BOP Bayport Botswana (IFC-49980)

Countries
  • Botswana
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Financial Institutions
  • International Finance Corporation (IFC)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
FI
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Jan 19, 2026
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Money Quest Investments (Proprietary) Limited
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Finance
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 25.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 25.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ IFC website

Updated in EWS Jul 8, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Dec 10, 2025

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to bank provided information, the proposed IFC investment consists of a 5-year (1-year grace period) senior unsecured loan of up to US$25.0 million in Botswana Pula (BWP or Pula) equivalent to Money Quest Investments (Proprietary) Limited, trading as Bayport Financial Services, Botswana (Bayport Botswana or the Company), to support on-lending to individuals to meet financing needs for health, education and informal businesses in Botswana (the Project).                                               

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

 

Total Project Cost: The total project cost is the BWP equivalent of up to US$25 million.

Amount and Nature of IFC's Investment: IFC's investment will be a 5-year senior unsecured loan of up to US$25 million, with a 1-year grace period.                                                 

Financial Intermediary
A financial intermediary is a bank or financial institution that receives funds from a development bank. A financial intermediary then lends these funds to their clients (private actors) in the form of loans, bonds, guarantees and equity shares. Financial intermediaries include insurance, pension and equity funds. The direct financial relationship is between the development bank and the financial intermediary.
Private Actors Description
A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

Bayport Botswana, a subsidiary of Bayport Management Ltd (BML), is a non-deposit-taking non-bank financial institution (NBFI) focused on microlending to salaried individuals, primarily civil servants, in Botswana. BML, which is registered in Mauritius, established Bayport Botswana in May 2010. The Company is licensed and regulated by the Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA).

Bayport Botswana holds a leading position in the NBFI microlending sector. The proceeds from this Project will help scale the Company's lending operations, particularly to individuals, to meet their financing needs for health, education and informal businesses . The Company has about 25,000 customers of which about 46% are female, that it serves through its 17 branches and 3 satellite branches (call centers), countrywide. Bayport Botswana also has a staff of 134 permanent employees, and 340 consultants to support its customers.

Ownership: The Company's main shareholder is BML, a Mauritius registered holding company, with an ownership stake of 98.31%. This ownership structure is expected to change when Africa Lighthouse Capital's proposed acquisition of a 11.07% stake in Bayport Botswana is approved by the regulator.

BML was incorporated in Mauritius in 2005 as a private company. In March 2013, its shares were listed on the Stock exchange of Mauritius. BML is a holding company with stakes in NBFIs in Africa, South America, and the United Kingdom. The major shareholders of BML include the Government Employees Fund (GEPF), which owns 30.03% of the Company through its investments managed by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC). The second largest shareholder is Kinnevik New Ventures AB, holding 17.98%. Takwa Holdco Ltd owns 13.60%, while Firefly Investments 326 (Pty) Ltd, which is wholly owned by GEPF, holds 9.97%. Upperway Investments (Pty) Ltd has an 8.89% stake, and Grant Kurland holds 6.93%. BML provides support in managing regulatory and compliance requirements for the group entities as well as addressing funding/treasury needs. BML also has oversight responsibilities in ensuring that Bayport Botswana's operations meet the high standards of responsible corporate behavior in lending practices.   

Private Actor 1 Private Actor 1 Role Private Actor 1 Sector Relation Private Actor 2 Private Actor 2 Role Private Actor 2 Sector
- - - - Bayport Management Limited Parent Company Finance

Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

Money Quest Investments (Proprietary) Limited - (Bayport Financial Services, Botswana)
Rodwell Habana
Chief Financial Officer
+267 398 7978
rodwellh@bayport.co.bw
Plot 22, Khama Crescent, Main Mall Gaborone, Botswana
https://bayportbotswana.com/

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit a request for information disclosure at: https://disclosures.ifc.org/#/inquiries 

If you believe that your request for information from IFC has been unreasonably denied, or that this Policy has been interpreted incorrectly, you can submit a complaint at the link above to IFC's Access to Information Policy Advisor, who reports directly to IFC's Executive Vice President.

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF IFC/MIGA

The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an IFC or MIGA- financed project. If you submit a complaint to the CAO, they may assist you in resolving a dispute with the company and/or investigate to assess whether the IFC is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. If you want to submit a complaint electronically, you can email the CAO at CAO@worldbankgroup.org You can learn more about the CAO and how to file a complaint at http://www.cao-ombudsman.org 

How it works

How it works