African exporters gain access to digital trade finance as Ghana's Liquify secures $1.5M in funding for streamlining trade processes across the continent.
In a bid to address the liquidity constraints faced by African Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Ghanaian fintech startup Liquify has secured $1.5 million in seed equity funding. The funding will enable the company to further develop and expand its digital invoice financing platform, which is aimed at filling the trade finance gap in Africa.
Traditional trade finance solutions are known for their sluggishness and high costs, with an average of over 10 days and $10,000 per SME[1]. Liquify's platform, on the other hand, promises to cut both time and cost to a fraction, making financing accessible for smaller players, particularly in sectors such as agriculture and commodities[1].
Since its beta launch in late 2024, Liquify has processed over $4 million worth of transactions[2]. The company's primary clients are SME exporters in Ghana and Kenya trading with buyers in Europe and North America[2]. Liquify's platform automates everything from onboarding to Know Your Customer (KYC)/Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks to credit scoring, drastically reducing the time and cost to secure financing[2].
The funding round was led by Future Africa and included Launch Africa, 54 Collective, Digital Africa, Equitable Ventures, and angel investors[1][2]. Ghana-based impact lender Emerald Africa also provided a debt facility to boost Liquify's liquidity[2]. The goal of Liquify's platform is to help exporters turn unpaid invoices into same-day cash[2].
Nadya Yaremenko, co-founder and CEO of Liquify, stated that the seed round validates their vision and they are building a digital rails system for African trade[1]. Liquify aims to deepen relationships with global institutional investors to fund even more trade deals[1][2].
Africa's trade finance gap is estimated to be $120 billion annually[1][2]. By modernizing trade finance for African SMEs, Liquify is addressing a significant challenge that disproportionately affects these businesses[1][2]. The company plans to scale its operations across more African markets[2].
Liquify's platform uses AI for invoice financing[2]. Future plans for Liquify include expanding its engineering and product development teams to enhance its AI-powered risk and compliance capabilities, scaling its platform beyond Anglophone Africa into promising Francophone West African markets, continuing to grow its user base by targeting more SME exporters across the continent, and offering institutional investors a new asset class linked to real-world trade flows, enhancing investment diversification[1][2].
In conclusion, Liquify is positioning itself at the intersection of fintech, trade, and capital markets with a mission to unlock working capital for Africa’s dynamic SMEs, reducing reliance on traditional, risk-averse banking systems and fostering sustainable SME growth across the continent[1][2].
References: [1] TechCrunch. (2025, May 10). Ghanaian fintech startup Liquify raises $1.5M to modernize trade finance for African SMEs. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/10/ghanaian-fintech-startup-liquify-raises-1-5m-to-modernize-trade-finance-for-african-smes/ [2] Liquify. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved from https://www.liquify.co/about-us
The digital invoice financing platform developed by Liquify, a fintech startup based in Ghana, leverages technology to provide efficient and cost-effective trade finance solutions, targeting sectors like agriculture and commodities in Africa. By addressing the conventional trade finance issues plaguing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with high costs and delayed processes, Liquify aims to establish a significant footing at the intersection of fintech, trade, and capital markets, fostering sustainable growth for African SMEs.
