The combined financing gap for smallholder farmers and small agri businesses in developing economies exceeds US$ 270 billion.
More than ever smallholder farmers and small rural enterprises need access to affordable finance to maintain their livelihoods, to safeguard food security and to adapt to the negative effects of climate change. Many rural financial institutions are reluctant or incapable to provide the required financial services due to high operational costs, funding constraints and perceived high credit risk. With a combination of expert advisory services and low-cost digital tools we help to bridge that gap.
We are an ex-ING Bank social enterprise specialized in rural financial services. We support our clients to ease access to finance through a combination of tailored advisory and low-cost technology services, thereby accelerating rural financial inclusion. With our long-standing operational experience in banking and rural finance, we are intimately aware of the key hurdles and challenges rural financial institutions face. We support our clients to ease access to finance through a combination of tailored advisory and low-cost technology services, thereby accelerating rural financial inclusion. With our long-standing operational experience in banking, rural and agrifinance, we are intimately aware of the key hurdles and challenges rural financial institutions face.
Our clients and partners include private enterprises, financial institutions, impact investors, foundations and NGOs.
We are headquartered in Amsterdam and have offices in Indonesia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
We design & deliver solutions
to accelerate financial inclusion for smallholder farmers across landscapes and agricultural supply chains at scale.
We use our data-driven agri analytics
and operational banking experience to design less risky, scalable and sustainable loan profolios.
We create investment opportunities
for banks, microfinance institutions and (impact) investors, at a much lower cost.
Our Goal
To facilitate the mobilization of affordable capital for rural agriculture in emerging markets at scale.
What we do
Fundraising Advisory
We support financial institutions, agri enterprises and other rural lenders with raising funds to invest in smallholder farmers and rural enterprises, helping to sustainably grow their business.
Technical Assistance for Financial Institutions
We provide financial institutions with strategic, technical and management support to develop their capacity and capabilities to improve their commercial, operational, financial and sustainability performance in rural and agrifinance.
Technology Solutions
Through the LendXS technology platform we provide low-cost flexible digital tools to rural financial institutions which can be tailored to their individual needs. The LendXS services include digital data collection, loan origination & monitoring, credit & climate risk scoring, impact measurement and digital payment solutions. The modular set-up allows lenders to integrate the LendXS digital solutions seamlessly with their existing systems, enhancing operational efficiency and improving productivity and risk control.
Investment Origination Support
We develop bankable rural investment portfolios for lenders through Data2Deal, a step-by-step approach that accelerates rural access to finance.
See also the Data2Deal introduction video here
Technical Assistance under the EFSD Guarantee ‘NASIRA’
2024
Kenya
FACS provided technical assistance to improve I&M Bank’s MSME lending capacity under the Nasira Risk Sharing Facility. The project included reviewing the bank’s MSME strategy, products, and staff capacity; conducting market assessments and peer benchmarking; designing enhanced customer value propositions; and delivering training on best practices in MSME lending and risk management to support scalable and efficient loan distribution.
250
assignments in
40 Countries
…and counting
Our track record
Agroforestry Financial Feasibility Study and Market Survey
2024
Rwanda
In 2024, FACS entered Rwanda with a groundbreaking project to evaluate the financial feasibility of agroforestry models. Leveraging ADA's (Appui au Développement Autonome) pioneering work and the success of ADA-sponsored forestry pilots, FACS focused on co-developing a bankable investment case for scalable and replicable agroforestry systems. These systems offer significant potential for environmental transformation and present impactful opportunities for financial institutions to support smallholder farmers and cooperatives.
250
assignments in
40 Countries
…and counting
Our track record
Mobilizing more for Climate Project
2024
Ghana
In 2024, FACS partnered with Tropenbos Ghana to initiate a feasibility analysis aimed at pre-qualifying rural financial institutions capable of advancing financial inclusion and sustainable agriculture in Ghana's cocoa industry. Recognizing the critical need for well-funded and committed lenders, our efforts focus on equipping rural banks to manage smallholder loan portfolios effectively.
