BIO - the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries

We need to coordinate, collaborate, co-create... and communicate.   At Enabel’s roundtable on investment and innovation in food systems, our colleague Annina Göbel , together with Incofin Investment Management, Kampani and Alterfin, presented BIOs offer and discussed the key challenges that still limit entrepreneurs’ access to impact finance: limited access to financial institutions, mismatched ticket sizes, and the lack of sufficient concessional instruments.   But the conclusion was an optimistic one. Across the discussions of the day — including during BIO’s own event later on — one message kept coming back: ' We need to coordinate, collaborate and co‑create' and, as was added in the BIO panel session in the evening 'communicate'.   Successful examples already exist, such as Bio Phyto in Benin and the Fairtrade Access Fund–Starbucks partnership. By working more closely across the Belgian development impact finance ecosystem - and together with Enabel, NGOs, local partners — we can scale these solutions and unlock even greater impact.   Thanks to Steven Serneels for the tagline ;)

Last week marked the kick-off of BIO’s 25th anniversary celebrations, and what an inspiring start it was. Our event “From Cradle to Crib – How to Reinforce a Belgian Ecosystem Approach to Private Sector Development?” brought together over 100 colleagues, partners, and friends committed to building a stronger development finance ecosystem.   We were honored to welcome Minister Maxime Prévot, who delivered a powerful keynote and joined us for the signing of BIO’s €2 million investment in Kampani — reinforcing our joint commitment to supporting SMEs and smallholder farmers in Africa and Latin America.   The evening highlighted what true partnership looks like: 🔹 A mature, complementary Belgian ecosystem 🔹 Public and private actors working hand in hand 🔹 Impact-driven collaboration at every level 🎥 Here are some impressions from the event — thank you to everyone who joined us.   And this is just the beginning. We look forward to celebrating 25 years of BIO with you throughout the year! Video : Kamil Hammenecker SPF Affaires étrangères, Commerce extérieur et Coopération au Développement Enabel Ondernemers voor Ondernemers vzw Carole Maman Jelle Goossens Rikolto

Dit jaar vieren we met trots het 25-jarig bestaan van BIO, 25 jaar van duurzame groei financieren, ondernemers ondersteunen en inclusieve economieën opbouwen over de hele wereld.   Sinds haar oprichting is BIO uitgegroeid tot een belangrijke ontwikkelingsfinancieringsinstelling. Volgende mijlpalen zijn getuige van onze toewijding op lange termijn:   🌍 Investeren in bedrijven in Afrika, Azië, Latijns-Amerika en Europa 🤝 Samenwerken met lokale financiële instellingen en fondsen om ecosystemen te versterken 💡 Duizenden kmo's, coöperaties en micro-ondernemers ondersteunen 📈 Impact creëren op het vlak van financiële inclusie, waardig werk, landbouw en klimaatactie 🌱 Onze aanpak voortdurend bijsturen zodat impact, duurzaamheid en verantwoordelijkheid centraal staan in onze investeringen   Deze verjaardag draait vooral om mensen – onze partners, ondernemers, collega’s en stakeholders – die BIO in de afgelopen 25 jaar hebben gevormd tot wat we nu zijn. Als we vooruitkijken, blijft onze ambitie dezelfde: geduldig, verantwoord en met impact investeren en zo bijdragen aan een meer inclusieve en duurzame wereldeconomie.   Bedankt om deel uit te maken van deze reis. Op naar het volgende hoofdstuk. --- Cette année, nous sommes fiers de célébrer le 25e anniversaire de BIO. 25 ans passés à financer la croissance durable, à soutenir les entrepreneurs et à bâtir des économies inclusives à travers le monde. Depuis sa création, BIO est devenu une institution financière de développement majeure, avec des réalisations qui reflètent notre engagement à long terme : 🌍 Investir dans des entreprises en Afrique, en Asie, en Amérique latine et en Europe 🤝 Collaborer avec des institutions financières et des fonds locaux pour renforcer les écosystèmes 💡 Soutenir des milliers de PME, de coopératives et de micro-entrepreneurs 📈 Générer un impact dans les domaines de l'inclusion financière, du travail décent, de l'agriculture et de l'action climatique 🌱 Faire évoluer en permanence notre approche afin de placer l'impact, la durabilité et la responsabilité au cœur de nos investissements Cet anniversaire est avant tout consacré aux personnes – nos partenaires, entrepreneurs, collègues et parties prenantes – qui ont façonné BIO au cours des 25 dernières années. Pour l'avenir, notre ambition reste la même : investir avec patience, de manière responsable et avec un impact, afin de contribuer à une économie mondiale plus inclusive et durable. Merci de faire partie de cette aventure. En route vers le prochain chapitre.

