Swiss Capacity Building Facility
Swiss Capacity Building Facility (SCBF) is a Zürich-based public-private development partnership founded in 2011 that provides catalytic finance (grants and impact-linked instruments) to support inclusive financial services for low-income populations, women, smallholder farmers, and MSMEs across 50 emerging-market countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Swiss Capacity Building Facility does
Swiss Capacity Building Facility (SCBF) is a public-private development partnership founded in 2011 and headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. It provides catalytic finance to support inclusive financial services for low-income populations, smallholder farmers, women, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in approximately 50 emerging-market countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America. SCBF operates three core funding instruments: Technical Assistance (TA) Grants (reimbursing capacity-building costs across Innovation/Product Upscale, Feasibility Studies, and Financial Education windows), Repayable Grants (capital that social enterprises repay upon reaching profitability or impact milestones), and Impact-linked Finance (disbursements conditional on achieving pre-agreed impact metrics). Since inception, SCBF has co-funded 225+ projects, reached 6.05 million low-income end-clients (60-68% women), and supports a network of 150+ financial sector partners and 71 technical assistance providers.
SCBF's business model is anchored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), which committed CHF 7.9 million in core funding for 2021-2024, with additional project funding from SDC divisions and partners including Swiss Re Foundation, AGFUND, Howden Foundation, and membership fees from 30+ public and private sector member organizations (including AXA, Roche, Novartis Foundation, MSD, and Blue Marble). The organization demonstrates a leverage ratio of CHF 1.59-1.80 of private/catalytic resources per CHF 1 of SDC core funding. SCBF does not develop proprietary technology but supports digital financial services and technology-enabled solutions delivered through partner financial institutions, microfinance organizations, insurance companies, NGOs, and mobile money platforms. The current CEO is Sitara Merchant, with Board representation from SDC (Diepak Elmer) and IFC (Patrick Luternauer).
Swiss Capacity Building Facility firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Swiss Capacity Building Facility
- Legal name
- Swiss Capacity Building Facility
- Website
- https://scbf.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Swiss Capacity Building Facility (SCBF) is a Zürich-based public-private development partnership founded in 2011 that provides catalytic finance (grants and impact-linked instruments) to support inclusive financial services for low-income populations, women, smallholder farmers, and MSMEs across 50 emerging-market countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Swiss Capacity Building Facility industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Development Finance and Inclusive Finance Funding
- NAICS
- Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111), International Affairs (9721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Development Finance & Blended Finance Facilities (BPADAOAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Private Sector & Blended Finance Arms (IFC-type) (BPADACAJ)
Keywords
Where Swiss Capacity Building Facility is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Swiss Capacity Building Facility business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Others, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Grant-based Funding: SCBF operates as a development partnership providing grant funding, repayable grants, and impact-linked finance to partners. They do not generate revenue from product sales but rather distribute funding from public and private sector donors to advance financial inclusion.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Swiss Capacity Building Facility product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Swiss Capacity Building Facility (SCBF) is a public-private development partnership that provides catalytic finance to support inclusive finance for low-income populations in emerging markets. It funds partner financial institutions and technical assistance providers through three instruments: Technical Assistance (TA) Grants, Repayable Grants, and Impact-linked Finance, enabling development of client-centered financial products such as savings, loans, insurance, and digital financial services.
Product overview
SCBF operates as a public-private development partnership providing catalytic finance through three distinct funding instruments: Technical Assistance (TA) Grants, Repayable Grants, and Impact-linked Finance. These instruments support the development and upscaling of client-centered financial products, channels, and services for low-income populations, particularly women, smallholder farmers, and MSMEs in emerging markets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Technical Assistance (TA) Grant TA Grants reimburse grantees for technical assistance provided for achieving targets set out for inclusive finance projects. Provided under three main windows: (i) Innovation and Product Upscale, (ii) Feasibility Studies, and (iii) Financial Education. Grants under Feasibility Studies and Financial Education windows are only available to SCBF Members.
- Repayable Grant (RG) Grants provided to social enterprises to support the scale-up of their inclusive finance solutions. The grantee is obligated to repay part or all of the grant when specified levels of profit, revenue, or investment leveraged are achieved as set out in the grant agreement.
