News

HAKKI GROUP secures ¥500 million loan from Shoko Chukin Bank

HAKKI GROUP has drawn a ¥500 million business expansion loan from The Shoko Chukin Bank. Proceeds will support vehicle finance growth across the Global South, new market expansion, and technology development.

HAKKI GROUP featured in Forbes JAPAN Impact special

Forbes JAPAN’s Impact Economy special highlighted HAKKI GROUP among the top three Impact Challenge of the Year winners, ahead of listed companies.

Excellence Award at Youth Co:Lab Japan Alumni Grand Prix 2025

HAKKI GROUP won an Excellence Award at the Youth Co:Lab Social Innovation Challenge Japan 2025 Alumni Grand Prix Demo Day, held at AWS Japan in Meguro, Tokyo.

HAKKI GROUP wins Impact Challenge of the Year 2025

HAKKI GROUP, Regional Fish, and Luup jointly won Impact Challenge of the Year 2025, organized by the Impact Startup Association and Forbes Japan.

Best Overseas Entrepreneur Award at Tokyo NBC Global Awards 2025

HAKKI GROUP (then HAKKI AFRICA) won the Best Overseas Entrepreneur Award at the Global Awards 2025 pitch hosted by the Tokyo New Business Conference.

HAKKI listed in Toyo Keizai “Amazing Ventures 100” 2025

HAKKI was selected for Toyo Keizai’s Amazing Ventures 100 2025 edition, marking the list’s 10th anniversary.

HAKKI publishes its first Impact Report (2025)

HAKKI released its first Impact Report, quantifying and qualifying the social, environmental, and economic effects of its business beyond financial metrics alone.

Featured on Globis Capital Partners podcast

CEO conversation with Globis Capital Partners’ Fukagawa on HAKKI’s Global South auto-loan ambitions after the Series C co-led by GCP.

Series C total reaches ¥2.71 billion

Following a ¥1.97 billion raise led jointly by SMBC Venture Capital and Global Brain, HAKKI completed an additional ¥738 million round (including debt) co-led by Globis Capital Partners, bringing Series C total funding to ¥2.71 billion. Cumulative funding since founding: ¥4.90 billion.

HAKKI AFRICA wins ICC Catapult Grand Prix in Fukuoka

HAKKI AFRICA won the Catapult Grand Prix pitch at ICC Summit FUKUOKA 2025, held on February 19, 2025 at Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk.

MoU with SMBC Venture Capital on social impact creation and measurement

HAKKI AFRICA signed a memorandum of understanding with SMBC Venture Capital on creating and measuring social impact in emerging markets — SMBC VC’s first impact investment MoU.

HAKKI AFRICA raises ¥1.97 billion in Series C first close

HAKKI AFRICA completed the first close of its Series C round, raising ¥1.97 billion with SMBC Venture Capital and Global Brain as joint lead investors. Cumulative funding since founding: ¥4.16 billion.

Series B total reaches ¥1.91 billion

HAKKI AFRICA completed a ¥320 million second close of its Series B round. Series B total funding is now ¥1.91 billion (including debt), and cumulative funding since founding is ¥2.18 billion.

Series B first close of ¥1.58 billion, including landmark bank lending for Africa

HAKKI raised ¥1.58 billion led by SBI Group. ¥1.0 billion came from commercial bank and non-bank lending — including what is believed to be the first case of a Japanese commercial bank financing on-lending to third parties in Africa by a Japanese startup.

Featured on TV Tokyo World Business Satellite (WBS)

HAKKI AFRICA was featured on WBS on May 3 as an example of Japanese startup expansion into Kenya, alongside Prime Minister Kishida’s visit.

30-minute NHK World documentary features HAKKI

NHK World’s Sharing the Future aired a 30-minute documentary featuring HAKKI.

Headquarters relocation to Shibaura, Minato-ku

Due to building demolition, HAKKI AFRICA relocated its headquarters from Nihonbashi Kakigara-cho to Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo.

Featured in The Asahi Shimbun morning edition

HAKKI AFRICA was featured in the March 22, 2023 morning edition of The Asahi Shimbun as a fintech company emerging from Africa.

Tokyo Financial Award: Green Finance Governor’s Special Prize

HAKKI AFRICA received the Green Finance Governor’s Special Prize, topping the ESG investment category of the Tokyo Financial Award, presented by Governor Yuriko Koike.

Featured in The Asahi Shimbun

HAKKI was introduced in an Asahi Shimbun page-4 article on African startups.

Featured on NHK “Ohayo Nippon” and International News 2022

NHK covered HAKKI’s business on BS “International News 2022” and on the “OhaBiz” segment of Ohayo Nippon.

Customer referral partnership with BE FORWARD

Cross-border used-car e-commerce operator BE FORWARD partnered with HAKKI AFRICA on customer referrals, enabling installment vehicle finance in Kenya with as little as 40% down.

