Clean energy – are definitions and the lack of standardised metrics holding back investment?
Whether or not one fully agrees that we only have 12 years to limit a climate change catastrophe, as per the latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there is an undeniable need to clean up our environment. The rising number of hurricanes, floods, droughts and wildfires – vividly covered by...
Investment in Africa
We released our 2018 Bright Africa research in August. Here is a visual illustration of the Investment in Africa section of our research. For more information on Bright Africa, click here....
Africa’s first infrastructure performance index
We are excited to announce that RisCura is partnering with Africa Investor to launch Africa’s first infrastructure performance index. For years one of the constraints for investment into infrastructure has always been the lack of a benchmark, one of the essential elements in the ecosystem of institutional investment. It is for this reason that we...
Is there really such a thing as passive investing – and does it matter?
There is a common misperception that the passive asset manager’s process is entirely algorithm based and requires no skill or decision-making. But, the reality is that passive managers still need to actively make a range of important decisions that will affect the investor’s long-term outcome. These decisions may be different from those made by...
Private equity could boost African entrepreneurs
Private equity funds in Africa are increasingly investing in early-stage businesses in the search for earnings growth. This is partially driven by the rising trend in purchase prices of private companies in Africa as indicated by the recently released Bright Africa 2018 report. Bright Africa is an ongoing research effort into investing in Africa compiled...
Addressing pension fund issues is key to Africa’s sustainable development
Africa’s pensions challenge Africa’s youthful population and growing middle class are generally considered positive investment themes for the continent, but will African pension systems be able to serve this youthful cohort when they inevitably grow old? Africa’s youth will not only age but will also live longer. According to United Nations research,...
RisCura wins third consecutive accolade for private equity service provider excellence in Africa
The Africa Global Funds Africa Service Providers Awards has revealed its winners for 2018 with RisCura placing first in two categories; Advisory services: private equity and Research and data provider: private equity. These awards set out to annually recognise service excellence in Africa, celebrating the ongoing efforts of fund service providers operating...
Sukuk – a new avenue for funding African infrastructure
In generic terms, economic theory categorises infrastructure assets, as public goods. This means a good or service that is provided without profit to all members of society. The absence of the profit incentive (by default), has placed the provision of public goods or services in the laps of governments, to be paid for by tax...
South Africa no longer dominates private equity transaction in Africa
Private equity investors are shifting their focus away from South Africa and finding opportunities to capture growth in the rest of the continent. According to the 2018 Bright Africa Report, produced annually by RisCura, South Africa has always made up a large proportion of private equity (PE) transaction activity. However, this concentration has reduced...
Credibility of PE impact investing in Africa
Despite being only a decade old as an industry, impact investing globally has shown impressive growth and obtained mainstream acceptance. However, there are some credibility concerns, particularly in Africa, that can be addressed with clear industry guidelines. This could help to accelerate the allocation of investors’ capital into impact investments....