By Peace Udugba
VeendHQ has announced that its AI-powered credit platform, Vida AI, recovered ₦69 million from a ₦172.5 million portfolio of loans that were more than 90 days overdue, demonstrating the growing role of technology in loan recovery and portfolio management.
The company said the pilot project achieved a 40 percent recovery rate on the delinquent loan portfolio, significantly outperforming traditional recovery benchmarks. According to VeendHQ, a five percent recovery rate on a similar loan book would have yielded approximately ₦8.6 million.
The development comes at a time when lenders face increasing pressure to improve recovery outcomes while managing the costs, reputational risks, and operational challenges associated with overdue loans. Industry stakeholders note that the challenge for many credit providers now extends beyond loan approval to effective repayment monitoring and recovery after disbursement.
VeendHQ stated that the pilot demonstrates how Vida AI can support lenders throughout the credit lifecycle, including repayment monitoring, collections, and recovery efforts.
Speaking on the development, VeendHQ Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Olufemi Olanipekun, said access to credit is only one aspect of lending.
“Credit access is only one side of lending. The bigger challenge for many lenders is what happens after disbursement. Vida AI helps lenders make smarter decisions across the credit lifecycle, from approval to repayment and recovery,” he said.
VeendHQ, a Nigerian fintech company focused on digital credit infrastructure, developed Vida AI as an artificial intelligence-powered platform for lenders, merchants, and financial institutions. The platform offers services including credit assessment, identity verification, repayment collections, and loan management.
The company said the recovery pilot positions Vida AI beyond loan origination, enabling lenders to improve repayment performance and manage overdue loan portfolios more effectively.
Delinquent loans continue to pose significant cash-flow challenges for lenders. Industry data shows that once loans remain unpaid for between 60 and 90 days, recovery efforts become increasingly difficult, costly, and unpredictable. Traditional recovery methods such as manual calls, recovery agents, and legal actions often increase operational expenses without substantially improving recovery rates.
According to VeendHQ, Vida AI’s recovery workflow allows lenders to upload overdue loan records, verify borrower information, assess repayment capacity, and initiate automated recovery actions. The company said this provides lenders with greater visibility after disbursement and enables recovery teams to prioritize overdue accounts more efficiently.
Olanipekun noted that effective recovery systems are essential for sustaining credit growth.
“If lenders cannot recover efficiently, they become more conservative with lending. That affects consumers, small businesses, and the wider credit market.
Better recovery infrastructure gives lenders more confidence to lend, manage risk, and keep credit flowing,” he said.
The company added that the recovery solution is particularly relevant for banks, microfinance institutions, digital lenders, cooperatives, and merchants managing loans that are between 60 and 180 days past due. VeendHQ also disclosed plans to further strengthen Vida AI’s recovery capabilities to help credit providers improve performance without relying solely on manual recovery methods.
“As lending expands across Nigeria and Africa, recovery infrastructure is becoming as critical as origination. Tools that improve both will define which lenders can scale sustainably,” Olanipekun added.
VeendHQ said the pilot reflects a broader shift within the credit industry, where approval speed alone is no longer sufficient. The company believes lenders will increasingly be judged by their ability to monitor repayments, recover overdue loans, and effectively manage portfolio risk over time.
