Technology · Fintech
Fintech
Mobile money, payments, digital wallets, and the rails moving money across Liberia.
16 stories matched from the TrueRate newsroom.
policy
The Man Who Holds Liberia's Interest Rates — And Why He's Not Moving Them
CBL Executive Governor Henry F. Saamoi has held the policy rate at 16.25% with a continued cautious tightening bias. Inflation is falling, reserves are at a 13-year high, and analysts say an easing cycle is overdue. So why is he waiting? TrueRate examines the calculus behind Liberia's most consequential monetary decision of 2026.
analysis
The CBL's Quiet Dilemma: Cut Rates Too Early and Inflation Returns. Wait Too Long and Growth Stalls.
With headline CPI at 10.2% and GDP growth accelerating to 4.3%, the Central Bank of Liberia faces the same tension that defines monetary policy everywhere — only with far fewer tools to manage it.
banking
UBA Liberia Opens a Dedicated SME Lending Desk. The Informal Economy Is Watching.
United Bank for Africa's Liberia subsidiary has launched a structured SME financing unit — but most of the businesses that need credit most don't have the documentation to qualify.
investing
Fintech Lender LiberCapital Closes a $4.2M Series A — Liberia's Largest Fintech Raise to Date
The Monrovia-based digital lender has secured funding from Partech Africa and two unnamed Liberian institutional co-investors, giving it runway to expand its merchant cash advance product to 5,000 borrowers by end-2026.
forex
How Hawala Networks Are Reshaping Liberia's Informal FX Market — and What the CBL Thinks of Them
An estimated $180M annually flows through informal money transfer operators in Liberia — more than triple the volume of formal bank remittances. The CBL wants to regulate them. The networks have other ideas.
analysis
Who Controls Liberia's Capital? A Map of Where the Investment Money Actually Flows
Foreign direct investment has been rising, but over 70% goes to two sectors — iron ore and rubber. Understanding that concentration reveals why Liberia's growth isn't being felt equally.
analysis
Liberia's Financial Inclusion Gap Is Closing — The Last Mile Is the Hardest
Mobile money penetration has crossed 40% of adults. Bank account ownership sits at 22%. The gap between those two numbers is where Liberia's financial system either succeeds or fails at reaching the people who need it most.
forex
Liberia's Currency Is Quietly Winning — Here's the Data Nobody's Talking About
The LRD has gained against the Ghanaian Cedi and Nigerian Naira for three consecutive months, backed by record CBL reserves and rising diaspora inflows. It's not making headlines in Lagos or Accra — but it should be.
policy
Liberia Just Digitised Its Civil Service Payroll. The Real Test Starts Now.
The government's mobile money salary initiative covers 38,000 civil servants. It's a bold move — but implementation gaps, patchy network coverage outside Monrovia, and agent liquidity shortfalls could undermine what should be a landmark reform.
economy
$680 Million and Rising: The Untold Economic Power of the Liberian Diaspora
Remittances to Liberia hit a record $680M in 2025 — more than the government's entire development budget. The US, UK, and Côte d'Ivoire lead the corridors. But the real story is how that money is being used, and what policies could make it work harder.
policy
West Africa's Cross-Border Payment Revolution Is Live — Liberia Has a Seat at the Table
The ECOWAS six-nation mobile money interoperability pilot went live this month. For Liberia, whose informal trade with Guinea and Sierra Leone runs into the hundreds of millions annually, the stakes couldn't be higher.
economy
Orange Money Just Crossed One Million Users. Now Comes the Hard Part.
The milestone took three years to reach. Sustaining it — and converting casual users into active financial participants — will take considerably more. A look at the competitive pressures, infrastructure gaps, and regulatory dynamics shaping Liberia's mobile money landscape.
policy
Liberia's Budget Is Under Pressure — and the Mid-Year Review Will Tell Us How Bad
Revenue shortfalls in customs and income tax collections are tracking below target. Three analysts tell TrueRate what to expect when the Finance Ministry tables its mid-year review — and which spending lines are most at risk of the axe.
policy
The CBL Just Upgraded Its Payment Infrastructure. Interbank Transactions Will Never Be the Same.
Settlement time cut from four hours to under 90 seconds. The RTGS overhaul is a quiet but consequential infrastructure upgrade — one that will lower friction for every financial institution in Liberia and accelerate the country's path to a cashless economy.
forex
Liberia's Foreign Reserves Hit a 13-Year High. The CBL Says It's No Accident.
At $642M, Liberia's gross reserves now cover 4.3 months of imports — the strongest buffer since 2013. Mining royalties, diaspora inflows, and IMF SDRs all played a role. But the more important question is what the CBL does with the breathing room.
economy
LiberBank Found 12,000 First-Time Borrowers Using an Algorithm. Here's How.
A partnership with a Nairobi-based fintech brought digital credit scoring to LiberBank — and unlocked a segment of the population that traditional underwriting would never have reached. The SME loan portfolio is up 40%. And it's just the beginning.