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Draft:Advans

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Advans
Company typeVenture Capital Investment Company (SICAR)
IndustryMicrofinance
Founded2005
FounderClaude Falgon
Headquarters
Luxembourg
Area served
Africa, Asia
ProductsLoans, Savings, Financial Services
Number of employees
~3,300 (2024)
SubsidiariesAdvans Cameroun, Advans Ghana, Advans Côte d'Ivoire, etc.
Websiteadvansinternational.com

Advans is an international group of microfinance institutions. Its holding company, Advans SA SICAR, is based in Luxembourg and was founded in 2005..[1]. The company primarily operates in Africa.

Advans is described as aiming to contribute to financial inclusion and to support small entrepreneurs and farmers, including through initiatives that promote climate resilience.[2] [3]

Advans SA is supervised by the Luxembourg Commission for the Supervision of the Financial Sector (CSSF), ensuring compliance with financial and governance standards[4].

History

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Before the creation of Advans, Horus Development Finance, founded in 1990, provided advisory and technical assistance services to financial institutions and microfinance programs[5].In 2005, Horus created Advans SA SICAR as a vehicle to invest in microfinance institutions in emerging markets[5]. The goal was to build financial institutions serving micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in emerging markets where access to banking services was limited[4].

Advans gradually expanded its operations in Africa and Asia:

  • 2007: Advans Cameroon[6]
  • 2008: Advans Ghana[7]
  • 2009: Advans Congo[8]
  • 2012: Advans Côte d’Ivoire[9]
  • 2013: Advans Nigeria[10]
  • 2015: Advans Tunisia[11]

In 2011, Advans launched Advans Bank Tanzania, before selling a 75% stake in November 2015 to Letshego Holdings Limited, which invested 15.5 billion Tanzanian shillings (approximately $7 million USD) in new shares to strengthen financial inclusion in the country[12].

Beyond Africa, Advans previously operated in Cambodia (2006-2024)[13], Pakistan (2012-2024), and Myanmar (2017-2025) before divesting to refocus on Africa. Advans Pakistan was acquired by MNT-Halan in 2024[14].

Digital Initiatives and Future Projects

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Advans invests in digital technologies to support its operations and improve access to financial services[15].

Mobile applications: The My Advans GH App in Ghana and Adspire in Nigeria[16] allow customers to access their accounts, make transactions, and manage their repayments independently.

Agricultural Sector Support

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Advans has developed tailored financing solutions for farmers, particularly in Côte d’Ivoire, where agriculture—especially the cocoa industry—is a key economic sector[4].

Structured Financing for Cocoa Farmers : In 2012, Advans Côte d'Ivoire launched a credit program for cocoa farmers, in partnership with the World Cocoa Foundation and other funding organizations. This initiative uses a value chain financing model, involving cooperatives and cocoa buyers to secure farmers' financial transactions[17].

Results and impact: Between 2012 and 2015, Advans Côte d'Ivoire financed 18,000 farmers from 140 cooperatives, providing a total of €3.2 million in input loans. This program led to a 50% increase in yields, generating an additional $637 per farmer on average[17].

Digitization of Agricultural Savings : In 2016, Advans Côte d'Ivoire expanded its offering by launching a mobile savings program in partnership with MTN. This initiative allows farmers to secure their savings during the harvest season and better plan for the next planting cycle. It also aims to reduce cash transactions and associated risks through digital payments[17].

Food Security Partnerships : In partnership with Proparco, Advans Côte d'Ivoire launched a pilot program to finance maize producers’ cooperatives for the purchase of quality inputs. This initiative supports 1,500 maize farmers in Côte d’Ivoire, helping to combat food insecurity by improving access to finance[18]

Shareholding Structure

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Since its creation, Advans has been supported by several development finance institutions (DFIs)[19], including:

In addition to DFI support, some commercial banks have invested in Advans' early subsidiaries. In 2013, the Société Générale group, through five of its subsidiaries, participated as a founding shareholder in the creation of several microfinance institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Advans Ghana, Advans Cameroon, and Advans Côte d’Ivoire[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Developpement économique et social en Afrique - ADVANS (Groupe IMF)". ADVANS (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  2. ^ "ADVANS SA Sicar". Fondation Grameen Crédit-Agricole (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  3. ^ e-MFP (2024-12-12). EMW2024: Enhancing FSPs & MSMEs Resilience through Climate Strategies. Retrieved 2025-04-29 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ a b c d e Brown & Falgon (2015). "" Un exemple de réseau international intégré de microfinance : le groupe Advans. "". Techniques Financières et Développement (in French). 119 (2) (Techniques Financières et Développement ed.): 43–47. doi:10.3917/tfd.119.0043.
  5. ^ a b "Qui sommes-nous ?". Horus Development Finance (in French). 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  6. ^ "GP ARIZ TPE Advans Cameroun | Proparco - Groupe Agence Française de Développement". www.proparco.fr. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  7. ^ "Advans Ghana unveils new corporate cloth". Graphic Online. 2013-06-24. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  8. ^ "RDC : la microfinance Advans célèbre ses 15 ans d'entrepreneuriat". Radio Okapi (in French). 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  9. ^ "Microfinance : Advans Côte d'Ivoire célèbre ses dix ans d'existence". news.abidjan.net. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  10. ^ "Advans s'implante au Nigeria - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  11. ^ "Advans démarre ses activités en Tunisie - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  12. ^ "Faidika Tanzania buys into Advans Bank". The Citizen. 2021-03-28. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  13. ^ Horng, Pengly (2025-01-15). "Taiwanese Bank SinoPac acquires Amret for $550M - Khmer Times". Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  14. ^ "MNT-Halan acquires Pakistan's Advans Microfinance Bank". Wamda. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  15. ^ "Révolutionner les services financiers pour les entrepreneurs". SBS | Banking & Financing Platforms (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  16. ^ "Covid-19 - Les institutions de microfinance en première ligne | Proparco - Groupe Agence Française de Développement". www.proparco.fr. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  17. ^ a b c Estelle Darie-Rousseaux et Katherine Brown (2016). "Développement d'une gamme de services financiers diversifiés pour les producteurs de cacao en Côte d'Ivoire et dans d'autres contextes agricoles". Techniques Financières et Développement (in French). 124 (3) (Techniques Financières et Développement, n° 124(3) ed.): 67–79. doi:10.3917/tfd.124.0067.
  18. ^ "En Côte d'Ivoire, Advans accompagne les petits producteurs de maïs, avec le soutien de Proparco | Proparco - Groupe Agence Française de Développement". www.proparco.fr. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  19. ^ "Faut-il craindre le boom de la microfinance ? - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  20. ^ "ADVANS SA SICAR". www.eib.org. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  21. ^ "Project detail - ADVANS S.A. SICAR - FMO". www.fmo.nl. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  22. ^ "Advans Holding 2014 | Proparco - Groupe Agence Française de Développement". www.proparco.fr. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  23. ^ "Advans, S.A." British International Investment. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  24. ^ Société Générale (2013). Document de référence 2013 (PDF) (in French). p. 263.
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