Blended Knowledge by GuarantCo

Fixing the Grid: How Women Are Making Pakistan’s Energy Safer for All

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 23:01:00 GMT

The electrical grid in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, faces many challenges. Due to rapid, unplanned urban growth, widespread poverty and the system of overhead cables, people regularly steal power from the grid and electrocutions are common.

That’s why K-Electric has reinvented the way it deals with electrical safety. Through an inclusive and revolutionary programme, the 100-year-old energy company has trained the country’s first-ever female electricians – and the results have been astonishing.

In this episode, discover the true extent of the challenges facing Karachi’s electrical grid, from power theft to gang violence and fatalities. And learn how K-Electric’s Roshni Bajis have been providing help in ways that were impossible before they came along – saving the lives of women and children on a daily basis.

Hear from:

-Rizwan Ahmed, Corporate Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Head, K-Electric

-Sadia Dada, Chief Distribution and Marcomms Officer, K-Electric

Also hear about the part GuarantCo has played in bringing K-Electric’s vision to life, with Lois Davidson, Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Social.

Your host is Alison Hicks.

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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Partnering with financiers to help close the infrastructure funding gap

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 23:05:11 GMT

The infrastructure funding gap in emerging markets is huge, estimated annually to be up to $107.5 billion in Africa and $136 billion in Asia (excluding India). To meet that demand, banks and institutional investors are fundamental - that’s why they are the primary beneficiaries of GuarantCo’s credit solutions.

In this episode, learn how GuarantCo creates fruitful partnerships with financiers, to create lasting impact in emerging markets. How we’re able to use our solutions to help our partners turn unfeasible projects into achievable, actionable opportunities. Hear specific examples, from Madagascar to Togo, where GuarantCo has worked to de-risk projects and create better outcomes for people and planet. And learn about the benefits of our internationally credit-rated guarantees and how they allow more funding to flow into essential infrastructure projects.

Your hosts are Alison Hicks and Lucinda O’Gorman, and their guests are:

Surabhi Mathur Visser, Chief Investment Officer at GuarantCo
Nishant Kumar, Managing Director, Asia Investments
Tola Odukomaiya, Investment Director – North, West and Francophone Africa Lead

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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Mobilising capital for ESG projects through certified green bonds

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:20:59 GMT

Green bonds are one of the most attractive investment vehicles when it comes to sustainability, accounting for 54 percent of total sustainable issuances. So what makes them so effective, and why are they so suited for mobilising capital for environmental projects at scale?

In this episode we learn how green bonds diversify the investor base and contribute to a broader shift towards ESG goals. We learn about a number of GuarantCo’s green bond transactions that have made significant contributions to markets in Vietnam, Bangladesh and Cambodia. And we find out how PIDG Technical Assistance plays a critical role in supporting early-stage green transactions.

Your hosts are Marjolein van Kampen and Md. Shahinur Rahman and on the podcast are:

Dinh Ngoc Bao, Deputy Head of Treasury at EVNFinance
Subir Kumar Chowdhury, Chief Executive Officer at Runner Automobiles
Simon Perkins, Chief Executive Officer at Cellcard
Emilio Cattaneo, Head of PIDG Technical Assistance
Surabhi Mathur Visser, Chief Investment Officer at GuarantCo

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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Enhancing secondary market liquidity to increase infrastructure funding

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 12:00:02 GMT

Secondary markets are a vital part of bridging the infrastructure funding gap in emerging and frontier markets. Bond instruments often lock investors in for many years, but secondary markets add a layer of flexibility. By making it easier for market participants to buy and sell loans or bonds, we can ensure that money flows better to where it’s most needed.

In this episode we find out how secondary opportunities within capital markets deepen the pool of market participants, and how they have been implemented in a variety of projects. We learn about securitisations, an additional market mechanism used to enhance secondary market liquidity. And we find out why you can’t say you’ve fully developed a capital market until you’ve generated secondary liquidity.

Your hosts are Marjolein van Kampen and Hector Santos, and on the podcast are:

Layth Al-Falaki, CEO GuarantCo
Jonathan Neo, Associate Director GuarantCo
Bryan Woon, Head of Structuring and Distribution, Bayfront Infrastructure
Ala Ahmad, CEO MetLife Bangladesh

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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Replicability: The Key to Delivering Transactions Faster

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 23:05:24 GMT

New and innovative infrastructure projects take a long time to get off the ground, often 2 years or more. But with the pace of development required to improve the lives of people across Africa and Asia, those timescales aren’t feasible. So how do we provide this much-needed, sustainable infrastructure faster?

Replicability is the key. In this episode we explore how replicating an infrastructure deal can save time and increase trust and buy-in for future transactions. We learn about the many different ways a project can be replicated. And we hear the successes of companies that have partnered with and replicated deals alongside GuarantCo.

