Could you introduce Loinette Capital and the financing model you offer?

We are a Mauritius-based niche asset finance business that offers finance to OEM dealers and their end customers in the earthmoving, construction, and agricultural equipment sectors. Loinette operates in the gap between the smaller, more niche local banks and the big international banks – a space where SME contractors struggle to find capital. We work exclusively in Sub-Saharan Africa.

What type of financing products does Loinette Capital offer?

Broadly speaking, we have developed five products. The first is our Fast Track Finance, which caters to dealers of fast-moving equipment – the 20-t excavator type of equipment used in the construction sector that moves very quickly, becoming almost like a commodity.

Next is our Machinery Inventory Finance, tailored for both new entrants and existing players that need extra credit facilities to buy more machines.

Third is our Receivables Repurchase Program. Many dealers offer their own financing to customers because they need to act faster than banks or financiers to close sales. The cash tied up in customer loans becomes “receivables.” We buy those receivables from the dealer (a process also called factoring), which allows the dealer to free up cash flow that they can reinvest.

Our fourth product type is our Seasonal Sectoral Finance. This is relevant not just for agriculture but also for the mining space, where you have high-rainfall and low-rainfall seasons.

Last, is our Fleet Financing Solutions, our main product. We finance between US$300,000 (a few machines) and US$8 million (20 machines).

How does Loinette Capital assess and manage risks?

Africa’s investment risk is often misrepresented and mispriced. The perception of risk exceeds reality. What we’ve found is that we can de-risk all our transactions through data-driven risk assessment, local insight, and operational partnerships. As lenders, we look at collateral, but we see collateral as more than the just the metal underpinning the asset. Instead, we also see the collateral as the service network that keeps the metal productive. Due diligence is also key. Our customers are often under pressure to acquire equipment to start contracts in a very short space of time, we never do a transaction without an on-site visit. We meet every single customer and every single dealer.

How do you safeguard that the equipment you finance retains value and is maintained in good condition?

Loinette Capital is one of the only independent finance companies that uses a sophisticated telematic methodology, which allows us to see multiple OEM brand telematics in one picture. That means we can assess and manage – and therefore finance – a multi-brand fleet. Integrated with the OEM’s onboard telematics, the system tells us when a machine is working, when it is idle, or when it needs a service. We can then alert our SME customers if we detect a technical issue with the machine we financed for them.

What are your priorities moving forward?

A major priority is deepening our partnerships with OEMs and in-country dealers. We are also expanding our SME and contractor financing programs, which are central to Africa’s growth story. Empowering local contractors to operate high-quality equipment allows them to compete and deliver services more effectively in their own markets.

Sustainability and responsible lending are also strong operational pillars. ESG application differs between developed and developing economies. In Africa, we see our contribution as helping small and mid-sized contractors access modern, efficient equipment. Many still use machines that are 15–20 years old, which are less fuel-efficient and environmentally compliant. While EV equipment is not yet viable in most regions due to infrastructure gaps, enabling contractors to upgrade to the latest conventional technology reduces emissions, improves productivity, and helps them meet their clients’ ESG criteria. When it comes to job creation, we actually track the multiplier effect of every transaction through our internal impact matrix. On average, each financed machine generates four revenue-producing jobs, positively influencing around 16 people. That, to us, is how you build economies: by enabling sustainable livelihoods rather than providing short-term support.

Do you have a final message?

Our business model is built on a deep understanding of the machine, the dealer, and the operator, not just the balance sheet. This approach enables us to deliver innovative financing solutions that address a major funding gap in the market by assessing the full operating ecosystem rather than purely financial statements.