- Impact-linked Finance (ILF) A financing instrument where disbursement of funds is conditional on the achievement of selected impact metrics. The more impact the social enterprise creates, the more reward it receives. Designed to bridge the pioneer gap for high-impact enterprises serving low-income markets.
Quantifiable outcome
- 6.05 million low-income clients reached with financial services
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Swiss Capacity Building Facility
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Swiss Capacity Building Facility technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Swiss Capacity Building Facility partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
27 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Integrated Sustainable Development Foundation (ISD Foundation)minorNewest member with distinctive approach to sustainable development, focusing on collaboration and building resilient and inclusive communities.
- NovartiscoreJoined as member bringing expertise in global health and innovative healthcare delivery models to support efforts improving access to quality healthcare.
- SME Finance ForumminorGlobal network managed by IFC bringing together financial institutions, development organisations, and fintechs to expand access to finance for SMEs.
- Habitat for HumanitycorePartnership to expand access to climate-resilient housing in Kenya's Lake Victoria region through integrated model combining finance, insurance, and early warning systems.
- Europa ReminorNewest member bringing expertise in climate and catastrophe insurance, including parametric solutions and advanced digital risk-modelling.
- Novartis FoundationcoreNon-profit organization based in Basel using analytics, data and AI to shift from reactive care to proactive health systems. Joined as 31st member to bridge health protection gap.
- MSD (Merck & Co., Inc.)coreGlobal biopharmaceutical company committed to improving health through discovery and development of medicines and vaccines. Joined as 32nd member to advance health financing innovation.
- Blue MarblecoreInsurtech with mission to create socially impactful, commercially viable inclusive insurance solutions. Co-owned by five insurance entities focusing on climate protection and personal insurance for underserved communities. Joined as 30th member.
- Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)minorLeading nonprofit dedicated to increasing the scale and effectiveness of impact investing.
- MPower VenturesminorClimate and fin-tech start-up providing small and medium-scale solar energy infrastructure in developing countries using B2B model combining hardware, software, and financing.
- RochecoreWorld's largest biotech company and global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. Joined as 29th member to advance healthcare access and financing solutions for low-income populations.
- AXA (AXA Emerging Customers)coreOne of the largest global insurers serving 105 million clients in 54 countries. AXA Emerging Customers addresses insurance needs of low-income to mass market segments. Joined as 27th member focusing on health services and agriculture insurance.
- BASE (Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy)minorSwiss foundation established in 2001 and Specialized Partner of UNEP. Develops innovative financial strategies for climate change solutions, renewable energies, and green finance.
- 1to4 FoundationminorSwiss non-profit organization providing vital seed capital and support to early stage social businesses in developing countries.
- ClarmondialminorSwiss investment advisory company focused on sustainable natural resource investments in emerging markets.
- iGravityminorAdvisory firm specialized in impact investment and innovative finance solutions connecting disruptive ideas, people, institutions and capital.
- SeedstarsminorEmerging market VC fund investing in high impact seed stage tech companies.
- CelsiusProminorGlobal leader in risk modelling, underwriting and administration of index-based risk management products for weather risk and natural catastrophes.
- Habitat for Humanity International AssociationminorNon-profit housing organization empowering people in poorest communities across 70+ countries, having helped more than 29 million people.
- VisionFund InternationalcoreMajor microfinance organization implementing savings-linked insurance projects in Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda with SCBF funding.
- World VisionminorPartner in VisionFund projects providing accident, sickness and health insurance for savings groups in Ghana and Malawi.
- MicroSave ConsultingminorConducts research and provides technical assistance on financial inclusion, digital finance, and customer engagement.
- AccionminorGlobal nonprofit advisory firm working to build inclusive financial systems, implementing digital transformation and microinsurance projects with SCBF funding.
- Allianz GhanaminorInsurance partner in health microinsurance projects in Ghana.
- SanlamAllianzminorInsurance partner in savings-linked health and life insurance projects in Rwanda.
- Women's World BankingminorPartner in health insurance projects for low-income women savers in Uganda and Senegal.