Your hosts are Marjolein van Kampen and Mo Massoud, and on the podcast are:

Layth Al-Falaki, CEO GuarantCo
Pierre Marouby, CEO GreenYellow Indian Ocean

Edward Kirathe, Founder and CEO Acorn Holdings

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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Institutional Investors Essential To Closing The Infrastructure Funding Gap

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 23:05:55 GMT

Institutional investors are essential to closing the infrastructure funding gap. But right now they contribute a tiny fraction of financing to infrastructure projects in low- and middle-income countries. So how do we change that? In this episode we explore how blended finance structures and guarantees can unlock this financing gap.

Your hosts are Marjolein van Kampen and Lucinda O’Gorman, and on the podcast are:

Nishant Kumar, Managing Director Asia, GuarantCo
Anh Nguyen, Client Relationship Manager, GuarantCo
Sophie Gaze, Senior Analyst, GuarantCo

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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A history of innovative credit solutions

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 14:00:27 GMT

Using innovative credit solutions has been in GuarantCo’s DNA since closing its first transaction in 2005. As we continue to pioneer, we are helping to boost capital market capabilities and accelerate much needed development impact for the people who need it most. This episode focuses on the range of innovative and well-established credit solutions GuarantCo provides and hear from the companies that are utilising them to create impact locally.

Your hosts are Marjolein van Kampen and James Miller and on the podcast are:

Hugo Duhil de Benaze, Director Structured Finance Group Sub-Saharan Africa at Société Générale
Surabhi Mathur Visser, Chief Investment Officer at GuarantCo
Kwame Asare, Client Relationship Manager at GuarantCo
Raphael de Muizon, Client Relationship Manager at GuarantCo

Find out more at guarantco.com and https://societegenerale.africa/en/societe-generale-africa/grow-with-africa/

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Developing the local currency bond market in Vietnam

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 23:05:58 GMT

Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen impressive and rapid growth in Vietnam’s local currency corporate bond market, with much more potential still to be unlocked. Thanks to a number of catalytic and first-of-its-kind transactions, GuarantCo’s contribution to the growth of the bond market is helping to accelerate infrastructure development in the country. And in this episode, we learn about a number of those impactful transactions.

Your hosts are Marjolein van Kampen and Anh Nguyen, and on the podcast are:

Ngoc Tran, Group Chief Executive Officer, Nam Long Investment Corporation
Canh Anh Nguyen, Head of Treasury, EVNFinance
Nishant Kumar, Managing Director Asia, GuarantCo

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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Delivering the next generation of onshore local currency bonds

Sun, 29 May 2022 23:05:07 GMT

Local currency bonds are fast becoming a crucial way of supporting infrastructure project development in lower income countries across Africa and Asia. In this episode, we discuss the rapid growth of the bond market, why it’s become such an attractive option, and how bonds address the funding deficit in lower income countries. We also hear from PRAN Agro and Acorn Holdings, two companies that have benefited from bonds issued by GuarantCo.

Contributing to the podcast are:

Uzma Chowdhury, Corporate Finance Director at PRAN Agro
Raghav Gandhi, Managing Director at Acorn Holdings
Layth Al-Falaki, Chief Executive Officer at GuarantCo
Phil Skinner, Managing Director, Global Execution Team at GuarantCo
Angella Olobo, Associate Director, Global Execution Team at GuarantCo

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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How guarantors are critical to bridging the infrastructure financing gap

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 00:05:29 GMT

Given the scale of the infrastructure funding gap throughout Africa and Asia, it will take a variety of synergistic solutions to sustainably address this funding shortfall. One such solution, that could hasten the closing of this gap quicker than any other, is the increased use of guarantees to support infrastructure project financing. Due to the flexibility of guarantee products, the range of solutions they provide and the long-term benefits that stem from guarantee use, guarantee providers could be in a unique position to unlock much-needed infrastructure project financing.

Contributing to the podcast are:

Layth Al-Falaki, CEO GuarantCo
Emily Bushby, COO/CFO GuarantCo
Jules Samain, MD Africa GuarantCo
Nishant Kumar, MD Asia GuarantCo

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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Capacity building to bridge the infrastructure funding gap in Africa

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 11:48:40 GMT

According to the Africa Development Bank, Africa’s infrastructure requirements range between USD 130 and USD 170 billion with an infrastructure funding gap of USD 68 to USD 108 billion. These figures demonstrate the critical need to provide essential infrastructure to local people to ensure long-term economic growth. At the core of this issue is the lack of technical capabilities which GuarantCo, supported by PIDG Technical Assistance funding, is addressing by organising capacity building workshops across Africa. In this episode we hear from stakeholders, partners and participants of the events who explore the transformational impact of capacity building.

