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Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund completes USD 2 million mezzanine investment in UsPlus

Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund completes USD 2 million mezzanine investment in UsPlus

Zawya30-01-2025
Verdant Capital (www.Verdant-Cap.com) is pleased to announce that its Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund (the 'Fund') has completed its fifth investment of USD 2 million, structured as junior convertible debentures in UsPlus Limited ('UsPlus') incorporated in South Africa. UsPlus has greatly impacted the financial landscape of SMEs in South Africa by using working capital to support sectors and projects that are essential to the sustainability of the country's society and environment. This investment will enable UsPlus to expand its invoice factoring services across key sectors in South Africa, reinforcing the company's role as a pivotal player in the South African invoice factoring vertical.
Since its inception in 2015, UsPlus continues to offer essential working capital solutions to businesses across the country, that have historically been unable to access traditional forms of financing. While the company supports a wide range of sectors, it has a current emphasis on funding women and sustainably led ventures.
UsPlus' service offering is guided by a developmental agenda which is mainly focused on supporting local manufacturers, logistics providers, local farmers, renewable energy players and service providers, among others, to improve the competitiveness of such entities by enhancing their ability to (i) meet the procurement requirements of large multinational corporations and (ii) promote financial inclusion for SMEs that historically have been unable to access traditional forms of working capital solutions.
The Fund's investment will strengthen UsPlus' capital position and help 'crowd-in' more senior debt funding into the business to further grow its balance sheet. The Fund is attracted by UsPlus' business model as it aligns with the Fund's mission to use its funding to provide financial solutions that have the broadest possible impact on society, while benefiting from fundamental credit risk mitigants.
This investment will yield a return which is aligned with the Fund's return target.
The Fund is investing in inclusive financial institutions on a pan-African basis, with a focus on digitally enabled financial institutions providing services to Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs). The Fund invests in hybrid capital instruments including subordinated debt, mezzanine, preference shares and stapled investment structures. The Fund has a size of USD 38 million (target of USD 100 million at Final Close in H1 2025).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Verdant Capital.
UsPlus:
Leon Kirkinis
T: +27 10 900 4141
E: leon@usplus.world mailto:
About Verdant Capital:
Verdant Capital is an investment manager and investment bank specialising in the private capital markets and operating on a pan-African basis. Verdant Capital is the manager of the Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund. www.Verdant-Cap.com
About UsPlus South Africa:
Since 2015, UsPlus has been operating as a fintech business focusing on the provision of flexible working capital solutions to the SME sector in South Africa, whilst being guided by a developmental agenda. With the focus of serving SMEs, UsPlus has continued to support the purchasing of transferable instruments (such as invoices, purchase orders and contracts) issued by or to its clients together with additional strategic support at no additional cost. www.UsPlus.world
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