Skyro eyes MSME lending push

By Edg Adrian A. Eva, Reporter

SKYRO LENDING, INC. is weighing an expansion into working capital lending for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in the Philippines, aiming to support inventory financing and short-term growth needs among smaller firms that often face tight funding conditions.

Nasim Aliev, Skyro Lending co-chief executive officer and co-founder, said the initiative is meant to help merchants scale operations during periods of stronger demand.

“For example, if you sell around P500,000 worth of mobile phone loans per month, and you want to increase that by 10% to 20% in a given month, we can provide additional funding of around P50,000 to P100,000,” Mr. Aliev said in a Microsoft Teams call.

The proposal focuses on bridging short-term liquidity gaps that arise when MSMEs increase inventory purchases from suppliers ahead of peak seasons. The structure is designed to link financing directly to sales activity, rather than long-term capital requirements.

The financial technology firm has yet to set a formal rollout timeline pending internal discussions. Mr. Aliev said the company is still aligning product design with market demand.

“There are definitely plans and discussions surrounding how Skyro can support MSMEs in the Philippines, and we are finalizing these details to ensure they align with the evolving needs of Filipino businesses,” he said.

Working capital lending forms one of two directions under consideration to deepen Skyro’s exposure to the MSME segment, which accounts for more than half of its roughly 100,000 monthly loans sold, according to the co-founder. The second direction involves continued offering of product installment loans tailored for business use.

Those installment products can be distributed through agents or directly through enterprises, with commission structures available to participating partners.

Skyro said the model lets small retailers extend financing options to customers while retaining additional income streams.

Skyro operates a consumer-focused lending platform that includes Skyro Product Loans, which provide instalment-based financing for purchases; Skyro Credit, a digital credit line used for scan-to-pay transactions; and Skyro Cash, a short-term cash loan product with fast approval.

In recent months, the company reported a 10% to 15% increase in cash loan applications, which it linked partly to the war in the Middle East. Borrowers cited daily expenses and business-related needs as primary drivers of demand.

Despite the rise in application volumes, Skyro said it has not observed a significant change in how customers deploy borrowed funds, suggesting stable usage patterns across its loan portfolio.

The company said it maintains interest rates of 0% to 7% as part of its effort to manage affordability risks. Customers can also adjust repayment schedules through its Flexi feature, which allows changes to payment dates via the mobile app.

“Skyro provides breathing room for Filipinos to manage essential needs without compromising their overall financial health,” the company said in a statement.