Britam Financial Holdings has recently approved an anchor investment in Tiserin Capital, Africa’s first south-south private equity fund. The investment is a breakthrough in the region’s financial markets highlighting the important role pension funds, insurance and other local investors can play in supporting long term investments in the region. We caught up with Kenneth Kaniu, Britam Asset Managers CEO, to learn more about the deal, the firm, and the needs and constraints of institutional investors in Kenya and East Africa.
According to Preqin, private capital dry powder has reached $2trn and is climbing. This means that a large amount of capital is committed by limited partners who are then called on, once an investment opportunity is identified, to provide capital for the purchasing of equity (sometimes mixed with debt). The trouble is that capital commitments continue to grow and are not being called on in what appears to be a sellers’ market.
In a region where only a minority of the population has access to a bank account and SMEs struggle to get financial help from traditional banks, Albert Alsina, CEO and Founder of Mediterrania Capital Partners, explains how the PE industry is becoming a catalyst for the African Fintech ecosystem’s development, enabling large-scale banking and supporting entrepreneurs and SMEs in their expansion plans.
On my first visit to Nigeria as I made my way around the city between meetings, I visited the Nigerian National Museum in Lagos. There were many interesting displays but two things stood out for me. Firstly, was that for some reason the museum had an infestation of mosquitoes that warmly welcomed us and the Black Mercedes in the centre.
Proparco, the French Development Finance Institution (DFI), has been active in Africa for over 40 years. The DFI has developed a comprehensive approach, with presence on the continent through six regional offices, covering its debt, guarantee and equity offerings. AGF’s Anna Lyudvig speaks with Jérémie Ceyrac, Head of Equity, Responsible Investments to learn more about financial products on offer, recent investments in Africa and African impact investment scene.
Mezzanine debt funds can be an attractive investment for investors looking to achieve regular cash distributions and potential high total returns, with low volatility and downside protections.
After careful consideration and analysis, the Franklin Templeton Investment Funds (FTIF) Board of directors decided to merge the FTIF Templeton Africa Fund into the $65.9m FTIF Templeton Frontier Markets Fund, effective February 15, 2019. Due to both funds sharing similar investment objectives and target investor profiles, the Board believes that this merger will offer economies of scale to existing shareholders.
The fundraising environment in the Southern African region remained rather challenging in 2018, mainly due to the economic and political environment. This resulted in the decrease in the amount of capital raised by the industry.
2018 saw a continuation of what has become a consistent theme of improvement in Africa’s capital markets, writes Hari Chaitanya, Head Investor Services Product Management, Transactional Products and Services, Standard Bank.
RisCura has launched a delegated investment solution for smaller pension funds in South Africa. David Potgieter, Head of Delegated Investment at RisCura, says that the new Delegated Investment service is aimed at reducing the burden of cost and administration as well as time constraints faced by many trustees.
EMPEA this week released its year-end Industry Statistics, which outlines the bottom line for private investment in emerging markets across the globe. AGF speaks with Jeff Schlapinski, Senior Director, Research, EMPEA, about African private capital fundraising in 2018, deal activity, fund strategies and more.
The exit environment for African private equity is much more robust and active than many realise. There is an active market both for selling and buying of assets and interests, according to Paul Boynton, CEO of Old Mutual Alternative Investments. “There are a growing number of exit routes across different sectors and countries, not just in the more mature South African market, he says.
Trade has driven much of Africa’s economic growth in recent decades. Yet a sizeable trade finance gap is restricting growth for SMEs. Chris Ash, Managing Director at ExWorks Capital, explains why only innovative finance can solve this impasse.
