Driving financial inclusion and innovation while unlocking new growth opportunities for SMEs across Africa.
Over the past forty years, Cim Finance has evolved into one of Mauritius’ most established non-bank financial institutions, serving 350,000 clients spanning consumer lending, SME finance, leasing, factoring, insurance agency services, credit cards, and payments. Accompanying customers through different stages of life, from young professionals taking their first financial steps to families seeking tailored solutions, the company continues to advance financial inclusion through innovation and accessibility.
“Our greatest differentiator is the proximity to our clients,” observes Group CEO Ambrish Maharahaje. “We have around one hundred counters across Mauritius, many operating beyond normal business hours, while also investing heavily in digital channels that allow clients to manage their accounts remotely.”
Cim Finance supports households and businesses while maintaining connections across key sectors. Building on this experience, the group is extending its impact beyond Mauritius through Loinette Capital, a specialist platform focused on financing high-potential SMEs across Sub-Saharan Africa. Unlike traditional lenders, Loinette combines asset-backed financing with after-sales support structures designed to preserve equipment value and maximize productivity. The company focuses on equipment-intensive sectors, including infrastructure, logistics, agriculture, and industrial services. “We are not simply a credit provider to SMEs who acquire machines; we also support the ecosystems that keep them working,” explains Loinette Capital CEO Derek Crandon.
Cim Finance was the first institution in Mauritius to issue and list a green bond and has developed a regulated green financing framework supporting investments in electric vehicles and solar energy projects. Alongside its sustainability leadership, the company is one of the few non-bank financial institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa to hold both Mastercard and Visa franchises for issuing and acquiring, enabling it to partner with banks to offer payment solutions. “We introduced the first Mastercard cashback card in Mauritius, and it has been very well received. Our ambition is to keep broadening our offerings beyond lending,” says Maharahaje.
For Crandon, the future of the sector lies in helping investors better understand African markets, asset performance, and opportunities where long-term value can be created. “Mauritius should evolve from being merely a gateway for capital into becoming a partner in performance and value creation.”
Download the full Mauritius report in PDF format here.
Address: c/r Edith Cavell & Mère Barthélemy Streets, Port-Louis, Mauritius
Website: www.cimfinance.mu