- FinEquity/CGAPminorGlobal community of researchers, practitioners, policymakers focused on empowering women through financial inclusion.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Swiss Capacity Building Facility competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- International Finance Corporation (IFC): IFC is the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group and runs blended finance and advisory operations globally, including the SME Finance Forum managed by IFC—an organization SCBF formally partners with. IFC's blended finance/impact-linked work is the closest institutional analog to SCBF's mandate.
- FMO (Netherlands Development Finance Company): FMO is a Dutch bilateral DFI that combines concessional capital, technical assistance, and blended finance to support inclusive finance and climate finance in emerging markets, mirroring SCBF's public-private blended grant toolkit across emerging economies.
- British International Investment (BII, formerly CDC Group): BII is the UK's development finance institution, deploying patient capital and technical assistance to inclusive finance and climate businesses in emerging markets; its blended advisory and grant-funded TA model is structurally similar to SCBF.
- IDB Invest: IDB Invest is the private-sector window of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, providing blended finance, advisory, and capacity-building for financial inclusion in Latin America and beyond—an institutional analog working the same pioneer-gap territory.
Emerging players
- Acumen: Acumen deploys patient capital and technical assistance to early-stage social enterprises serving low-income customers, directly addressing the 'pioneer gap' that SCBF targets—making it the closest mission-aligned nonprofit peer in the inclusive-finance space.
- BlueOrchard Finance: BlueOrchard is a Swiss-based impact investment manager pioneering microfinance and inclusive finance debt and advisory solutions, overlapping with SCBF on geography, target institutions, and the inclusive-insurance intersection (Blue Marble is a BlueOrchard investee).
- CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor): CGAP is a global partnership housed at the World Bank focused on financial inclusion research, standards, and advisory for poor households; it sits in the same policy-and-knowledge ecosystem as SCBF, supporting the partner FIs and TA providers SCBF funds.
- Root Capital: Root Capital is a nonprofit social enterprise lender providing capital and capacity building to smallholder agricultural businesses in Africa and Latin America, overlapping with SCBF's agriculture-and-smallholder-farmer focus and TA grant model.
Broad incumbents
- Mastercard Foundation: Mastercard Foundation runs large-scale financial inclusion and youth employment programs across Africa, deploying grant capital and technical assistance to partner institutions—operating at greater scale but with a mandate closely aligned to SCBF's.
Regional players
- Agence Française de Développement (AFD): AFD is France's bilateral development finance institution providing concessional finance, grants, and technical assistance across the same developing-country geographies as SCBF (notably francophone Africa), with a similar public-funded blended finance toolkit.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Swiss Capacity Building Facility social profiles
Digital presenceSwiss Capacity Building Facility financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Swiss Capacity Building Facility leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Swiss Capacity Building Facility funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Swiss Capacity Building Facility M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Swiss Capacity Building Facility
What does Swiss Capacity Building Facility do?
Swiss Capacity Building Facility (SCBF) is a public-private development partnership that provides catalytic finance to support inclusive finance for low-income populations in emerging markets. It funds partner financial institutions and technical assistance providers through three instruments: Technical Assistance (TA) Grants, Repayable Grants, and Impact-linked Finance, enabling development of client-centered financial products such as savings, loans, insurance, and digital financial services.
Is Swiss Capacity Building Facility a public or private company?
Swiss Capacity Building Facility is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Swiss Capacity Building Facility founded?
Swiss Capacity Building Facility was founded in 2011.
Where is Swiss Capacity Building Facility based?
Swiss Capacity Building Facility is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Swiss Capacity Building Facility make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant-based Funding.
Who are Swiss Capacity Building Facility's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are International Finance Corporation (IFC), FMO (Netherlands Development Finance Company), British International Investment (BII, formerly CDC Group) and IDB Invest. Emerging players are Acumen, BlueOrchard Finance, CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) and Root Capital. Mastercard Foundation is listed as a broad incumbent. Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is listed as a regional player.
Does Swiss Capacity Building Facility have an API?
No public API is recorded for Swiss Capacity Building Facility.
What industry is Swiss Capacity Building Facility in?
Swiss Capacity Building Facility's product category is Development Finance and Inclusive Finance Funding. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAOAD, Development Finance & Blended Finance Facilities, with a secondary code of BPADACAJ, Private Sector & Blended Finance Arms (IFC-type). Its NAICS code is 525 and its SIC code is 6111.