Banyan Global is implementing the five-year, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)-funded Financial Inclusion Project to address systemic constraints for women-owned businesses, agribusinesses and smallholder farmers, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to access debt, equity and professional business services. The project leverages financial technology solutions and blended finance.

In Malawi (2022), Banyan Global led a design intervention to facilitate smallholder farmer’s access to commercially oriented, high-growth value chains. This work was part of MCC’s Compact with the Government of Malawi to leverage private sector investment into areas–such as rural roads and irrigation–that constrain agricultural growth. Banyan Global led field-based research and collaborative discussions with key stakeholders in designing a locally led quasi-equity finance mechanism to provide smallholder farmers with investments to upgrade their production for commercial markets. This work included an assessment of the local financial system and the use of digital finance. Field work explored how female-owned agri-businesses access financing and opportunities to expand new sources of finance. The final due diligence document provided an innovative, locally led solution to expand investment capital and debt financing to the agriculture sector through a blended finance solution.

In Indonesia (2022-2023), Banyan Global is supporting MCC to design a new finance and business advisory services project for MSMEs. The project is emphasizing support for growth-oriented, women-owned businesses.  Banyan Global is leading a due diligence effort to design a fee-for-service, locally led intervention to expand digital financial literacy; business acumen; access to new markets; and the provision of debt financing through a blended finance vehicle.

In 2022-2023, Banyan Global is assisting MCC’s Compact development with the Government of Sierra Leone. A series of assessments are taking place to explore interventions that will support the productive use of electricity in agriculture value chains to improve economic expansion, diversification, competitiveness, and green growth.  The Compact’s interventions will increase the productivity of agricultural value chains especially among commercial scale agro-processors, which is anticipated to create inclusive opportunities for income generation for different segments of the population, notably youth and women. Banyan Global’s financial inclusion team is participating in an agricultural value chain financing assessment to design a new blended finance intervention to facilitate agro-processors’ access to financial services.

In 2023, Banyan Global is assisting MCC in its Compact partnership development with the Government of Nepal to advance economic growth and reduce poverty. The Electricity Transmission Project (ETP) is a component of the Nepal Compact aimed to increase domestic electricity consumption by improving availability and reliability of electricity in Nepal’s national grid and to improve cross border distribution and trade of electricity in Nuwakot, Tanahu, and Nawalparasi districts. The project includes capacity building for businesses and citizens around the effective use of electricity.  Banyan Global is assisting MCC to design program inclusive interventions that support businesses to access financing and new technical skills.  Banyan Global also supports MCC to design and deliver market-oriented technical and soft skills for women and youth to access decent employment.

Contact Information: For more information on how our team might support you through this mechanism, please contact contactus@banyanglobal.com