Meer dan 30 jaar geleden kwam Gricha Safarian aan in Vietnam, in een tijd waarin investeren in chocolade economisch gezien weinig zin had. Vandaag is Puratos Grand-Place Indochina de grootste B2B-chocoladeproducent van het land, een pionier op het gebied van verticale integratie, lokale waardecreatie en duurzame cacaoproductie. Toen Puratos Grand Place klaar was om zijn productiecapaciteit in Vietnam uit te breiden, bleken de traditionele financieringsopties ontoereikend. BIO Invest kwam tussenbeide met geduldig kapitaal dat was afgestemd op de groeibehoeften van het bedrijf. Zo kon het nieuwe faciliteiten bouwen, innovatieve methoden invoeren voor de verwerking van cacao en de lokale waardecreatie vergroten.   “BIO heeft niet alleen een fase van onze ontwikkeling gefinancierd. Jullie hebben ons in staat gesteld om de volgende stap te zetten”, legt Gricha uit. Van een eerste uitbreidingslening van €650.000 tot verdere ondersteuning voor geavanceerde installaties voor het branden en malen van cacao. BIO speelde een sleutelrol in het traject van een klein familiebedrijf tot de grootste B2B-chocoladeproducent van Vietnam. Daarbij staan strenge ESG-normen en een langetermijnimpact centraal in de groeistrategie van het bedrijf. In ons recentste interview vertelt Gricha hoe een eerste ‘te kleine’ lening de basis vormde voor langdurige industriële groei: 🌱 Innovatie op het gebied van cacaofermentatie maakte van Vietnamese cacaobonen een concurrentievoordeel. 🤝 Een langdurige samenwerking hielp om ESG, governance en impact te verankeren in het hart van het bedrijf. 🚀 De bloeiende markt van Vietnam lanceert de volgende grote investeringsfase van Puratos Grand Place.  ----------- Il y a plus de 30 ans, Gricha Safarian arrivait au Vietnam, à une époque où investir dans le chocolat semblait improbable. Aujourd’hui, Puratos Grand-Place Indochina est le premier producteur de chocolat B2B du pays, pionnier de l’intégration verticale, de la valeur locale et d’une production durable. Quand l’entreprise a voulu se développer, les financements classiques n’ont pas suffi. BIO Invest est intervenu avec un capital patient, permettant de nouvelles installations, des méthodes innovantes et plus de valeur ajoutée locale. « BIO ne s’est pas contenté de financer une étape : ils nous ont permis d’avancer », souligne Gricha. Du premier prêt de 650 000 € au soutien pour des équipements avancés, BIO a accompagné la transformation d’une PME familiale en leader national, tout en renforçant les normes ESG et l’impact à long terme. Dans notre entretien, Gricha revient sur ce financement décisif : 🌱 L’innovation en fermentation a donné un avantage majeur aux fèves vietnamiennes. 🤝 Un partenariat durable a ancré l’ESG et la gouvernance au cœur de l’entreprise. 🚀 Le marché vietnamien en plein essor prépare la prochaine phase d’investissement. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eUyzhBt4

𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 Yesterday, we hosted our first event marking BIO’s 25th anniversary. Our kick-off event, “𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗯 – 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗮 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁？”, brought together over 100 colleagues, partners and friends from across the development finance community and beyond. We were honored to welcome Minister Maxime Prévot, who delivered an inspiring keynote speech and joined us for the signing ceremony of BIO’s €2 million investment in Kampani — a social impact fund supporting SMEs and smallholder farmers with patient, fit-for-purpose capital in Africa and Latin America. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝘈𝘵 𝘉𝘐𝘖, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘨𝘪𝘶𝘮’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 25 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 — 𝘱𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘒𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪 — 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 ‘𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨’ 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵.” — Joris Totté, CEO BIO “𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴.” — Wouter Vandersypen, CEO Kampani “𝘉𝘐𝘖’𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘒𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.” — Minister Maxime Prévot Below you’ll find some impressions from the event. We look forward to seeing you at the next one — we’ll be celebrating BIO’s 25 years all year long! 🍴 Africalicious 📷 Gabrielle Liefooghe

