MCE Social Capital

Announcing MCE’s 2023 Impact Report! 2023 was a year of growth at MCE as we increased our portfolio by 20% and deepened our impact by reaching 34% more stakeholders. This growth was a result of many exciting developments, which you can read about in the report along with key insights and learnings from the year. We are proud to share the amazing impact stemming from our portfolio companies–impact that YOUR support makes possible. Thank you! #ImpactReport #ImpactInvesting

MCE is excited to add a new SGB to our portfolio, Ethical Apparel Africa (EAA), a Ghana-based garment manufacturer committed to ethical and sustainable operations. They employ over 400 full-time staff, 70% of which are female, who are paid twice the country’s minimum wage.?The company sources apparel from partner factories, and it also started producing garments in its own 100% solar-powered factory in 2021. MCE disbursed $750K to EAA this month, representing our re-entry into Ghana, our first investment in the sustainable garment industry, and the addition of a client with a tremendous commitment to sustainable livelihoods, particularly those of women. MCE’s Investment Manager Renaud Duverger, CFA and Impact Manager Maria Oliva Farriol had the opportunity to visit EAA on due diligence in August, pictured below. #SmallBusiness #SustainableFashion #AfricaInvestments

Congratulations to Agora Microfinance Zambia (AMZ) and MiCrédito Nicaragua for receiving a 60 Decibels Social Impact Award based on their top performance in the 2024 Microfinance Index, where they ranked in the top 3 out of all participating financial service providers in their regions. MCE is proud to call them partners within our FSP Portfolio; MiCrédito since 2019 and Agora Microfinance since 2022. This recognition is based on interviews with over 35,000 microfinance clients globally, revealing powerful insights grounded in customer voice. Key findings include: - 89% of clients report improved quality of life—the highest in three years? - 26% remain vulnerable to unexpected expenses, though additional services like training, savings, or insurance are helping bridge this gap - Group loans are effectively reaching historically excluded populations such as female and rural borrowers: 85% of group borrowers are women - Women are more likely to use loans to invest in businesses, enhancing financial resilience MCE is a proud partner of the report, alongside other industry leaders like Kiva, Ceniarth, Accion, BRAC, Opportunity International, Abler Nordic, Global Partnerships, Incofin Investment Management, and more. Full report: https://lnkd.in/egqYZCYC Social Impact Award Winners: https://lnkd.in/dqvWtWfu

MCE added a new company to our Small and Growing Business (SGB) portfolio recently with a $500K disbursement to Cooperativa Laguna de los Condores (Coop. LDC) in Peru. Coop. LDC is a vital resource for coffee farmers in the remote and underserved Amazonas region. As one of the largest cooperatives in the area, Coop. LDC works with over 800 farmers providing fair pricing and technical support to improve livelihoods in a region where poverty rates exceed 30%. The cooperative’s business model, which includes both local and international sales, offers stable incomes and sustainable farming practices for coffee producers. The cooperative holds several international certifications, including Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance. In addition, Coop. LDC ensures that 90% of its coffee supply is shade-grown, a practice of growing coffee plants under the canopy of surrounding trees which preserves the natural ecosystem and enhances crop resilience and soil quality. Coop. LDC’s dedication to building a reputation for high-quality, sustainable coffee not only benefits the farmers but also strengthens the broader coffee value chain in the Amazonas region. Investment Manager Renaud Duverger, CFA is pictured below with a Coop. LDC coffee farmer while on due diligence earlier this year. #NewPortfolioCompany #SmallBusiness #ImpactInvestment #SustainableAgriculture #SustainableCoffee #Amazon #Peru

MCE staff Catherine Covington and Emma Rucker had a great time last week at the Resource Center for Religious Institutes (RCRI) conference in Orlando, Florida. We tabled a booth as exhibitors where we got to connect with current and prospective supporters in the Catholic religious community who care as deeply as we do about unlocking capital in support of sustainable livelihoods in underserved communities. We were also honored to present about MCE to a group of 50 at a breakfast hosted by current investor Religious Communities Impact Fund, Inc (RCIF)! We are so grateful to RCIF, our conference hosts and the inspiring group of people we had the privilege of connecting with throughout the week. #ImpactInvesting

We are so excited to introduce Evrim Kirimkan as MCE’s first Head of Credit Risk! Born and raised in Belgium, Evrim brings over 15 years of expertise in inclusive and sustainable finance, with extensive experience in the microfinance sectors of Latin America. In addition to his professional work, Evrim is a lecturer at renowned institutions such as the Boulder Institute of Microfinance, the University of Alcalá in Spain, and the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Based in Quito, Ecuador, he will now lead MCE’s credit risk strategy and risk operations for our global portfolio. #NewHire #RiskManagement #ImpactInvestment

Our CEO Camilla Nestor is honored to be presenting at NYC Climate Week on a panel co-hosted by ImpactAlpha, Heading for Change and UBS exploring how investors are deploying gender-smart climate finance to create resilient, inclusive economies. She will be joining the discussion alongside Heading for Change’s Sana Kapadia and Jackie VanderBrug, UBS’s Andrew Lee and Amantia Muhedini, Courageous Capital Advisors’ Laurie J Spengler, and The 22 Fund’s Tracy Gray, in conversation with ImpactAlpha’s David Bank. Register to join in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 4pm ET. #ImpactInvestment #NYCClimateWeek

We are honored to have our CEO Camilla Nestor representing MCE and the impact investing community on the first-ever SOCAP Global Fellowship Advisory Committee. She and the rest of the Committee selected an esteemed group of innovators to participate as Fellows at the SOCAP Global Conference October 28-30. #ImpactInvesting #FinancialInclusion

One of the many ways MCE shows appreciation for the commitment and hard work of our?valued staff is with our sabbatical program. After five years at the organization, staff are eligible to take up to eight weeks of extended leave to recharge their batteries and explore both professional and personal development in a way that ultimately enhances their work. Our Senior Director of Investments and Risk Maria Raurell Carulla took advantage of this opportunity this summer by attending the SW50 Leadership Program in London. She and 49 other women leaders took classes and workshops together, learning from experts and each other. Read more about her experience below! #WorkBenefits #WomenInLeadership #ImpactInvesting

Good Nature Agro (GNA) is a seed agribusiness headquartered in Chipata, Zambia, and recently received its sixth loan from MCE, a $600K disbursement from our MESA Fund. MCE has partnered with GNA over the past six years as they’ve grown from serving 5K smallholder farmers in eastern and northern Zambia in 2017 to 15K+ in 2023. GNA brings significant value to its farmer network by providing access to high-quality seeds, a guaranteed market, price premiums and technical assistance that contributes to demonstrated increases in farmer productivity and income. The company’s main products are seeds for domestic food crops like soybeans, cowpeas, and groundnuts. The SGB provides training on regenerative agriculture practices such as crop rotation, permanent soil coverage, and land use optimization, which has been particularly important during Zambia’s current drought. Some MCE supporters and staff had the chance to visit GNA headquarters and farmers in Zambia this summer, where we learned more about their organization and impact. #ImpactInvesting #SustainableAgriculture #InvestingInAfrica