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Kenya’s Creatives Get KES 20M Financing Boost from NCBA, HEVA
Zero-security facility targets creative entrepreneurs with affordable, flexible financing to help businesses grow
Kenya’s creative entrepreneurs are set to gain greater access to financing after NCBA and HEVA Fund launched a KES 20 million facility tailored to the needs of the creative economy.
The Start-Up Incubator financing facility is the first product under the strategic partnership between the two organizations. It targets individuals and registered SMEs operating across the creative industry value chain.
The facility offers financing at a 9% interest rate, with repayment periods of up to six months. It also requires no security, making it more accessible to entrepreneurs who may have viable businesses but limited assets to pledge as collateral.
Financing designed around creatives
Unlike many traditional businesses, creative enterprises often work around projects, contracts and irregular income cycles. This can make conventional financing difficult to access.
The new facility seeks to address this gap by offering short-term financing that responds to the immediate needs of creative businesses.
Entrepreneurs can use the funding to meet business expenses, invest in new opportunities and strengthen their operations. The facility also comes with hassle-free insurance.
The launch builds on the wider partnership between NCBA and HEVA Fund, which aims to bring creative-sector financing into mainstream commercial banking. HEVA says it has spent more than a decade developing financial solutions for creative businesses across sectors including fashion, digital content, music, gaming, performing arts, film, crafts and live events.
NCBA backs creative enterprise
NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora said the new product demonstrates the bank’s commitment to helping creative entrepreneurs access capital and participate more fully in Kenya’s economic growth.
“We are excited to see this product come to life after months of collaboration with HEVA Fund,” Gachora said.
He added that the facility will help entrepreneurs turn ideas into sustainable businesses, create employment and contribute to the growth of Kenya’s creative economy.
Gachora also linked the initiative to NCBA’s Ubuntu strategy, which focuses on partnerships that unlock opportunities, build resilience and create lasting impact.
Kenya’s Creatives Get KES 20M Financing Boost from NCBA, HEVA
More financing options in the pipeline
The Start-Up Incubator facility is only the first of several products planned under the partnership.
Future solutions will include Event Financing, Invoice Discounting, LPO Financing and Working Capital Financing. Together, the products are expected to give creative businesses financing options that match different cash-flow needs and stages of growth.
The partnership uses a shared-risk financing approach. This allows NCBA and HEVA to combine their respective strengths when supporting creative businesses.
HEVA brings more than 12 years of experience investing in Africa’s creative industries, while NCBA provides commercial banking capabilities and a wider financial services infrastructure. HEVA says it has deployed KES 450 million to creative entrepreneurs and businesses in 2025, with plans to increase financing to KES 900 million by the end of 2026.
A new chapter for creative financing
HEVA Managing Partner Wakiuru Njuguna said the partnership reflects years of work to demonstrate that creative businesses can be commercially viable and investable.
She said the goal goes beyond financing individual businesses. It is also about developing a financial ecosystem that recognises the unique nature of creative enterprises and provides products that respond to their needs.
The partnership could therefore mark an important shift in how Kenya’s creative businesses access capital.
For entrepreneurs in music, film, fashion, digital content, gaming, events and other creative fields, access to financing can determine whether an idea remains an idea or becomes a viable business.
By combining HEVA’s sector expertise with NCBA’s banking capabilities, the two organizations are seeking to build a stronger bridge between Kenya’s creative talent and the capital needed to turn that talent into sustainable enterprises.
As Kenya’s creative economy continues to evolve, the KES 20 million facility offers entrepreneurs more than funding. It opens another door to formal financial services and the opportunity to build, scale and compete.
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