Finfind and Western Cape Government launch online fund-matching service to connect MSMEs with 300+ funders

Source: Supplied. Darlene Menzies, chief executive officer of Finfind and John Peters, chief director of Economic Enablement of Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

Through a free online fund-matching service available through the Department of Economic Development and Tourism’s website, businesses will be connected with finance options tailored to their needs. The initiative brings together more than 300 government, bank and private funders and over 600 funding products.

“This partnership creates an opportunity to help MSMEs across the Western Cape to find the right finance option and importantly, to get information about what the funder needs from them to qualify for the funding,” says Darlene Menzies, chief executive officer of Finfind. “Most entrepreneurs don’t know where to start when it comes to funding – they don’t know who the funders are or which finance products match their needs. The Western Cape government is addressing this challenge for this vital sector through our partnership”.

The funding gap

Funding data shows that more than 80% of businesses in the Western Cape that apply for finance have an annual turnover of less than R1m and are responsible for over 80% of full-time employment in the MSME sector, yet they are the most underserved. If we are serious about job creation, we must invest our efforts in supporting the businesses that are creating the jobs.

This data analysis was drawn from Finfind’s nationally representative dataset underpinning the SA MSME Access to Finance Report 2025, that was launched in partnership with the Department of Small Business Development, African Bank and Experian in 2025.

Key Western Cape funding demand-side insights include:

• 83.2% of MSMEs applying for funding in the province have a turnover of under R1m per annum. These formal business entities account for 83,1% of the permanent jobs in the Western Cape.
• 51,5 of MSMEs applying for funding are more than three years old.
• 52.2% have no collateral available.
• 65,3 % are not able to provide their latest annual financial statements, while
• 63.4% report having no formal accounting system - a key barrier to document-heavy requirements from bank and DFI lending models.

Making funding accessible

Under the agreement, the Department will place an “Apply for Funding" button on its website and route MSMEs to an easy onboarding journey towards the goal of being matched with a funder and accessing the information needed to ensure finance readiness.

The Finfind online platform, a proudly South African innovation, ensures that the business owner and company data for the funding applicant is verified with the Department of Home Affairs, and the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC).

Expanding finance access

The agreement also provides for departmental co-ordination of engagements between Finfind, the City of Cape Town, and the Western Cape’s five district municipalities, to extend access-to-finance enablement more broadly across province-wide government touchpoints.

According to Ivan Meyer, Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, the Western Cape Government remains committed to creating an enabling environment for MSME growth, with business support identified as one of his core portfolio priorities.

"Partnerships like this strengthen our ability to connect MSMEs with practical support that directly enables growth. By making a credible access-to-finance pathway available through the department’s digital channels, we are reducing barriers and helping more businesses take the next step towards funding and potential expansion."