Open Capital Advisors (OCA), based in Kenya, is officially the first intermediary to be accredited as an “Authorised Impact Representative (AIR)” by both Nexii and the Stock Exchange of Mauritius (SEM).
Authorized Impact Representatives are advisors and verification agents for high impact businesses looking to list or issue on Nexii platforms (iX, iC or iOP), and for those high impact business who are already active on one of the platforms and require yearly impact audits. The AIR accreditation certifies those advisors who have a proven dedication to facilitating greater and more cost effective capital flows to enterprises and funds that are making a social and/or environmental difference.
The role of an AIR is to assess, recommend and support high impact businesses seeking a listing on Nexii’s impact investment platforms. This supports Nexii’s efforts to ensure a separation of function between the assurance of compliance and accountability provided by Nexii and the SEM through the listing rules and ongoing reporting obligations, and the objective assessment of the business’s investment value proposition as determined by third party service providers skilled in this field.
OCA is a financial intermediary working to increase the innovation and social impact of Small and Growing Enterprises (SGBs) in East Africa through providing the necessary advisory and brokerage services to enable SGBs to access investors and capital. OCA’s experience and commitment to assessing high impact small and growing businesses, and providing technical assistance to capacitate them in terms of their financial and impact needs, clearly demonstrates the kind of intermediary Nexii seeks to collaborate with and is important in order to ensure both the financial viability and fidelity to impact of a businesses that looks to list on Nexii’s platforms.
Nexii is seeking to accredit more impact representatives – both impact advisors and impact verification agents – worldwide in order to grow and mature the impact investment sector through better intermediation, capacity development and quality assurance of standards. Nexii’s Authorized Impact Representatives must have considerable and relevant experience in due diligence, social development, impact performance measurement, management and reporting. Impact Advisors work alongside applicants looking to list or issue on Nexii platforms to evaluate and package the appropriate financial, legal and regulatory information required and assist applicants in gaining impact assessments and certifications. Impact Verification Agents support annual assessments of impact performance and verify independently the reporting of impact against measurable and clearly defined indicators as set forth by high impact business and investment entities in their listing particulars.
Nexii hosted its first Impact Capital Raising Workshop in Nairobi Kenya on November 15th, 2011, at which OCA introduced itself in its new role to the 45+ high impact businesses in attendance. Open Capital Advisors is Nexii’s current hub for impact advising and verification, and the high impact businesses in the East Africa region will be directed to OCA to begin their admission process to a Nexii platform.
If you are a financial or impact intermediary we would love to hear from you and build out the potential you have to make to integrating and supporting growth and maturation in this sector. If you are a high impact business in East Africa keen to list on one of Nexii’s platforms, you can contact Open Capital Advisors about their services as an advisor or impact verification agent by emailing andreas@opencapitaladvisors.com or email us directly with your questions.
If you are an impact investor looking for deals in Africa or East Africa questions about Nexii’s activities in the region, its partnership with Open Capital Advisors or investments available through Nexii platforms should be directed to justine@nexii.com.