French NGO ACTED undertakes innovative fundraising activities dedicated to humanitarian actions and development

Paris, 27 July 2016 – French humanitarian NGO ACTED attracts social finance investors: the second French NGO issued 6 million Euros in charity bonds and charity shares that have been fully subscribed by eight actors of social finance in June 2016. This operation was designed in collaboration with French bank Crédit Coopératif.

Addressing the growing challenges of development worldwide, innovative financial mechanisms demonstrate the added-value of partnership solutions between the charity and the private sectors to facilitate the implementation of aid programmes and improve access to marginalised populations.

After having raised the remarkable amount of 3.2 million Euros of charity bonds and shares in 2012, ACTED just completed further fundraising activities that have been carried out in collaboration with Crédit Coopératif. Eight actors from the Impact Investing (BNP Paribas Investment Partners, Caisse Solidaire, Crédit Coopératif, Ecofi Investissements, Esfin Gestion, Mirova, la Nef, ABN AMRO Investment Solutions) subscribed charity bonds in the amount of 4 million Euros and charity shares in the amount of 2 million Euros issued by international humanitarian NGO ACTED. This confirms solidarity-based investors’ trust in this mechanism and in ACTED’s project.

Investors welcomed the development plan presented by ACTED, which has already repaid as of 2016, part of its charity bonds issued in 2012. This positive dynamic led investors to pursue and consolidate their cooperation with ACTED.

“We are very happy with the success of this fundraising operation. This will allow us to support our emergency response to crises faced in Syria or South Sudan for instance. The scale of those crises implies immediate action that will be facilitated thanks to pre-funding possibilities provided by these funds. This is also an opportunity to mobilize a network of innovative social investors through inclusive partnerships”, says Aurélien Daunay, ACTED Finance Director.

A part of the funds will be allocated to finance the microcredit activities of OXUS, ACTED’s microfinance subsidiary. “For OXUS, these financing tools are remarkable springboards that will enable us to be more reactive in responding to the needs of our field subsidiaries. They contribute to the sustainability of our projects”, indicates Sébastien Duquet, OXUS Chief Executive Officer.
Contact
Adrien Tomarchio |adrien.tomarchio@acted.org | +33 (0)1 42 65 61 40

About ACTED and OXUS
Since 1993, as the second major French NGO, ACTED has been committed to respond to humanitarian crises and support those in urgent need, while co-creating longer-term opportunities for sustainable growth. ACTED teams implement over 450 projects a year towards 11 million beneficiaries in 35 countries, with 190 million Euros budget. The NGO is growing continuously, stepping up its activities and projects. ACTED’s budget has been tripled since 2009.
www.acted.org

OXUS Group has been initiated by ACTED in 2005 when ACTED launched its first microfinance institution. In 10 years, the Group has grown and nowadays gathers 4 subsidiaries in Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and DRC, with a team of over 1,000 members. OXUS is a responsible social enterprise committed to providing financial services to the working poor and those excluded from the banking system. OXUS is now the flagship of French microfinance networks in post-conflict countries. In 2015, OXUS financed over 60,000 micro-entrepreneurs, with a budget of 37.1 million Euros.
www.oxusnetwork.org