By Edmund Higenbottam, Managing Director, Verdant Capital, manager of the Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund Greater macro-economic volatility, as well as outright macro- economic headwinds, are likely to impact the asset allocations of both LPs and GPs for the balance of the decade. The early years of the 2020s, which were overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic and preceded armed conflict in Europe and sharp monetary policy changes in the US, saw a growth in the private credit asset class as a proportion of private capital in Africa, albeit from a low base. Will private credit continue to enjoy growth – both relative and absolute – in these […]
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Verdant Capital is a leading Pan-African investment bank and investment manager, specialising in private credit and private equity. Managing Director: Edmund Higenbottam It was established in 2013, and leverages its deep investment experience and enduring relationships to fuel fintech development across the African continent. It stays in close contact with investors and entrepreneurs via offices in Mauritius, South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Germany. Managing director Edmund Higenbottam is a Cambridge graduate who worked at Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley before moving to the African continent in 2008. He has expertise in microfinance and fintech, and is responsible for the Verdant Capital […]
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The financial ecosystem in Africa is reaching an exciting new phase of development, especially in terms of the provision of financial services for the underbanked and unbanked. Inclusive financial institutions (IFIs) focusing on this segment of the market, and rather than traditional banks, continue to be at the vanguard of financial inclusion. For the IFI sector to continue expanding, it must attract additional capital, which in turn requires commercial success. The 2010s was a period of rapid evolution in important technologies, including mobile wallets, mobile payments, and means of data acquisition and aggregation. The middle and latter parts of the decade […]
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During 2021 only eight Vintage I funds in Africa reached first close in the year. Looking at Vintage I funds is an interesting reference point for the direction of change in the market overall. It is consistent with a theme we have seen in the market over the last few years – the growth in the number of specialist fund managers – while certain of the traditional large cap generalist pan-African players have battled raising capital for their new vintages, or in one or two cases have left the market altogether. We have seen demand from limited partners, for […]
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