Tala

Tala is one of the largest mobile lending platforms in emerging markets, having disbursed USD 3.4 billion to over 7 million customers across Kenya, Philippines, Mexico, and India. The company uses alternative data scoring including borrower mobility (cell tower movements), financial transactions (inferred from SMS messages), and social network signals (contact list size and diversity) to underwrite loans for customers without formal credit histories. In Kenya alone, Tala has approximately 3.5 million borrowers with average loan size of USD 36 for 28-day terms. A 2025 Harvard Business School study using Tala data found that even marginal borrowers experienced significant improvements in financial well-being after receiving loans.