and scale.
According to Oladimeji, agro-processing remains a particularly important sector due to its role in Nigeria’s food security and economic diversification agenda. The firm supports businesses along the entire agricultural value chain, from input procurement to processing and distribution, helping to reduce bottlenecks and improve productivity.
Mobility financing, especially within the emerging electric vehicle segment, is another growing area of focus. Zedvance provides structured credit to logistics operators and transport businesses adopting two-wheelers, three-wheelers, buses, and trucks as energy costs continue to reshape operational models.
While acknowledging the competitive nature of Nigeria’s financial services landscape, Oladimeji emphasised that the relationship between banks and alternative lenders is increasingly complementary rather than adversarial. He described it as a “coopetition” model, where different financial institutions collaborate to deepen access to credit across the economy.
He further stressed that Zedvance’s differentiation lies in its agility, partnership-driven philosophy, and ability to design bespoke financing solutions that reflect the real-world conditions of its clients. Rather than adopting a transactional approach, the company works closely with businesses, often engaging directly on-site to understand operational structures before structuring credit solutions.
Zedvance’s expansion into commercial lending comes at a time when Nigeria continues to explore ways to close its significant SME financing gap, estimated in tens of trillions of naira. The company believes that bridging this gap is essential to unlocking productivity, driving job creation, and strengthening long-term economic resilience.
Looking ahead, Oladimeji said the firm remains focused on scaling its impact across frontier sectors, deepening partnerships with development finance institutions, and expanding its capital base to support more businesses nationwide.
As Nigeria’s economy continues to evolve, Zedvance’s growing footprint signals a broader shift in the financial sector, where alternative lenders are playing an increasingly central role in powering enterprise growth and economic transformation.
