Building wealth
through community.
Six months, one book — transparent numbers on every Leone your capital moved between January and June, and the Sierra Leonean businesses it reached.
- Disbursed
- SLe 893k
- $39,692
- Recollected
- SLe 721k
- $32,046
- Borrowers
- 60
- 82 loans funded
H1 · 2026It started with people asking for help.
To our lenders — thank you. Between January and June you moved SLe 893,060 (≈ $39,692) into the hands of 60 unique small business owners across Freetown. SLe 721,037 (≈ $32,046) came back in on schedule. Behind every number here is a repaid loan, a stocked shelf, a school fee met.
The half closed on our strongest month yet: June recollections reached SLe 190,295 — the sixth consecutive month of growth in repayments. We funded 82 loans with lender capital — split across emergency, micro-individual, small-individual and micro-enterprise products — drawn from a mix of new and reinvested capital.
Capital moved cleanly. 26 new investments totalling SLe 833,400 came into the book this half, and one new lender joined — bringing us to 27 active lenders (19 men and 8 women, ages 25–55). SLe 45,700 was generated in origination fees Jan–Jun. Cumulative interest paid out to lenders since inception now stands at SLe 319,750. Five lenders withdrew a combined SLe 101,387 in disinvestment.
New borrowers reached us through market sensitisation, TikTok and referrals, with an 80% approval rate on vetted applicants. Thank you for staying with us.
The half-year at a glance.
Portfolio performance.
- JanSLe 82,000 · $3,644
- FebSLe 137,000 · $6,089
- MarSLe 31,000 · $1,378
- AprSLe 158,000 · $7,022
- MaySLe 325,060 · $14,447
- JunSLe 160,000 · $7,111
- JanSLe 72,840 · $3,237
- FebSLe 70,323 · $3,125
- MarSLe 111,992 · $4,977
- AprSLe 119,251 · $5,300
- MaySLe 156,336 · $6,948
- JunSLe 190,295 · $8,458
- Short-Term Emergency18%
- Small Individual12%
- Micro Individual49%
- Micro-Enterprise21%
- Market sensitisationGround outreach in Freetown markets — the highest-converting channel this half.
- TikTokShort-form content driving inbound applications from a younger borrower cohort.
- ReferralsExisting borrowers and lenders introducing new applicants.
Financial performance.
26 new investments totalling SLe 833,400 came into the book in H1 2026. SLe 45,700 in origination fees was generated Jan–Jun. Five lenders withdrew a combined SLe 101,387 in disinvestment. Expected repayment on the current book stands at SLe 1,110,653 — split 3% lender interest, 3% Community interest, 2% security deposit and 2% transaction fees.
Portfolio quality.
How we manage risk.
Loan assessment
Every application is scored on income, cashflow and existing obligations before it reaches an approver.
Credit scoring
A hybrid model — behavioural data, community referrals, verified income — built for the un-scored.
Guarantor verification
Two guarantors per loan, verified in-person or by video call before disbursement.
Business verification
For enterprise loans, our team visits the business and confirms operations and inventory.
KYC & identity
National ID, biometric checks and address verification for every borrower and lender.
Continuous monitoring
Repayment health, wallet flows and borrower contact are tracked daily.
Collections strategy
Graduated contact: reminders, restructures, then guarantor and formal recovery — humane, firm.
Fraud prevention
Device fingerprinting, velocity checks and manual review on every high-risk signal.
Business growth.
- January · 2026
Half-year opened at SLe 82k
First month of H1 2026 · SLe 82,000 disbursed across new emergency and individual loans.
- February · 2026
Disbursement scaled to SLe 137k
Onboarding accelerated across market sensitisation, TikTok and referrals.
- March · 2026
Consolidation month
SLe 31k disbursed while portfolio absorbed prior originations and recollections lifted to SLe 112k.
- April · 2026
Recollections crossed SLe 119k
SLe 158k disbursed. Underwriting held to an 80% approval rate on vetted applicants.
- May · 2026
Peak deployment · SLe 325k
Largest disbursement month of the half.
- June · 2026
Best recollection month yet
SLe 190,295 came back in — the sixth consecutive month of growth in repayments. SLe 160k disbursed.
Borrower impact.
"I heard about The Community through a friend. As a caterer who also runs her own shop, my loan helped me grow the business to meet rising customer demand."
Voices from the field.
Margaret manages day-to-day lender relationships — from onboarding and vetting through to payout.
The people behind the loans — operations, field officers, and lender relations working out of our Freetown office.
Doris heard about us through a friend. A caterer who also runs her own shop, her loan has helped her grow the business to meet rising customer demand.
Borrower analytics.
| Gender | Loans | % of Loans | Amount | % of Amount | Borrowers | Late / Defaulted | Default Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 16 | 19.5% | SLe 110,000 | 14.7% | 12 | 2 | 12.5% |
| Female | 66 | 80.5% | SLe 638,060 | 85.3% | 48 | 18 | 27.3% |
| Unspecified | 0 | 0.0% | SLe 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
Looking ahead.
Increase lending capacity
Grow deployable capital to meet verified borrower demand across the Western Area.
Enterprise SME tier
Introduce SLe 20–50k loans for established SMEs — same short-cycle duration, not 12-month terms.
Individual lender statements
Ship the personalised statement — return, exposure, and impact per lender, monthly.
Mobile app launch
Launch The Community app on the Play Store and App Store for lenders and borrowers.
Graduate from BSL sandbox
Complete the Bank of Sierra Leone regulatory sandbox and move into full licensing.
Grow lender network to 100
Scale from 27 active lenders to 100 through referrals and community outreach.
Institutional partnerships
Partnerships with other fintechs, financial institutions and government institutions.
Thank you for lending with us.
Every loan on The Community is a small act of belief in someone else's work. We do not take that lightly. See you next quarter — with more numbers, more stories, and the same commitment to telling you both.
Regulated by Bank of Sierra Leone