Verdant Capital (www.Verdant-Cap.com) is pleased to announce that it has acted as financial advisor and arranger of a USD 8 million senior unsecured debt funding for US Plus Limited (“UsPlus”), a fast-growing specialist small- and medium-sized enterprise (“SME”) financing firm based in South Africa. The investor in the transaction is the United States International Development Finance Corporation (“DFC”), an agency of the United States Government and a top development finance institution (“DFI”) globally. DFC adds to the list of UsPlus’ notable global impact investors.
The partnership with DFC comes due to UsPlus’ uniquely structured SME financing model, which sets it apart in the inclusive finance landscape. Moreover, the partnership furthers DFC’s contribution to the 2X Challenge under DFC’s 2X Women’s Initiative, its flagship gender lens investing program, which is a testament to UsPlus commitment to the economic empowerment of women, as reflected in the firm’s operations and selection of SME partners.
UsPlus was established in 2015, and it specialises in the provision of tailor-made working capital finance solutions to SMEs through the purchase of transferable instruments such as invoices, purchase orders and contracts issued by or to its SME clients. This convenient and cost-effective solution gives SMEs access to funding to manage working capital and maximise profits. The business is highly technology-enabled and is a lean, paperless operation led by an experienced management team with a total staff of 12 people. The operational setup is streamlined towards maximising the availability of funding to SMEs, meeting clients at their point of need, enhancing client service experience, and managing business risk.
To date, UsPlus has deployed over ZAR 3.8 billion (approx. USD 198 million) in working capital to SMEs. Its clients are actively engaged in over 25 industries that range from commonly funded sectors such as agriculture to less commonly funded but high-impact sectors such as local film production. UsPlus focuses on social, economic, and environmental impact and works with SMEs that contribute to the upliftment of black-owned enterprises, women-owned enterprises, rural enterprises, and employment creation in South Africa. UsPlus is guided by the International Finance Corporation’s Exclusion List and does not support businesses that operate within this exclusion list.
Verdant Capital is the sole advisor and arranger of UsPlus’ International debt capital raise and has a strong funding pipeline that will continue to support the business’s success.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Verdant Capital.
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About Verdant Capital:
Verdant Capital is a leading investment manager and investment bank specialising in the private capital markets and operating on a pan-African basis. Verdant Capital is the manager of the Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund.