Frontier & Growth Markets
Africa | November 24, 2020
CrossBoundary Energy’s fund exit is a proof point for Africa’s commercial solar market – and catalytic capital
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 24 – An African solar energy fund that only five years ago appeared too risky even for impact investors has delivered, …
2030 Finance | November 24, 2020
Strengthening impact investing in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia with collaboration, local solutions and scale
For the first time in two decades, global extreme poverty is expected to rise. According to The World Bank, the COVID-19 pandemic will …
Africa | November 18, 2020
CDC adds $100 million to boost trade finance for the COVID recovery
ImpactAlpha, November 18 – To help restart cross-border commerce in emerging markets, U.K. development finance institution CDC Group is committing $100 million to …
Puno, Peru | Photo credit: Simon Mayer
ESG | November 18, 2020
Responsible restructurings: How impact investors can help emerging market businesses survive the ‘debt pandemic’
Impact investors may be missing an opportunity to restore sustainable emerging market growth and earn commercial returns by providing desperately needed restructuring support …
Frontier & Growth Markets | November 16, 2020
With billions as bait, development financiers seek to hook private investors on gender-lens investing
ImpactAlpha, November 16 – Private equity and venture capital fund managers have an added incentive to apply a “gender lens” in their investment …
Photo credit: BlueOrchard
Dealflow | November 10, 2020
BlueOrchard raises $140 million for COVID relief for emerging market small businesses
ImpactAlpha, November 10 – Not enough relief financing is getting to small businesses in emerging markets. Zurich-based impact investor BlueOrchard has raised $140 …
Africa | November 4, 2020
Post-pivots, African tech startups are peddling pandemic resilience
ImpactAlpha, November 4 – As Africa’s economies restart from COVID lockdowns, the businesses on the fastest path to recovery are tech startups helping …
Catalytic Capital | October 29, 2020
How a portfolio of inclusive businesses prioritized the poor through COVID
The spread of COVID-19 and the economic devastation in its wake have shown just how necessary for-profit approaches are to serving the poor …
Africa | October 29, 2020
Q&A with DPI’s Runa Alam: How Africa’s impact ventures became essential during Covid-19
As the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread around the world in early 2020, gloomy predictions about the coronavirus’s effects on Africa also made …
Dealflow | October 29, 2020
European impact investors launch $40 million emergency fund for smallholder farmers
ImpactAlpha, October 29 – Belgium-based impact investor Incofin estimates that COVID disruptions to the global food supply chain have cost each of the …
Africa | October 29, 2020
Non-bank lenders need capital to finance African small businesses rejected by banks
ImpactAlpha, October 29 – The clunky term “non-bank financial intermediaries” identifies a varied group of lenders only by what they are not. These …
Africa | October 21, 2020
Secha Capital reaches first close of second fund for early-stage enterprises in South Africa
ImpactAlpha, October 21 – Johannesburg-based Secha Capital launched its first fund in 2017 to prove the investment case for “boring” companies with solid …
Africa | October 19, 2020
Call No. 24: Agents of Impact converge on financing solutions to ‘light every clinic’
The people and principles needed to solve the challenges of financing solar power for frontline health clinics were represented on ImpactAlpha’s Agents of …
Africa | October 12, 2020
Tugende helps Uganda’s motorcycle taxi drivers survive the lockdown – and raises $6 million to grow again
ImpactAlpha, October 12 – It was looking like a stellar year for Tugende. The Kampala-based social lender, which finances the purchase of motorcycle …
Frontier & Growth Markets | October 5, 2020
Latin America’s micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises need working capital to survive and thrive
ImpactAlpha, October 5 – Latin America’s annual small business financing gap stood at $1 trillion even before the COVID crisis. Now, the pandemic …