Contributing to the podcast are

Edith Jiya, CEO Old Mutual Malawi
Mark Mikwamba, Managing Director Old Mutual Investment Group
Esnat Suleman, Head of Treasury and Investment Banking FDH Bank
Andrew Mbunda, Principal Relationship Manager at CRDB Bank
Jules Samain, MD Africa GuarantCo
Sarah Siliya, Business Development Manager Africa GuarantCo

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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Green Capital Market Capability Building in Vietnam

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 23:02:59 GMT

The need for sustainable infrastructure in Vietnam is rapidly growing. Whilst the conditions are ripe for the growth of green and climate instruments in the country, local stakeholders continue to have reservations about its necessity. In July 2021, GuarantCo, through the PIDG Institute, organised a two-day virtual Vietnam green capital market capability building event, funded by PIDG TA and facilitated by Climate Bonds Initiative to address the concerns and demystify this new proposition.

Contributing to the podcast are

Nishant Kumar, MD Asia at GuarantCo
Joywin Mathew, Partner Capital Markets and Structured Investments at DLA Piper
Marika Stocker, Senior Manager of Sustainable Finance Solutions at Sustainalytics
Cedric Rimaud, ASEAN Programme Manager at Climate Bonds Initiative
Marco Serena, Head of Sustainable Development Impact at PIDG

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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Grant funding to Acre Impact Capital

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 09:16:03 GMT

When GuarantCo can't directly fill a gap in an emerging market, it teams up with PIDG Technical Assistance to provide a grant to a company that can. By bridging these gaps and supporting new local champions, grant funding makes a real, tangible difference to people's lives, and helps to improve essential infrastructure in lower income countries in Africa. A powerful example showcasing the impact of grant funding is GuarantCo’s and PIDG TA’s new partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation, who have teamed up to provide funding to Acre Impact Capital.

This podcast includes contributions from

Angela Silva, grants and compliance manager at GuarantCo
Emilio Cattaneo, head of PIDG Technical Assistance
Hussein Sefian, founder and managing partner at Acre Impact Capital

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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Building Partnerships

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 13:21:47 GMT

Infrastructure development is a crucial driver of economic growth, job creation, and poverty alleviation across Africa and Asia. But infrastructure projects in lower income countries are experiencing a growing funding gap from both public and private sources, estimated to be around 1.3 trillion dollars per year, according to the World Bank. So that’s why partnerships between the two sectors are essential. Blended finance is doing just that and is playing an increasingly important role in tackling these challenges. GuarantCo has built and nurtured many strategic partnerships over the past 15 years, and in this episode we showcase just how valuable the right partnerships are in effecting change.

Contributing to the podcast are

Denesh Srishanker, investment director at GuarantCo
Ibukun Adebayo, co-head emerging markets of the London Stock Exchange Group
Sujithav Sarangi, executive director, structured export finance at Standard Chartered Bank
Neema Siwingwa, chief co-financing and syndications officer of the African Development Bank Group
Helge Muenkel, managing director, head of Asia Pacific, sustainable finance & global capital markets at ING
Evans Osano, director, capital markets from FSD Africa
Lade Araba, managing director from Convergence Blended Finance Africa

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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InfraCredit Nigeria

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 12:45:07 GMT

This episode features the role of the Nigerian Infrastructure Credit Enhancement Facility (InfraCredit) in supporting the development of local capital markets. GuarantCo and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) established InfraCredit in 2017 to act as a market champion for the development of the local debt capital markets to mobilise long-term investment from local institutional investors and finance infrastructure projects in Nigeria in local currency.

Contributing to the podcast are

Uche Orji, Managing Director and CEO of the NSIA
Wale Okunrinboye, Head of Investment Research Sigma Pensions
Chinua Azukike, CEO InfraCredit Nigeria
Eniola Lawal, Development Impact Officer InfraCredit Nigeria
Lasitha Perera, CEO GuarantCo

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

Recorded December 2020.

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Local Currency Financing

Sun, 11 Oct 2020 23:20:14 GMT

This episode explores how enabling local currency credit solutions addresses the infrastructure financing gap. Any solution promoting long-term local currency financing needs to prioritise capacity building across local capital markets. This is crucial to solve the largely unaddressed challenges of tenor and local currency provider risk appetite.

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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Blended Finance

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 20:18:42 GMT

This episode explores how blended finance can support the development of local capital markets in lower income countries. Specialised blending facilities, such as GuarantCo, support the reduction of local currency risks for infrastructure projects, help crowd in private sector investors and develop local capital markets in Africa and Asia.

Find out more at guarantco.com/blended-knowledge/

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