As Bloomberg reports - Kenyans are discovering that financial inclusion also comes with some risk. High borrowing rates from apps like Tala and others have caused one in 10 adults to default on digital loans with some people borrowing from one app to pay off another.
Patricia Lele is still hoping to repay Tala and clear her name. She hasn’t been selling many bracelets, but she still tracks when trucks arrive at the dump to discard the bright green Safaricom scratch cards that make the best material for her beads. Far from being upset at Tala, she says, she’d like to get new loans to send her children to school or to buy a small plot of land away from the dangers of Kipsongo. It bothers her that she didn’t get a chance to show Tala how thrifty and responsible she is. If only the app would have trusted her to make more affordable payments over more time, she’s sure she would have made them.