Doshi Taps tabb Infrastructure to Unlock Bank-Backed Credit for SMEs

Doshi has entered into a strategic partnership with tabb, the fast-growing trade credit network connecting banks, suppliers, and small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve access to working capital across Kenya’s construction and hardware value chain.

The collaboration integrates Doshi, provider of steel, electrical, water, and hardware solutions, into tabb’s expanding supplier network, enabling thousands of SME customers to purchase inventory using bank-issued, interest-free revolving credit lines.

From neighborhood hardware stores to subcontractors handling large projects, SMEs can now access extended payment terms at the point of purchase, without disrupting suppliers’ cash flow.

The move seeks to break the long-standing cash-flow trap that has limited SMEs’ ability to buy in bulk, scale operations, and execute projects efficiently.

“For years, trade customers across the market have been constrained by limited working capital, holding back their ability to purchase in bulk, expand, and grow,” said Hemal, Director at Doshi.

We’re removing that constraint. We can now confidently say ‘yes’ to every customer and unlock faster growth right at the point of purchase.

Rewiring trade credit economics

Trade credit remains the lifeblood of B2B commerce, yet across Africa it has operated as a fragmented and inefficient system. Banks have struggled to profitably serve SMEs due to high risk and acquisition costs.

Suppliers have been forced to act as de-facto lenders, straining their balance sheets. SMEs, meanwhile, have been locked out of timely and affordable working capital.

tabb positions itself as the missing infrastructure layer. Rather than lending directly, the company provides standardized rails that allow banks to issue revolving credit lines that are instantly usable across a trusted network of suppliers.

“This partnership is a live blueprint for the future of trade on the continent,” said Mesh Alloys, Founder of tabb.

“Doshi’s move validates a massive need: SMEs finally get the purchasing power and extended payment terms to grow, suppliers get paid instantly, and banks can profitably serve small businesses at scale. This is the network effect that makes trade credit work.”

Under the tabb model, suppliers like Doshi offer a simple “Pay with tabb” option. SME buyers receive a single revolving credit line from partner banks, usable across the entire network.

Upon purchase, suppliers are paid promptly, while SMEs repay the bank over 30 to 90 days, interest-free.

Targeting a $350 billion gap

SMEs account for roughly 90 per cent of businesses on the continent and generate about 60 per cent of employment, yet they face an estimated $350 billion financing gap. tabb’s closed-loop network directly addresses this shortfall by enabling banks to deploy capital more efficiently, while ensuring suppliers are not burdened with delayed payments.

Kenya’s construction and hardware sector presents a particularly compelling entry point. Chronic working capital shortages have often left retailers under-stocked and subcontractors unable to mobilise quickly.

Timing the market

The partnership also reflects a broader shift in market readiness. Digital payment adoption, greater openness of bank APIs, and post-pandemic SME digitisation have created the conditions for embedded trade credit to scale.

Demand for customer credit has outpaced suppliers’ capacity to extend it precisely the gap tabb’s infrastructure is designed to fill.

Starting in Africa, where post-dated cheques still dominate B2B transactions, tabb is demonstrating how supplier discount arbitrage, network effects, and real-time payment rails can fundamentally change the economics of trade credit. Beyond construction materials, the company is eyeing sectors with acute working capital needs, including logistics, pharmaceuticals, and retail.

Building the rails for future commerce

tabb’s long-term ambition is to make access to trade credit as seamless as payments themselves — instant, embedded, and available wherever businesses operate.

Leading this vision is Mesh Alloys, a seasoned builder of market-transforming companies.

He is also the co-founder and chairman of Boya, a Y Combinator-backed all-in-one finance and banking platform for businesses, and a co-founder of Sendy.

His experience spans B2B commerce logistics and corporate card issuing, complemented by his role as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Enza Capital.

With Doshi now onboard, tabb takes a significant step toward scaling a new trade credit paradigm — one that aligns the incentives of banks, suppliers, and SMEs, and unlocks growth precisely where it has long been constrained.