FMO - Dutch entrepreneurial development bank

We've just released our financial and impact figures for 2024 in our Annual Report, Stepping Up Together: https://lnkd.in/eEF9TWqf   Over the past year, we've achieved strong financial and impact results amidst a global landscape dominated by geopolitical tensions, high financing costs, and the increasing urgency to address climate change and inequality. We achieved a net profit of €297 million (2023: €65 million) and supported our customers with ~€3.8 billion in total new investments (2023: €2.7 billion), a record number we are proud of. At €15.5 billion (2023: €13.2 billion), our total committed portfolio grew significantly, driven by the appreciation of the USD against the Euro and an increase in investments.   While we are pleased with these results, we must acknowledge several concerning trends, including increased geopolitical turmoil, weakening institutional foundations, and the threat to global stability, all of which disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations. Combined with the withdrawal of major players from their climate and #ESG commitments, we believe it's paramount that financial institutions remain steadfast in advancing sustainable and inclusive investment strategies, something that's critical for fostering economic growth, reduced inequalities, and #climateaction.   At FMO, we strongly believe investing in access to (green) energy, food, and finance creates long-term value. We've been demonstrating this for over 50 years through profitable and impactful investments. By working together, we can create more opportunities in our markets, pave the way for Dutch trade opportunities, and build a more inclusive future for all.   Access our press release and 2024 Annual Report here: https://lnkd.in/eEF9TWqf

"We believe Africa can leap forward into smarter, more sustainable ways of feeding its people," says Elia Timotheo, founder of EA Foods, an #FMOVenturesProgram investee in an AgFunder interview: https://lnkd.in/dyh5KTRr EA Foods is a Tanzanian food logistics and distribution companyt hat leverages technology to optimize the fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain. They source produce from over 8,800 #smallholderfarmers and supply retailers, shops, restaurants, and other clients in larger cities. Through logistics, tech, and support, they're reducing food waste and improving famers' livelihoods, all while providing fresher and more affordable food. We're proud to support innovative business models in the agrifoodtech space that support farmers across the entire value chain, like EA Foods, through our Ventures Program and look forward to seeing where their journey will take them. Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/dyh5KTRr

We're excited to officially welcome Proparco as into the Africa Resilience Investment Accelerator (ARIA) as we expand into Guinea & Togo: https://lnkd.in/eNrJhHV4 ARIA is a joint #marketcreation initiative we began with British International Investment to support the long-term economic growth of underinvested African frontier markets. Market creation is a new flywheel in our investment approach where we aim to  develop unbankable opportunities into bankable projects, addressing the growing lack of available investment opportunities. Since 2021, ARIA has mobilized over USD 50 mln in capital for #frontiermarket businesses. This includes our recent investment in FPM,  a leading financial intermediary in the Democratic Republic of Congo that promotes financial inclusion in the country, where less than 10% of the population has a bank account and around 90% of MSMEs lack access to formal financial services. With the onboarding of Proparco as a funding partner and expansion of ARIA into #Guinea and #Togo, we'll be able to jointly deepen the pre-investment technical assistance we offer businesses and enhance broader ecosystem development activities. We look forward to building on our shared knowledge and networks to boost capital to frontier markets where it's most needed and build more resilient ecosystems. Read the full announcement here: https://lnkd.in/eNrJhHV4

What companies and projects does FMO invest in? We've just published our Monthly Transaction Overview so you can read more about which #projects we supported in April 2025. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/ejNNfR4B #ImpactInvesting #PioneerDevelopScale #DevelopmentFinance

We're pleased to see that the European DFIs - EDFI Renewable Energy Transition (EDFI RET) program has been signed! EDFI RET is a joint guarantee program created by EDFI Association members and the EDFI MC under EFSD+, which is the financing arm of the EU #GlobalGateway. It will support EDFIs and investors in addressing the ongoing energy access gap, de-risking equity and debt financing of the European DFIs to crowd in additional funding from public and private investors. We look forward to seeing this in action!

🌍 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐑 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 🌍   Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting the annual European DFIs - EDFI HR Networking Event in The Hague. Over two days, we welcomed HR professionals from across the EDFI network—including BII, BIO, COFIDES, DEG, IFU, Norfund, Swedfund International, and for the first time, FinDev Canada.   The event kicked off with a boat tour through The Hague and a dinner, and on Friday, we dove into key HR topics within the #developmentfinance sector: 🔹 Opening by our #HR Director Fyllia Mamoucha and the evolving role of HR in DFIs 🔹 Knowledge sharing and the potential of AI (led by our own Kaushik Roy) 🔹 Data sharing between DFI’s within GDPR boundaries (by Ewa Lubiejewska-Kemajou) 🔹 HR trends like pay equity, generational diversity, and performance management 🔹 Breakout sessions on Employee Value Propositions; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; and leadership development   We were also joined by David Kuijper, CEO of EDFI, who emphasized the importance of this network in connecting DFIs to talent and shared purpose. Overall, it was clear that collaboration is key to navigating shared challenges and driving innovation in our field.   A big thank you to all participants for your insights and engagement. We’re already looking forward to continuing these conversations next year, which will be hosted by Cofides in Madrid!

