According to global indicators, the Middle East and North Africa region suffers from the lowest rates of access to finance: Only 48% of all adults have access to a bank account*, compared to 98% in Europe. Yet financing is a key factor for economic growth, business development, and job creation.
The SANAD Fund for MSME invests in the ability of local financial institutions to provide much-needed funding to underserved target groups. By directing support to micro, small, and medium enterprises via qualified partners who share our goals, SANAD maintains and creates employment, reduces poverty, builds inclusive financial systems, and increases access to financing – including for housing, agriculture, and financial innovation.
* The World Bank, Global Financial Inclusion Data Set, 2017
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“Given the evolving, dynamic socio-economic landscape in Egypt, Arab-African International Bank was keen to empower disenfranchised segments and help advance inclusive growth. We took the initiative to serve microentrepreneurs together with SANAD by founding a new microfinance provider: Sandah for Business Finance. We see Sandah not only as a profitable venture but also as another pillar that supports the vision of financial inclusion.”
Nevine Aly Sabbour, Head of Business Strategies & Finance Group
Arab-African International Bank
SANAD’s strong framework enables investors to achieve development objectives
“GLS Bank is strongly aware of the economic obstacles the MENA region has to overcome. This is today more apparent than ever before when considering the political and societal instability of several countries in the region. Supporting economic stability and sustainable growth is a core value of GLS Bank, and we consider SANAD a good investment vehicle for investor engagement.”
Karsten Kührlings, Head of Investment Funds & Research
GLS Bank
The SANAD Fund for MSME is open to public and private donors, international financial institutions, and private investors. As a public-private partnership, SANAD is uniquely positioned to leverage donor funds and mobilize private capital that might otherwise not be attracted to the sector.
Current public investors and international financial instutitions include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the European Union, KfW Development Bank, Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank (OeEB), and the Dutch Development Bank FMO.
The funding provided by the European Union is part of the EU Initiative for Financial Inclusion: “The EU Initiative for Financial Inclusion is a comprehensive programme to help small and medium-sized businesses in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean regions to become more competitive and grow. Through finance and know-how, we are boosting development and creating jobs.”
Private investors include GLS Bank, Calvert Impact Capital, Hauck & Aufhäuser Fund Services, and Finance in Motion.
The SANAD Fund for MSME was initiated by KfW Development Bank in 2011 with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union.
In 2013, KfW joined the fund as an investor.
We strongly believe that supporting employment generation is of utmost importance to the Middle East and North Africa. When you invest with us, we place your capital to our partner institutions in the region, who lend hardworking people financial and technical support to build businesses, fostering employment and prosperity.
Finance in Motion, a leading impact asset manager based in Frankfurt, Germany, and exclusively focused on development finance, acts as the fund’s advisor.
Let’s create impact together.
Would you like to learn more about SANAD’s investment opportunities? Please fill out the form and we will get in touch: