Say hi to Amartha! This Indonesian startup lends working capital to local entrepreneurs and allows you and me to invest in select businesses. They just raised $100M in fresh funding. 

• Launched in 2010, they have disbursed $800M in working capital loans to 1.6 million businesses, most of them women-led and based in rural areas. 

Investor check. Community Investment Management, a US-based debt provider, raised the fund. 

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🪙 Sharing responsibility

Amartha lets business owners borrow money individually or in groups.

• Do it yourself. They offer individual loans from IDR 5M to IDR 500M (roughly $332 to $33.2K).
• Or do it together. When you borrow with a group, each individual gets a credit score and a number of approved loans. Here, Amartha offers financial literacy training and conducts weekly meetings to assist borrowers.

🧕 Invest in impact

Got spare $$$? Amartha lets you invest in selected SMEs in their marketplace.   

• Get weekly returns. Get started with IDR 100K (around $7), and you can yield up to 15% flat per year.
• It’s safe. They use machine learning tech to measure investment risk, and their system is OJK-approved!

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🤲 In their own time

Amartha claims that they’ve been profitable in the past three years, but the ride hasn’t been so smooth-sailing. 

• They almost folded in 2016, until they pivoted from microfinancing to P2P lending. 
• In 2022, they launched Amartha.org to support women’s education and empowerment. 
• They’ll use the new funding as working capital loans to local businesses.