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Missing the Exit: The Growing Need for New Exit Pathways in Agriculture Investing
Exits make the wheel of impact investing go around, enabling companies to sustain and grow their operations, while also allowing investors to recycle returned capital into other impactful solutions. But as Coco Lim at Acumen explains, right now that wheel is not turning — particularly in agriculture, which has the lowest ratio of exits to deals of any sector in Africa. She argues that this situation puts impact investors at a crossroads: They can stay the course and hope that big exits are around the corner, or they can build the necessary exit pathways themselves. She discusses the challenges of achieving exits in smallholder-focused agriculture, highlighting the limitations of current investing models and exploring some exit strategies that offer untapped opportunities for impact investors and businesses.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
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UK Offers $541 Million Loan to Brazil-led Tropical Forest Fund
"New Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who has focused even more tightly on easing domestic cost-of-living concerns since coming to power in July, has since said some of Britain's international climate contributions should be made in the form of loans, not grants."
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Latin America
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World Bank Group and Banco Consorcio Mobilize Financing to Expand Access to Housing and Create Jobs
The two institutions are strengthening their partnership to expand women’s access to mortgage lending, helping reduce Chile’s housing deficit and support the recovery of the construction sector, a key driver of employment and economic growth.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Latin America
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Small Foundation Commits Capital to AgDevCo Ventures for East African Agribusinesses
Managed by a dedicated team in Nairobi, the vehicle invests between $1 million and $3 million in companies operating in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Naran Secures $10 Million to Empower Gig Economy Drivers Across Emerging Markets
The company tackles a pervasive issue in emerging markets: gig economy workers often lack the credit history or steady, verifiable income required to secure traditional bank loans.
- Categories
- Finance, Transportation
- Region
- Global
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IFC Supports Expansion of Financing for Kenya’s Small Businesses through the First Catalytic First Loss Guarantee Transactions in Africa
The CFLG is an innovative program delivered under IFC's $4 billion MSME Platform, enabling IFC to provide first-loss coverage to partner financial institutions by leveraging blended finance through the International Development Association's Private Sector Window (IDA PSW).
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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KCB Bank Kenya and European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) Sign US$100 Million Facility to Expand SME Financing
Under the framework, 35 per cent of the facility will be directed towards women and youth-led enterprises, while 30 per cent will finance eligible green investments, enabling businesses to adopt climate-smart technologies and sustainable business practices.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Finance, Investing, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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When ‘Patient Capital’ isn’t Patient Enough: How Mismatched Funder Timelines in PAYGo Solar are Holding Back Energy Access in Africa
The energy access conversation in Africa is usually framed around deployment, with success defined by connection targets, cost reduction and rural reach. But Kolawole Osinowo at the FATE Institute argues that these goals don't address a binding constraint for companies working at the last mile: the time it takes for households to repay the solar assets they bought via PAYGo financing. As he explains, the PAYGo model spreads out payments for the benefit of the consumer, but it adds the cost of waiting to the provider’s balance sheet — and that cost later spreads to the company’s investors. And though much of the capital that supports energy access presents itself as patient, willing to wait for these PAYGo assets to be repaid, in practice, these investors often behave otherwise. He discusses the impacts of this mismatch, and explores how capital can be structured for better alignment with PAYGo timelines.
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