What barriers do financial institutions face in frontier markets and how can DFIs help overcome them? To answer some of these questions, the Africa Resilience Investment Accelerator (ARIA) asked Stefan Peuchen, one of our investment officers, to share some of his experiences and insights on this topic. ARIA is a joint #marketcreation initiative we started with British International Investment to address systemic barriers in African #frontiermarkets, with Proparco now supporting this initiative as well. Through the Foundations of Growth series, we share trends, lessons, challenges, and opportunities of investing in these markets to help DFIs and impact investors develop their investing strategies. For more information on the lessons learned from DFI activity, read this report: https://lnkd.in/ee4QbDYG

How are we investing in #frontiermarkets to develop opportunities into bankable projects through #marketcreation? https://lnkd.in/ejWyTQjz In Proparco's latest digital magazine edition, our Impact manager Andrew Shaw shares some thoughts. With just five years to reach the UN's SDGs, progress towards achieving them is lacking worldwide. Through our 2030 Strategy: Pioneer, Develop, Scale, we're aiming to maximize our impact towards achieving the SDGs, but that requires doing more of what we're already doing, or stepping up in other areas. Enter market creation, where we aim to develop unbankable opportunities into bankable projects. The end goal is to address the growing lack of investment opportunities and widening SDG gaps, which can eventually increase investment flows in frontier markets. Some of our initiatives targeting these end goals include NASIRA (set up with the European Commission and powered by Team Europe), which provides portfolio guarantees to financial institutions. There's also Africa Resilience Investment Accelerator (ARIA), which supports the long-term economic growth of underinvested African frontier markets. Through these programs--which require strong partnerships with other DFIs, impact investors, and Team Europe players--we can jointly address the lack of progress towards the UN SDGs and dearth of investment projects. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ejWyTQjz

"If you deny climate risks, you're shooting yourself in the financial foot." This was a key message on the financial imperative of addressing climate risks our CEO Michael Jongeneel mentioned in an interview with Change Inc. Despite global uncertainties, we achieved an (almost) record profit of €297 million in 2024. Michael explained that these results that there is a demand for the services we provides--and that it's possible to generate a solid profit as well. "It's not a double-digit return on equity, but it doesn’t have to be. We're independent organization that doesn't rely on annual government donations. And we can grow based on the profit we generate. At the same time, we take on more risk than others - that’s part of our mandate.” He also highlighted that €100 million of the 2024 profit came from core income (interest and dividends), while another €100 million resulted from foreign exchange gains on FMO’s U.S. dollar-denominated portfolio. Many of FMO’s investments go towards #climatemitigation, adaptation, and resilience. Michael also warned that ignoring climate risks isn't only environmentally irresponsible; it's financially shortsighted. A good example is the coffee sector. "If coffee farmers don’t make their plants resilient in time - and this also applies to cocoa, tea, and really the entire agri-sector - then as a farmer, you’ll eventually be out of business. And that affects the entire chain: suppliers, banks, everyone. The price for coffee is high already, you can see that in the supermarket. That's why we invest in the coffee sector to keep the farmers in business and keep coffee affordable and available in the long run.’’   Read the full interview (in Dutch) to find out why we believe scaling development finance has a strong business case: https://lnkd.in/eBTgn2rQ

We're investing in African entrepreneurs to provide private capital, driving sustainable and inclusive business growth: https://lnkd.in/eiVz7KnQ Alongside British International Investment, Swedfund International, and SIFEM - The Swiss Development Finance Institution, we're jointly committing USD 80 mln to BluePeak Private Capital Fund II to provide tailored growth capital to the continent's underserved mid-market segment. As businesses in this segment remain critically underfunded and often lack access to traditional financing, they're unable to meaningfully contribute to economic development through job creation or strengthening local value chains. Through the fund, flexible credit solutions will be provided to businesses in key economic sectors to increase scale and impact. The fund has further additionality due to its focus on #genderinclusion, and is therefore 2X Challenge-qualified. We're proud to have closely collaborated with our close partners in the EDFI consortium to provide private credit solutions for the market, and hope the success of our collaboration will serve as a signal to crowd in more private capital. Read the full announcement here: https://lnkd.in/eiVz7KnQ