Verdant Capital, a Mauritius-based corporate finance firm, recently arranged USD 10 million in debt funding from US-based Lendable Asset Management for UsPlus, a South African funder of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This comes after UsPlus raised
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MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: IREDA Loans $4m to Husk Power Systems for 140 Solar Microgrids in Rural India
The India Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), a government entity, recently loaned INR 310 million (USD 4.2 million) to Husk Power Systems, an India-based supplier of small-scale electricity generation and distribution networks in rural India and Africa, to construct 140 solar microgrids in the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. IREDA is
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Planet42 of South Africa Raises $3.4m in Equity from Naspers, Expanding into Mexico
Planet42, a financier of vehicles that is based in South Africa, recently acquired USD 3.4 million in equity funding from Naspers Foundry, a unit of the global technology investor Naspers, which is also based in South Africa. Meanwhile, Planet42 is establishing its operations in
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Retail Capital Borrowing $10m from Triodos Investment Management for Advances to SMEs in South Africa
Retail Capital, a South African lender to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), recently raised ZAR 150 million (USD 10 million) in debt capital from Triodos Investment Management, a Dutch impact investor. Retail Capital issues collateral-free loans to retailers, in amounts based on their monthly cash flow. Since it was established in 2011, Retail Capital has served
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bridge Taxi Finance of South Africa Borrows $20m to Boost Leasing Services
Bridge Taxi Finance, which is based in South Africa, recently borrowed ZAR 300 million (USD 20 million) from a group of unidentified “international impact investors” to expand its leasing of minibus taxis with vehicles that are safer and less polluting. In addition to leasing vehicles, the firm provides
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFS Africa Acquiring Baxi to Expand Digital Payment Network for SMEs into Nigeria
Mobile Financial Solutions (MFS) Africa, a digital payments network based in South Africa, recently announced it will acquire Baxi, a platform facilitating online payments for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in underserved communities in Nigeria. Verdant Capital, a corporate finance firm that specializes in mergers and acquisitions,
SPECIAL REPORT: SIDI Credits the SAM Investors’ Fair with Seeding Partnerships with Emerging MFIs in Burundi, Ethiopia, Mozambique
During the SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance – African Microfinance Week in French) in October, the 2021 Investors’ Fair will build on the 2019 Investors’ Fair, during which 120 microfinance institutions (MFIs) and 24 investors met in over 500 “speed-dating” sessions to explore whether they might be compatible partners. Of the MFIs, which represented 24 countries, about half were for-profit firms, and about half were organized as cooperatives or NGOs.
At the 2019 event, Altemius Millinga, the Managing Director of Tanzania’s Yetu Microfinance Bank, told MicroCapital that the Investors’ Fair “was the best part of the SAM because I was able to interact with investors, while at the same time sharing experiences immediately with other MFIs. The SAM gave me the opportunity to meet investors and make several preliminary proposals on funding; it was surely worth the investment!”
FEFISOL, an Africa-focused fund launched by SIDI, has had a presence at all four of the SAM Investors’ Fairs to date, and its representatives will return this year. The CEO of SIDI, Dominique Lesaffre, reports that his institution has leveraged the Investors’ Fair not only to develop relationships with “successful institutions such as Centenary Bank in Uganda or Kafo Jiguinew in Mali – with their massive social-financial outreach – but also with emerging MFIs such as Microbanco Confiança of Mozambique, Ishaka of Burundi and Buusaa Gonofaa of Ethiopia.”
