TriLinc Global Impact Fund has approved Scipion Capital to act as a sub-advisor on trade finance investment opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa, broadening its trade finance and term loan investment capabilities in the region.

Gloria Nelund, TriLinc’s CEO, said: “Partnering with Scipion represents a unique opportunity for TriLinc to further take advantage of the investment and impact opportunity that trade finance provides for growing SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

“Scipion’s positive reputation in the market, institutional quality approach to investing and portfolio management, and track record in the region are all key factors that will expand and deepen TriLinc’s Sub-Saharan Africa SME trade finance portfolio while generating competitive risk-adjusted returns and meaningful economic development impacts,” she added.

TriLinc is an impact investing fund that provides growth-stage loans and trade finance to established small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing economies where access to affordable capital is significantly limited.

TriLinc complements its global macroeconomic portfolio optimization and management with investment services from experienced sub-advisors that have solid track records in target asset classes and geographies, and ample access to high-quality investment pipeline.

Established in 2007, Scipion is a Sub-Saharan Africa-focused investment management firm that has deployed approximately $451m in trade finance transactions since its inception.

Headquartered in London, with an office in Geneva and investment team member presence in Botswana and South Africa, the firm focuses its investment strategy on managing a diversified portfolio of trade finance assets across multiple industries, geographies, and financing structures.

More specifically, Scipion’s emphasis on short duration and self-liquidating transactions is a cornerstone of its investment strategy and has translated into an attractive track record of risk-adjusted returns and a reputation as one of the leading trade finance managers in the region.

Scipion accomplishes its value proposition through the provision of short-term liquidity, usually with facility tenors of 120 days or less, to SMEs engaged in export and import-related transactions that would otherwise not have time-efficient access to finance from local financial institutions.

Furthermore, Scipion’s investments pursue strong collateral coverage profiles consisting of inventory and accounts receivables.

Nicolas Clavel, Co-Founder and CIO of Scipion, said: “We are excited about partnering with TriLinc as it provides us with the opportunity to work with a fund that has a successful track record in deploying US investor capital in Sub-Saharan SME trade finance transactions.”