HAKKI raises ¥220 million in Pre-Series A financing

HAKKI raised a total of ¥220 million through a combination of third-party allotment and debt from VCs, CVCs, and impact lenders including LaunchPad Fund, Saison Ventures, Monex Ventures, and Deepcore.

HAKKI wins category Grand Prix at SMBC Mirai 2021

HAKKI won a category Grand Prix at Mirai 2021, one of Japan’s largest incubation and acceleration programs jointly run by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Mirai Works.

HAKKI receives Special Jury Award at Keizaikai “Golden Egg 2021”

HAKKI received the Special Jury Award at the 11th Golden Egg Discovery Project, a next-generation venture award presented alongside the long-running Keizaikai Awards.

Business partnership with SBI Africa

SBI Africa and HAKKI AFRICA partnered to expand vehicle sales in Kenya and across Africa by combining inventory with emerging-market credit scoring and microfinance.

HAKKI AFRICA receives Japan SDGs Award (Minister for Foreign Affairs Award)

HAKKI AFRICA received the Deputy Chief of the SDGs Promotion Headquarters (Chief Cabinet Secretary and Minister for Foreign Affairs) Award at the Japan SDGs Award for outstanding contributions toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

HAKKI AFRICA wins Fintech Japan 2021 startup pitch battle

HAKKI AFRICA, which provides used-car microfinance in Africa, won 1st place in the Fintech Japan 2021 startup pitch battle.

Business alliance with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Karasawa Agricultural Machinery

Karasawa Agricultural Machinery, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines’ KiliMOL, and HAKKI AFRICA formed a business alliance to advance agricultural mechanization in Kenya through equipment supply, logistics, and finance.

4th place at IVS Launchpad Nasu 2021

HAKKI AFRICA finished 4th at IVS Launchpad Nasu 2021. Of 150 entrants, 14 companies reached the finals of one of Japan’s largest startup pitch contests.

HAKKI AFRICA wins Startup gogo pitch in Fukuoka

HAKKI AFRICA took 1st place at Startup gogo, Kyushu’s largest pitch event in Fukuoka, among about 150 companies from around the world including Nigeria and Chile.

Relocation of head office

HAKKI AFRICA relocated its registered head office from Kamakura, Kanagawa to Nihonbashi Kakigara-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo.

Selected again for METI’s Tobidase JAPAN (first two-time selectee)

HAKKI was selected a second time for Tobidase JAPAN — a first in the program’s history — to commercialize used-car finance for taxi drivers in Kenya using credit scoring.

Business partnership with leading used-car exporter SBT

HAKKI AFRICA partnered with SBT, a major Japanese vehicle exporter to Africa, and received funding support to strengthen supply of quality used cars for its Kenya microfinance business.

Selected for JICA × Deloitte Tohmatsu open innovation program

HAKKI was selected for a JICA open innovation program using digital technology in Africa, piloting low-risk finance for underserved farmers in Tanzania with proprietary credit scoring.

HAKKI AFRICA wins Plug and Play Award at FIN/SUM 2021

At FIN/SUM 2021, co-hosted by Nikkei and Japan’s Financial Services Agency, HAKKI AFRICA won the Plug and Play Award — one of only three awards given at the finals.

Selected as a priority support company by Kanagawa Prefecture

HAKKI AFRICA was selected for hands-on support under Kanagawa’s startup acceleration program to help scale its microfinance business in Kenya.

Selected for METI’s Tobidase JAPAN 2021 (14 companies)

HAKKI was selected for Tobidase JAPAN 2021, organized by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, for a GPS-enabled used-car loan service specialized for taxi drivers.

Grand Prix win at Yume AWARD 10 pitch contest

HAKKI won the Grand Prix among six finalists at Yume AWARD 10, a social entrepreneurship pitch contest with hundreds of applicants, held online for the first time.

Launch of asset finance in Kenya

HAKKI AFRICA expanded its Kenya microfinance business to logistics operators and individual taxi drivers, launching vehicle purchase finance products this month.

Notice of financing through third-party allotment

HAKKI AFRICA raised capital via a third-party allotment from Samurai Incubate, Fals, and Daisuke Yanagisawa to strengthen microfinance lending capacity for small businesses in Kenya (amount undisclosed).

Public notice of record date for stock split

HAKKI AFRICA set March 25, 2020 as the record date for a 10-for-1 stock split for shareholders of record as of 0:00 on that date.

Company name change and appointment of new Representative Director

As of January 10, 2020, the company name changed from Izan Zoukai Inc. to HAKKI AFRICA Inc. Koji Tokida stepped down as Representative Director and President, and Reiji Kobayashi assumed the role.

Company incorporation notice

Effective March 7, 2019, we began operating as a new company, Izan Zoukai Inc. Representative Director: Koji Tokida.