Nedbank, Jumo bet on AI lending for the underbanked - Mutsa Chironga — Mutsa Chironga, managing executive for personal banking at Nedbank

Nedbank has partnered with fintech Jumo to launch a digital short-term lending product inside its Money App, the two companies said on Thursday, pitching the service at millions of South Africans underserved by traditional credit providers.

The product, branded Nedbank Quick Loans, lets clients apply through the app and receive funds in as little as five minutes, according to the bank.

Loans range from R500 to R50 000, with repayment terms from one to 12 months. The service is fully digital, requiring no branch visit and no uploaded documents.

Nedbank said it carries no monthly service fees and no bundled insurance — features it contrasted with conventional personal loans. It will be available to existing Nedbank clients at launch and extended to new clients soon after.

The lending decisions are powered by Jumo’s proprietary AI scoring engine, which the company said can approve credit in seconds and assess customers with limited or no credit bureau history.

Mutsa Chironga, managing executive for personal banking at Nedbank, said the platform assesses affordability in real time using “alternative financial data and predictive analytics”, allowing Nedbank to lend to consumers who may not fit traditional criteria, including self-employed people and those without conventional proof of income. Jumo, founded in 2015 and operational in eight African markets, said it has enabled the disbursement of more than US$10-billion in loans to date.

‘Sutainable ecosystem’

“In just five minutes, clients can apply on the Nedbank Money App, and have funds paid into their account, helping them access cash when they need it most,” said Chironga in a statement. He said the product is aimed at clients’ “smaller and short-term borrowing needs”.

Jumo CEO Paul Whelpton said the partnership will focus on building “an enabling and sustainable ecosystem”.

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Both companies described the launch as a financial inclusion play, citing an addressable market of more than 20 million South Africans. Jumo pointed to a 92.2% score in the independent Cerise + SPTF customer protection certification as evidence of its lending standards.