250
assignments in
40 Countries
…and counting
Our track record
Piloting access to finance for smallholder farmers in (Northern)
2024-2027
Uganda
In partnership with East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer (EWS-KT) and Centenary Bank, Financial Access (FACS) is spearheading an innovative project in Uganda's Lira region to enable 8,000 smallholder farmers to transition from subsistence to professional vegetable farming. This initiative combines targeted training in climate-smart farming practices, business planning, and financial literacy with the implementation of a digitized credit scoring system to facilitate access to finance.
250
assignments in
40 Countries
…and counting
Our track record
Climate Smart Landscape Finance Investment Case
2022 – 2023
Kenya
FACS is supporting the IKEA Foundation-funded Mount Kenya Sustainable Landscape and Livelihoods Program in partnership with Rainforest Alliance. Program targeting counties and communities around Mt. Kenya. The role FACS is to establish a pipeline of landscape-focused investment opportunities that attract a combination of public and private sector investors, leveraged with seed and grant funding from a dedicated fund co-managed by RA and IKEA Foundation. More specifically, FACS has carried out a detailed analysis of potential green investment opportunities linked to smallholder tea and coffee farmers, forest-dependent communities and water resource users’ associations in the Mt Kenya region.
250
assignments in
40 Countries
…and counting
Our track record
MSME Lending Capacity Building and Training
2023 - Ongoing
Kenya
In this NIRAS-led project FACS provides its banking and agricultural finance expertise to develop a non-financial services framework for Equity Bank’s agricultural lending department. The goals is to complement Equity Bank’s lending products offering with a suite of non-financial support & advisory services (NFS) and business development services (BDS) for agricultural MSMEs and entrepreneurs in Kenya
250
assignments in
40 Countries
…and counting
Our track record
Investor Matchmaking for Women and Youth-led SMEs
2023 – Ongoing
Malawi
FACS is supporting the USAID Malawi-funded Business Acceleration for Youth program, led by CIAT. The project aims to strengthen the resilience of youth and women-led enterprises including vulnerable households in Malawi through the delivery of Business Development Services creating growth-orientated, sustainable firms able to secure and effectively utilize investment for sustainable growth. As a key partner in the program, FACS is delivering expert advisory, financial analytics and fundraising support for promising youth and women-led enterprises in Malawi. FACS is thereby facilitating investor matching for Malawian SMEs across a diverse spectrum of economic sectors, from
250
assignments in
40 Countries
…and counting
Our track record
Climate Risk Contingent Credit Product Development (CLimBer)
2022 – Ongoing
Kenya Zambia
This program is a designed to develop and implement a climate-smart credit product specifically tailored to the needs of smallholder farmers in Kenya and Zambia.
FACS, in close partnership with CIAT, has conducted an extensive review of climate-related data and analytics in both countries to understand the challenges faced by smallholder farmers and to develop an innovative climate-smart, credit-enhanced lending product for smallholder farmers. The prototype credit product is developed in close partnership with partner financial institutions Agora Microfinance Zambia and ECLOF Kenya and are tailored to the agri value chains most at risk in relation to the geographic locations of the farms.
250
assignments in
40 Countries
…and counting
Our track record
IDH Cocoaperation Program
2023 – ongoing
Cote d’Ivore
Cocoaperation is an IDH-sponsored program that strives to empower 100,000 cocoa farming households across Côte d’Ivoire. The ultimate objective is to help these families narrow the gap between their earnings and the amount needed for a decent life. This will be achieved by enhancing their access to finance and delivering a range of tailored services to meet their requirements, which will ultimately contributre to a thriving, sustainable and equitable smallholder-led cocoa sector.
250
assignments in
40 Countries
…and counting
Our track record
Livestock Climate Smart Lending Scheme Program (LCSR)
2022 – 2023
Kenya
CIAT/ LCSR Livestock Kenya is a CIAT-led initiative aimed at the development of a digitral climate risk scoring tool for dairy and livestock which is integrated in the loan operations of rural financial institutions in Kenya. In the project FACS conducted an exhaustive review of climate-related data, enabling a deep understanding of the main climatic and weather-related challenges faced by dairy farmers in Kenya and an analysis of their loan performance after adopting the climate risk scoring tool.
250
assignments in
40 Countries
…and counting
We work with partners across the globe to build capacity, bridge the gap & accelerate financial inclusion
