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BIO - the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries
Investment Banking
Brussels, Brussels Region 24,578 followers
Investing in a Sustainable Future
About us
The mission of BIO is to support a strong private sector in developing and/or emerging countries, to enable them to gain access to growth and sustainable development with the aim of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. BIO invests directly in private sector projects and as such makes a structural contribution to the socio-economic growth of those host countries. Its mandate requires strict criteria in terms of geographical targets, financing tools and, above all, impact on development. In developing countries, the informal economy is proof of great dynamism; however access to long-term finance and capital, without which companies cannot grow, is limited or impossible for a large chunk of the population. In fact, the banking system is often unsuited to the needs of small entrepreneurs and does not allow the emergence of income-generating activities. Support for the private sector is therefore an essential link in the development cooperation chain, as it drives economic growth. By producing goods and services, local enterprises help improve the population’s living standards, accelerate technological developments and lower prices by stimulating competition and increasing the country’s tax base, which is essential for financing infrastructures, education and health. BIO's strategy focuses on the financial sector, enterprises and infrastructure projects, with three key objectives: optimising the development impact, supporting sustainable projects, and additionality.
- Website
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http://www.bio-invest.be
External link for BIO - the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries
- Industry
- Investment Banking
- Company size
- 51-200 employees
- Headquarters
- Brussels, Brussels Region
- Type
- Public Company
- Founded
- 2001
- Specialties
- Development Finance Institution (DFI) and Sustainable Development
Locations
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Primary
Boulevard Bischoffsheim 15
5th floor
Brussels, Brussels Region 1000, BE
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Regus XL, Corner of Dr. Crozet Street and Boulevard de la Republique
Abidjan, CI
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The Address, Muthangari Road, Off Waiyaki Way
Nairobi, KE
Employees at BIO - the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries
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Eric Van den Bosch
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Samira Bersoul
ESG Expert @ Durably | Managing Sustainable Growth - Chairwomen of the Board - D&I Champion - Sustainable Entrepreneur
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Tine Vlietinck
Chief Corporate Officer
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Olivier Toussaint
Private equity & VC investor in Emerging Markets | Advisor to entrepreneurs and companies
Updates
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We're #hiring a new Legal Counsel - Equity in Brussels, Brussels Region. Apply today or share this post with your network.
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Please welcome Alexis Botteldoorn, who joined the ICT team at BIO - the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries as our Network & System Administrator! Alexis is an IT administrator with nearly a decade of experience in technical support. Previously at Selor (now part of SPF BOSA), he honed his IT skills as a support agent before advancing his career. Beyond his professional expertise, Alexis is passionate about graphic arts, enjoys spicy culinary adventures, and finds relaxation in solving wooden puzzles. In his free time, he leverages his IT knowledge to innovate his home setup or simply relishes quality time with friends over food and games. A very warm welcome, Alexis. We look forward to working together! #TeamBelgium #oneteam
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BIO - the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries Welcomes New Regional Representative for #West Africa! We're thrilled to announce that Gilles Dosogne has been posted as the new Regional Representative for West Africa. Based in #Abidjan, Gilles will be instrumental in developing our investment pipeline and fostering strong relationships with local and regional partners. Gilles has joined BIO in 2019 and worked successively in the Portfolio and the Financial Institutions team, identifying, executing and monitoring projects, mainly in Asia. He was also a director at one of BIO's investees in Burundi. Gilles had previous expatriate experience in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the Belgian development agency #Enabel, as well as international experience at #Médecins Sans Frontières. After graduating from the University of Brussels (ULB) in Economics, he started his career in the investment banking division of Deutsche Bank . We'd also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Maximilien d'Harcourt for his outstanding five-year tenure. His dedication was crucial in establishing BIO's presence in West Africa. Join us in welcoming Gilles to the team! Learn more about BIO's local presence in Abidjan and #Nairobi: https://lnkd.in/eCaUV5VYµ Dorian L. Zohou #impactinvesting #developmentfinance
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BIO - the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries welcomed H.E. Chandana Weerasena, #Ambassador of the Republic of Sri Lanka to Belgium, the European Union, and Luxembourg to the offices of BIO to reinforce the bilateral ties between our countries, and to present the BIO investments is Sri Lanka. H.E. the ambassador presented the positive evolution of the economy of Sri Lanka, welcoming the support on BIO for the #sustainablegrowth of the country and presenting some concrete investment opportunities. BIO presented its investment in SDB bank, a Licensed Specialised Bank that provides financial facilities to the Sanasa Movement, an island-wide network of savings and credit cooperatives. SDB has been listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange since 2012 and has become a leading MSME bank in Sri Lanka over the last years. BIO recently signed a significant #technicalassistance agreement with SDB Bank to enhance the bank's capacity to empower traditionally unbankable farmers. This collaboration will integrate the cooperative sector, boosting Sri Lanka's agricultural sector and financial resilience. The initiative supports rural and low-income households by facilitating access to financial services. #SriLanka #Agriculture #FinancialInclusion #SDBBank #MSME
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BIO - the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries is happy to be part of a syndicate of nine impact investors who channel a USD 295 M loan into Access Bank Plc Nigeria. The deal was signed in The Hague on July 11th, 2024. Access Bank is Nigeria’s leading bank, committed to providing support to SMEs through funding, capacity building and networking opportunities. The funding will support underserved Small, and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) including those led by women and youth, providing access to working capital and supporting resilience as Nigeria faces its most severe economic crisis in a generation. This loan facility was arranged by FMO - Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. In addition to FMO, the syndication partners include BIO - the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries BIO, British International Investment , impact investor BlueOrchard Finance Ltd , Canada’s Development Finance Institution FinDev Canada , the Finnish development financier and impact investor Finnfund, the Norwegian development finance institution Norfund, social impact investor Oikocredit , and the Swedish development finance institution Swedfund International . There are nearly 40 million MSMEs in Nigeria, accounting for 86 percent of employment and contributing 50 percent to the GDP (Market Bite Nigeria 2022 by World Bank). Despite their importance to the Nigerian economy, many small businesses face challenges with accessing finance due to onerous collateral requirements, high interest rates and lack of formal credit history. The commitment from the nice syndication partners will help to expand Access Bank's capital reserves and provide much needed working capital and financing to Nigerian businesses across various sectors including agriculture. This will help to stimulate business growth, create more jobs and deepen financial inclusion in Nigeria, which is the most populous country in Africa. #developmentfinance #impactinvesting #MSME #Nigeria #financialinclusion Naweza Muhaya
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Happy to see that the BIO - the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries partnership with Mutual Trust Bank PLC (MTB) has been noted by the The Daily Star. BIO provided a USD 15 million loan to support their MSME & sustainable finance initiatives and to foster positive economic & environmental impact in Bangladesh. #banking #development #sustainability #Bangladesh #MSMEs #financialinclusion #genderequality Frédéric Vereecke Syed Mahbubur Rahman Federico Carraro #DFIs #impactfinance Learn more: BIO: https://www.bio-invest.be MTB: https://lnkd.in/ezZi3jx6 https://lnkd.in/gFJvqCCB
MTB secures $15m Belgian loan
thedailystar.net
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