Articles by Brian Milder
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Guest Articles
Wednesday
May 19
2021Beyond Risk: How Addressing Transaction Costs Can Boost Lending to Agricultural SMEs in Africa
Providing loans to agricultural enterprises in East Africa can be a complicated task, with challenges ranging from higher origination costs to arduous journeys to conduct due diligence. As Brian Milder of Aceli Africa explains, that makes many lenders reluctant to serve these businesses — and this lack of capital is stunting the growth of local agri-SMEs. In this third article in a four-part series, he explores the barriers to financing in the industry – particularly the under-recognized role of high transaction costs in limiting capital flows – and shares how Aceli is addressing them.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
- Tags
- impact investing, lending
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Guest Articles
Tuesday
April 27
2021Elbow to Elbow: Convening Donors and Practitioners to Optimize Blended Finance for African Agriculture
Official development assistance isn't enough to bridge the SDG financing gap, or to unlock the growth and impact potential of African agricultural enterprises. Blended finance is often cited as a solution, but according to Brian Milder of Aceli Africa, it's falling short both in terms of impact and private capital mobilized. He explains the reasons for these limitations, and examines the perspectives of both donors and lenders to show how catalytic capital can be leveraged more effectively.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
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Guest Articles
Thursday
October 8
2020When the Economics Don’t Work: Realigning Capital Markets with Development Impact
Agricultural SMEs in Africa face a daunting finance gap, and as Brian Milder, founder and CEO at Aceli Africa points out, current lending approaches aren't enough to fill it. He explores Aceli's solution: taking blended finance a step further by creating a mechanism to align impact with financial sustainability for capital providers across the entire marketplace.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance, Investing