Koaloo.Fi and Stredge forge strategic partnership

Initiative to offer businesses sustainable supply chain solutions

Paris-based Koaloo.Fi, an award-winning fintech specialising in supply chain performance, sustainability, and financing solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Dubai and Colombo-based Stredge, recognised for its strong local presence and hands-on expertise supporting companies operating in complex and fast-evolving markets.

Koaloo.Fi helps corporates, financial institutions, and suppliers improve supply chain performance through data, AI-driven analytics, and financing solutions. Koaloo.Fi was named Fintech of the Year 2025 (Universwiftnet / L’AGEFI), ESG Fintech 100, and Most Innovative Fintech (Treasury Management International), and operates across EMEA and Asia-Pacific.

Stredge supports companies, both local and global, navigating complex markets with multiple-sector expertise, and hands-on advisory focused on transformation and growth, empowering people, optimising operations, accelerating with technology, strengthening financials, and leading responsibly.

The partnership brings together highly complementary strengths. Stredge has deep local market knowledge, operational expertise, and close relationships with corporates and their supply chains. When combined with Koaloo.FI’s advanced sustainability technology platform, powered by artificial intelligence and data analytics, the partnership enables companies to have robust risk management, gain immediate profitability and fund long-term resilience.

The partnership also addresses the demands of a rapidly changing global trade environment. Global supply chains are being fundamentally reshaped by geopolitical fragmentation, new tariff regimes, trade route reconfigurations, and increasing regulatory pressure for transparency. At the same time, companies face rising expectations around ESG performance, climate disclosures, and emerging carbon pricing mechanisms such as the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

Supply chains represent up to 90% of corporate ESG impact and around 40% of total profitability, yet remain structurally underfinanced, with an estimated $ 7 trillion global trade and supply chain finance gap. Addressing supplier performance, resilience, and access to liquidity has therefore become a strategic priority.

Together, Koaloo.Fi and Stredge aim to help companies go beyond compliance to improve cash flow, protect margins, and strengthen supply chain resilience in an increasingly volatile global environment.

Senior Consultant for Sustainability and Supply Chain Resilience, Prasanna Hettiarachchi is on board with Stredge, driving the sustainability pillar. He brings over three decades of hands-on leadership, strategy, and execution experience across corporate, industry, and national contexts.

Koaloo.Fi’s Co-founder and CEO Mallika Mathur Lheritier said: “This partnership reflects our shared conviction that supply chain transformation must deliver immediate economic value, not just long-term compliance. By combining Stredge’s local execution capabilities with Koaloo.Fi’s advanced technology and financing solutions, we enable companies to act faster, finance smarter, and build more resilient supply chains.”

 Stredge Consulting Middle East’s Director and CEO Chester Cruse said: “Our clients are seeking pragmatic solutions to today’s trade, cost, and regulatory challenges. Partnering with Koaloo.Fi allows us to complement our on-the-ground expertise with cutting-edge technology and innovative financing to deliver measurable impact across supply chains.”

Stredge Sri Lanka and Middle East Director Sumedha Wijesekera said: “The strategic partnership with Koaloo.Fi will play a major role in creating value in supply chain transformation for our clients in all the markets we operate.” 

The Dubai entity will lead the firm’s expansion strategy across UAE, GCC, Middle East, Africa, and Europe, while the Sri Lankan company will continue its focus on Asia, and be the strategic delivery partner, providing operational, analytical, and technical expertise that supports the firm’s international growth.

“This expansion marks an important inflection point for us,” says StrEdge Consulting Middle East Director and CEO Chester Cruse. Cruse, a former banker with over 25 years of experience across many markets, having held C-suite leadership roles, brings expertise in Transformation, Project Management, Governance, Risk, M&A, Operations and Shared Services. 

StrEdge Middle East is a management consulting firm that partners with financial institutions to achieve purposeful transformation. Headquartered in Dubai, with an operations, delivery and innovation hub in Sri Lanka, the firm operates across the UAE, GCC, Middle East, Africa, and Europe. It focuses on helping banks, insurance companies, and financial institutions transform with purpose—combining strategy, culture, process, and technology to achieve sustainable outcomes.

Client offerings of StrEdge Middle East are built around six key service pillars of Transformation and Growth, People Empowerment, Operation Optimisation, Acceleration of technology, Strengthening financials and Leading responsibility. 

“Our philosophy is simple—transformation must connect people, process, technology and purpose. We call this orchestrating value because it’s about creating synergy across every part of a financial institution to drive long-term value,” Cruse notes.

StrEdge, founded by Sumedha Wijesekera and Janaka Epasinghe, has been in the transformation consultancy business for nearly a decade. Today, they boast of a vibrant clientele, covering multiple industries and segments locally and globally. The key strength of the company being banking and finance transformation, the company has driven many successful transformation projects in Banking and Finance and NBFI’s. 

“We’re very proud of what started here at home. Our team continues to be the backbone of our delivery model—a source of expertise, research, and talent that now powers our global consulting ambitions. The Sri Lankan company remains an integral part of the Group’s structure, serving as the delivery and innovation hub. Our team of international experts who are on board with StrEdge Middle East, gives muscle to our strategy and operations,” says StrEdge Middle East and Sri Lanka Director Sumedha Wijesekera who is a former banker with over two decades of experience. He brings in expertise and leadership in Strategy Formation, Financial Valuation and Restructuring, Financing and Investment Strategies including Revenue Generation.

“Our expertise in Project Management and Change Management is one of our biggest strengths. Our vast experience in coaching and mentoring people has added immense value to all our transformation projects,” says StrEdge Middle East and Sri Lanka Director Janaka Epasinghe. A Certified Coach, Epasinghe brings in over 20 years of experience in the banking sector, specialising in Operations, Learning and Development. He is also experienced in driving large transformative projects across Operations, Human Resources, and Finance. 

StrEdge Middle East has strengthened its Dubai leadership team with a mix of regional and international experts. Adviser to the StrEdge Middle East Board, Hussain Al Hashmi brings in Board level experience, having held several Senior Leadership roles cross Financial Services industry, Consulting and Commercial Operations in UAE and GCC, and is a strategist on AI, Blockchain and Fintech. 

Senior Consultant Omar Tunio is an experienced Program Director, who has worked with McKinsey, PwC, Deloitte, Accenture, KPMG, and banks such as HSBC, Deutsche Bank and UBS Invest, while based in New York, Chicago, Paris, London and now Dubai. 

Senior Consultant Mohammad Al Balooshi brings 20+ years of experience in Banking and Finance, covering Operations, Investment Banking, Government relations, leading large Real Estate and Mortgage portfolios and driving Institutional relationships.