At BIO, we believe that impact goes beyond capital. That’s why, alongside our investment instruments, we provide 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 (TA) - a catalyst that helps businesses overcome challenges, adopt sustainable practices, and unlock their full potential.   In 2025, thanks to the Belgian cooperation budget, we supported 𝟭𝟯 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 with TA funding, each with its own story :   🌍 Building trust with communities: We helped EA Foods strengthen relationships with local stakeholders, ensuring long-term sustainability and reinforcing its role as a responsible corporate partner. With our grant, EAF carried out fieldwork, consultations, and developed a community engagement plan that will make a lasting difference.   🌱 Turning climate ambition into action: For Banco Azul de El Salvador, we are supporting the creation of a comprehensive 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆, laying the foundation to integrate climate risks and seize opportunities for sustainable financing.   🤝 Putting people at the center: With Alliance Finance Company PLC, we funded a SPI5 assessment to 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. The outcome? Better client satisfaction, higher retention, fewer complaints, and stronger brand recognition.   And it doesn’t stop there. We also back fund managers in their impact journey. This year, we committed USD 350k to the TA facility of Africa River Fund IV, enabling capacity-building projects for SMEs in Central and East Africa.   Technical Assistance is more than support—it’s about empowering people, building resilience, and creating lasting impact. More info about The Business Development Support Fund here : https://lnkd.in/e-FtsgfN Picture : EA Foods

A powerful milestone from our partner BRAC: 1 million clients reached across seven countries — one million journeys of resilience, entrepreneurship, and opportunity.   At BIO, we are proud to contribute to this impact through our recent loan to BRAC International, part of a broader financing round to help expand microfinance activities in Tanzania, while also strengthening operations in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.   Our partnership goes far beyond funding — it reflects a shared commitment to responsible financial inclusion, supporting women entrepreneurs in rural and hard‑to‑reach areas, and backing BRAC’s efforts to scale innovative, client‑centred financial services.   Seeing BRAC reach one million clients — with 97% reporting improved lives and increased confidence — reaffirms the power of inclusive finance to drive lasting change.   We are honoured to support an organisation turning opportunity into impact every day.   Read more about BIO's investment in BRAC : https://lnkd.in/eNerMNKW

Join us in welcoming Pancheri Bénédicte in the new position of Business Application Owner! Bénédicte has a degree in Digital Design and rounded out her skills by taking trainings in Web Development. That is how she started her career as developer for the Belgian Red Cross. She continued in this role until the covid pandemic hit and she decided to join an IT branch and train to become a Business Analyst and Functional Analyst. From there on, she had the opportunity to start working for digital agencies, but also in the consulting world. Outside of work, Bénédicte enjoys spending time with friends playing tabletop role-playing games and looking for new fun activities. Welcome to the team Bénédicte! #newcolleagues #oneteam

Impact Finance Belgium released 'Investing for a Better Tomorrow', their latest publication featuring 16 real-life Belgian case studies in sustainable and impact investing.   As member of IFB, we are proud that, Premier Energies Limited, supported by one of our SDG Frontier Fund investments, features in this report as an example of mobilizing capital for positive impact.   Premier Energies Limited, currently the second largest integrated manufacturer of solar modules & solar cells in India, provides end to-end solar power solutions mainly across India.   ⚠️𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱: Coal supplies about 45% of India’s power capacity, making it the world’s third‑largest greenhouse gas emitter. With electricity demand projected to grow 6.3% annually between 2025–27, driven by cooling and industrial use, grid strain is intensifying—underscoring the urgent need to diversify toward renewables and the critical role of national champions like Premier Energies in scaling clean power.   ⚒️𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱: With automated factories across Telangana and ongoing expansion, Premier Energies already produces enough high‑efficiency solar cells and modules to power millions of homes, with 12 modules ranked among the world’s best in 2023. Rapid growth in recent years culminated in a successful Q3 2023 IPO, reflecting strong market confidence in the company’s strategy and role in India’s clean energy transition.   Through the SDG Frontier Fund, BIO supports projects that contribute to maintaining biodiversity and the sustainable management of natural resources. In developing countries, where pressures on ecosystems are intensifying, BIO mainstreams actions to reduce nature loss and promote ecological sustainability across its clients and their broader value chains. These actions help local economies limit negative environmental impacts while unlocking efficiency gains and innovative business models, including circular economy approaches and the use of eco‑friendly inputs.     Read the report: https://bit.ly/3NrAs0h     #ImpactInvesting #SustainableFinance #FinanceForGood Maximilien d'Harcourt