LOOP Digital Financial Services (LOOP DFS), the digital arm of NCBA Group, introduced LOOP BIZ+ as a single platform that combines payment acceptance, credit facilities and inventory management for small and medium enterprises in Kenya.
The solution centres on a LOOP point-of-sale (POS) device that processes Visa and other card payments, NFC contactless, mobile money and LOOP transactions, and the same checkout experience is replicated on the LOOP BIZ app and a web portal.
Merchants can draw on a range of working-capital products, including quick loans, an overdraft linked to the LOOP payment account, supplier credit lines paid directly to vendors and longer-term financing, with credit limits that may increase as the business expands.
Credit eligibility is assessed using the transaction history recorded on the POS, and a new credit-gamification feature in the app allows merchants to set loan targets and monitor progress toward those limits.
An AI-driven inventory tool analyses stock levels, forecasts demand and suggests restocking quantities, flagging slow-moving items each morning; the feature is currently available to web-based merchants and is scheduled for rollout on the app in 2027.
The platform also includes LOOP Discover, a digital storefront inside the LOOP consumer app that gives merchants exposure to more than 500,000 users, providing an additional sales channel beyond walk-ins and referrals.
“Small businesses are the backbone of Kenya’s economy, yet many entrepreneurs still manage payments, records, stock, marketing and financing through separate channels, and end up being the ones holding it all together,” said Sheila Kimani, chief commercial officer of LOOP DFS. “Because the platform sees the business as a whole, we can offer the right kind of support at the right time, and with NCBA Bank behind the credit relationship, merchants can plan their growth with greater confidence.”
John Njoroge, Visa’s country manager for Kenya, noted that Kenya’s digital payments ecosystem is highly dynamic and that the LOOP POS expands payment choices for merchants and shoppers by integrating Visa card acceptance with other digital options.
The launch arrives as banks and fintech firms intensify efforts to attract small merchants, following Safaricom’s recent extension of its Fuliza overdraft to Pochi La Biashara merchants and days after Nedbank completed the acquisition of a 66 per cent stake in NCBA.