Edmund Higenbottam, the Managing Director of Verdant Capital, also
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FINCA DRC, Flash International Partner to Expand Mobile Access to Financial Services in Congo
FINCA Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a subsidiary of US-based FINCA Impact Finance, recently announced a partnership with Flash International, a DRC-based financial technology (fintech) company. FINCA customers will gain access to Flash App, Flash International’s mobile financial services platform, while Flash customers will
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Alpha Direct of Botswana Expands Insurance Service to Zambia, Plans Equity Raise
Botswana-based insurance underwriter Alpha Direct recently expanded its operations to Zambia under the name Alpha Insurtech Zambia. Alpha Insurtech is partnering with Zambia-based General Alliance Insurance to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: I&P Leads $8m Debt, Equity Funding Round for Zeepay to Expand Mobile Money Services in Africa
Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), a France-based investor in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in sub-Saharan Africa, recently led a funding round for Zeepay, a financial technology (fintech) company with offices in Ghana and the UK, to expand Zeepay’s digital wallet services to more countries in Africa. The funding round comprises USD 3 million in equity from I&P, USD 800,000 in equity from Ark Holdings, USD 800,000 in
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Tugende Expands Leasing Products to Finance Boat Engines for Fishing in Uganda
Tugende, a technology-driven, lease-to-own firm, recently expanded its product portfolio to finance boat engines for informal workers in the fishing industry in Uganda. The company provides “financing for income-generating assets,” such as motorcycle taxis; associated resources, such as insurance and training; and digital profiles demonstrating
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Fintech Zeepay of Ghana Buys Controlling Stake in Mangwee Mobile Money of Zambia
The Ghana-based financial technology (fintech) company Zeepay recently bought a 51-percent stake in Zambia-based digital wallet and remittance platform Mangwee Mobile Money for an undisclosed price. Zeepay Managing Director Andrew Takyi-Appiah noted, “The acquisition… will give Zeepay access to Mozambique, Malawi, Angola and Namibia among others in our effort to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Rent-to-Own Car Financier Planet42 of South Africa Secures Final Tranche of $13m Debt, Equity Package
Planet42, a car financier in South Africa, recently secured the closing portion of a funding package arranged by Verdant Capital, an African financial advisory firm, totaling USD 13 million in debt and equity. The names of
SPECIAL REPORT: Digitizing Microfinance – Silver Lining of the Pandemic?
Ciprian 
Panturu of Belgium-based cooperative PHB Development opened a European Microfinance Week session on financial services providers (FSPs) moving toward digital services with a joke: “Who got the FSP to ‘go digital,’ the CEO, the CFO?” The answer, of course, is “COVID!”. Unlike before the pandemic, when FSPs were looking into digital services and clients were often unconvinced, Mr Panturu said, “Now there is a clear pull from the customer side.”
Jessica Schicks of the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO) agreed, “Client uptake has been a challenge in past. COVID is helping overcome digital literacy and trust issues.” However, she warned,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Motorcycle Leasing Company Tugende Raises $10m in Debt, Equity for Growth in Uganda, Kenya
Tugende, a company specializing in leases for motorcycle taxis known as boda-bodas, recently raised USD 10 million in debt and equity capital from a group of investors, bringing the size of the firm’s balance sheet to USD 30 million. The one investor that has been identified is Mobility 54,
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Retail Capital Raises $6.8m for Merchant Cash Advances to SMEs in South Africa
Retail Capital, a provider of cash advances and asset financing to small businesses in South Africa, recently signed on to a credit line of ZAR 110 million (USD 6.8 million) arranged from an unspecified international investor by Verdant Capital, a Mauritius-based corporate finance firm. Verdant Capital reports that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, about 90 percent of Retail Capital’s clients have been authorized to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Planet42, Financier of Used Vehicles for Unbanked in South Africa, Raises $2.6m in Equity
Planet42, a lender in South Africa formerly named CarGet, recently raised EUR 2.3 million (USD 2.6 million) in equity to expand its “rent-to-buy” service for used cars in South Africa. Neither the names of the investors – a mix of private and institutional entities – nor the sizes of their stakes have been released.
Planet42 serves “the financially excluded…people ignored by banks…due to overly strict lending criteria.” The firm manages risk through “an automated scoring algorithm and securing its assets [via] title deed, tracking technology [and] comprehensive and mechanical insurance.” Clients submit a monthly rental payment and are offered a buy-out price that declines over five years to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Motorcycle Taxi Leasing Company Tugende of Uganda Raises $13m, Looks to Expand Its Boda-boda Finance to Kenya
Uganda’s Tugende, which specializes in leases for motorcycle taxis known as boda-bodas, recently raised USD 13 million from undisclosed sources with the support of Verdant Capital. Of this total, USD 2 million has been disbursed so far. Tugende has 14,000 active leases and a loan book of USD 13.7 million as of September 2019, up four-fold since January 2018. Its 30-day portfolio-at-risk ratio remains below 1 percent, and Verdant calls the firm “robustly profitable.”
Tugende, which translates as “let’s go,” has 16 branches in Uganda and recently received a license to