News

Ritva Laukkanen: Privileged to be part of Finnfund’s transformation

Is this the new normal, asks Ritva Laukkanen, Finnfund’s former Chair of the Board of Directors, in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. After being part of a major transformation in recent years, Laukkanen believes that Finnfund is well positioned to face the crisis. How does it look like when looking back on those years […]

May 27, 2020

Impact study highlights the transformative nature of jobs in one of the poorest counties in Kenya

Creating and supporting decent jobs is Finnfund’s key objective. A study by Niras Kenya on Socio-Economic Impact of Lake Turkana Wind Power in Marsabit highlights the transformative nature of jobs in one of the poorest counties in Kenya. The study found that with a job at the company, employees’ incomes more than doubled to nearly EUR 900 […]

May 26, 2020

BOPA accelerates financial inclusion and female leadership in Asia

Access to financial services in developing countries is scarce, and it hampers the ability for people to improve their livelihood. Backed financially by Finnfund and IFU, BOPA is funding and developing microfinance institutions in Asia and has recently joined the 2X Challenge, a G7/DFI initiative to mobilise financing for women’s empowerment. Creating financial inclusion is […]

May 14, 2020

Finnfund invests 15 million US dollars to strengthen the agricultural supply chain in Africa

Finnfund is one of the investors in a syndicated loan to ETC Group (“ETG”). ETG has developed into a global player with a diverse portfolio of expertise across multiple industries, encompassing agricultural inputs, logistics, merchandising and processing, and supply chain optimization, with most of its footprint in Africa. ETG operates in 26 African countries and […]

May 11, 2020

Finnfund made a record number of investment commitments in 2019

In 2019, Finnfund made a record 29 investment decisions with a total value of 237 million euros. Our investment assets grew by 13% to 557 million euros. The investments focused on high-impact projects in low income countries, particularly in Africa, which is fully in line with Finnfund’s strategic goals. At the same time, we were […]

May 7, 2020

New members to Finnfund’s governing bodies

Finnfund’s Annual General Meeting held on 22 April appointed new members to the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board. The Board of Director’s new chairperson is independent development banking specialist Robert Wihtol. Mr Wihtol takes over from Ms. Ritva Laukkanen who served two full terms. The new vice chair of the Board is Deputy […]

April 22, 2020

Finnfund’s alignment with Operating Principles for Impact Management

Finnfund was one of the first signatories to the Operating Principles for Impact Management and still is the only Finnish company among its over 90 signatories. Principle 9 requires the signatories to publicly disclose their alignment with the Principles. Finnfund is pleased to disclose its statement for public scrutiny. From impact measurement to impact management […]

Finnfund invests in improving women’s access to critical health products in East Africa

Finnfund has decided to invest in Kasha, an e-commerce platform improving women’s access to genuine health, hygiene and self-care products in East Africa. The company sells menstrual care products, contraceptives, pharmaceuticals and a range of beauty products via its own platform, accessible through basic phones and a website and delivered to customers confidentially. Kasha aims […]

March 31, 2020

Nafoods in Vietnam accelerates production plans with a 5 million USD investment from Finnfund

Nafoods Group and Finnfund have signed a 6 year, 5 million USD senior secured loan facility. Nafoods will use the loan proceeds for a new value-added products processing facility at its Long An factory, including 150MT monthly processing capacity for soft dried sugar and non-sugar tropical fruits and up to an additional 150 MT production […]

Finnfund adapts its operations to protect staff and ensure continuity of business

Over the past weeks Finnfund has taken increasing measures to protect its staff and partners from the COVID-19 virus while securing the continuity of its business operations. We have limited all physical contacts to the very minimum and conduct our work and meetings online. As a responsible impact investor and development financier we have made […]

March 17, 2020