REGMIFA

What REGMIFA does

REGMIFA (Regional MSME Investment Fund for Sub-Saharan Africa) is a Luxembourg-domiciled blended-finance investment fund structured as a SICAV-SIF, established in 2010 to address the MSME financing gap in Sub-Saharan Africa. The fund provides debt financing in local currency to local financial institutions — primarily microfinance institutions (MFIs), local commercial banks, and other financial intermediaries — which in turn lend to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and low-to-middle income households. REGMIFA operates a parallel Technical Assistance (TA) Facility that delivers tailor-made institutional capacity-building to partner lending institutions, and the fund maintains a deliberate gender strategy targeting women entrepreneurs and women-led MSMEs.

The fund is managed by Symbiotics Asset Management SA (regulated by FINMA in Switzerland), which handles origination, due diligence, and portfolio monitoring across the Sub-Saharan African footprint. REGMIFA holds multiple sustainability credentials — SFDR Article 9 compliance, Luxflag MicroFinance label, 2X Certification for gender-smart investing, and Client Protection Pathway certification — positioning it to attract restricted EU institutional capital. Capital is sourced from a blended pool of public development finance institutions (FMO, KfW, OeEB, AFD, AECID, BMZ, EU, Luxembourg Ministry of Finance) and private impact investors (ASN Bank, GLS Bank).

Since inception, REGMIFA has mobilized over USD 700 million in financing to local financial institutions, reaching more than 2 million entrepreneurs and households across 27 African countries through 50+ partner institutions. The revenue model is asset-management driven: the fund earns interest income on its loan portfolio to financial intermediaries and generates risk-adjusted returns for investors. Distribution is exclusively B2B (fund-to-financial-institution), with no retail-facing products.

Name

REGMIFA

Legal name

Regional MSME Investment Fund for Sub-Saharan Africa S.A., SICAV-SIF

Website

https://regmifa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

REGMIFA is a Luxembourg-domiciled blended-finance investment fund (SICAV-SIF) that provides local-currency debt financing to microfinance institutions and local banks serving MSMEs and low-to-middle income households across 27 Sub-Saharan African countries, managed by Symbiotics SA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Development Finance / Impact Investment Fund

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADABAM

Development Finance, Guarantees & Blended Finance Programs

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Bilateral Development Agencies & Aid Programs

SECONDARYFSAGAFAG

Regulatory Reporting & Compliance Automation (FinCEN/CTR/SAR, EMIR/MiFID, etc.)

Financial & Insurance/Financial Technology (Fintech)/RegTech (Compliance, KYC/AML, Fraud, Identity)

Keywords

• Impact investment fund
• MSME debt financing
• Blended finance vehicle
• Microfinance lending
• Financial inclusion Africa

Headquarters

HQ city

Bertrange

HQ country

Luxembourg

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Debt Financing Returns: REGMIFA generates returns through providing debt financing (loans) to microfinance institutions and local banks. The fund earns interest income on its loan portfolio and generates returns for investors through the blended finance structure combining public and private capital.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

REGMIFA is a blended finance investment fund (SICAV-SIF) domiciled in Luxembourg that provides local-currency debt financing to microfinance institutions, local commercial banks, and other financial intermediaries across Sub-Saharan Africa. These partner institutions then on-lend to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and low-to-middle income households. A parallel Technical Assistance Facility delivers tailor-made technical and institution-building support to partner institutions to enhance developmental outcomes.

Product overview

REGMIFA is a blended finance investment fund (SICAV-SIF, Luxembourg-based) that provides debt financing to financial institutions serving micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and low-to-middle income households across Sub-Saharan Africa. The fund operates through two integrated offerings: the core Investment Fund which provides debt financing to microfinance institutions and local banks, and the Technical Assistance Facility which provides tailored technical and institutional-building support to partner institutions to enhance their developmental impact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• REGMIFA Investment Fund Core Luxembourg SICAV-SIF investment fund that provides local-currency debt financing to microfinance institutions, local commercial banks, and other financial intermediaries serving MSMEs and low-to-middle income households across Sub-Saharan Africa. Target customers are institutional investors and the 50+ partner financial institutions receiving on-lending.
• Technical Assistance Facility Parallel facility offering tailor-made technical and institution-building support to REGMIFA's partner financial institutions to enhance their capacity, sustainability, and developmental impact. Target users are the 50+ partner microfinance institutions and local banks receiving financing from the REGMIFA fund.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2 million entrepreneurs and households reached across Sub-Saharan Africa
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Symbiotics SAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSymbiotics SA is the investment manager of REGMIFA, regulated by FINMA. Symbiotics is the leading market access platform for impact investing, having originated over 9,100 investments representing more than USD 11.6 billion for 655 companies in 99 countries since 2005.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BlueOrchard Finance: Swiss-based impact investment manager specializing in microfinance and SME debt funds across emerging markets. Most directly comparable to REGMIFA in mandate (microfinance/SME debt), investor base (DFIs, pensions), and blended-finance structure.
• responsAbility Investments: Zurich-based impact asset manager with microfinance, SME, and climate debt strategies across emerging/frontier markets. Closely comparable fund vehicle structure, target investees (MFIs, local banks), and impact mandate.
• Incofin Investment Management: Belgian impact investment manager focused on financial inclusion, with flagship microfinance and agri-SME debt funds. Directly comparable in fund structure (CVBA/SICAV analog), target investees (MFIs in developing markets), and inclusive-finance mandate.
• MicroVest: US-based impact investment firm managing microfinance and SME debt funds across frontier and emerging markets. Comparable in deploying debt capital to local financial institutions serving low-income borrowers and small businesses.

Broad incumbents

• Acumen: New York-based impact investor with debt and equity funds across Africa and South Asia. Comparable impact-investing mission and Africa focus, but more diversified across sectors and instruments than REGMIFA's microfinance debt focus.
• Triodos Investment Management: Dutch sustainable investment manager with emerging-markets and financial-inclusion debt strategies. Comparable in DFI-linked investor base and inclusive-finance mandate, but operates across multiple asset classes and geographies.

Emerging players

• Novastar Ventures: Africa-focused impact venture fund manager investing in early-stage consumer-facing businesses. Comparable in African impact mandate but operates via equity rather than debt and targets different end-beneficiaries.
• Calvert Impact Capital: US-based impact investing intermediary providing debt capital to financial institutions serving underserved communities. Comparable in intermediated debt model and impact mandate, though primarily North America-focused.

Others

• Symbiotics Asset Management: REGMIFA's appointed investment manager and broader impact investment platform (USD 11.6B+ originated). Ecosystem participant rather than competitor — provides origination, structuring, and management services.
• Proparco: French DFI subsidiary of AFD investing in African financial institutions and SMEs. Comparable investor in REGMIFA's partner universe and an alternative financing channel for the same end-beneficiaries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about REGMIFA