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Second Annual VIDEO AFRICA by Verdant Capital

Verdant Capital is pleased to announce its second annual Video Africa virtual investor conference this coming March. The event responds to continuing travel limitations globally due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the resultant impact on cross-border investment flows. Responding to the same challenges last year, Verdant Capital held its inaugural Video Africa event over three days last May, arranging more than 150 one-on-one meetings with over 50 leading investors for eight of our selected clients with operations in seven countries across Africa. This year’s event will be held from March 2nd to the 4th, and like last year will connect […]

African Fintech Sector: Growing up with Covid

In the December 2020 issue of the Africa Global Funds magazine, Verdant Capital’s Edmund Higenbottam discussed the trends driving growth in the African fintech sector, including drivers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The well-documented themes for the success of African fintechs include the under-penetration of financial services, but also the nominally low income levels and low density of its populations. “Last-mile” fintech businesses such as Baxi in Nigeria, whereby tens of thousands of merchants and micro-entrepreneurs “double” as agents in Baxi’s national network as well as in its digital platform provide critical “last mile” solutions to these challenges. Furthermore, a well-trained and cost […]

Overcoming Trade Finance Barriers for African SMEs

In the December 2020, Verdant Capital’s Patrick Ball was a panelist in a session focused on overcoming trade barriers for African SMEs at the MFW4A’s Annual General Assembly. The session focused on the initiatives to facilitate trade finance in Africa, as well as the enabling potential arising from the advent of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities for African SMEs, notably new forms of finance building on supply chain links such as factoring that can increase their access to finance. Commenting on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on African trade […]