25 January 2022 – Fresh from the signing of their $150m trade finance facility with Natixis Bank,  Meridian are proud to announce their first debt raise of $30 million on the Stock Exchange of  Mauritius. 

In a process managed by Safyr Capital Partners, the debt raise was taken up by Investec Bank  (Mauritius) Ltd, an international banking and wealth management group, attesting to the market’s  confidence in Meridian future growth plans.  

This is the first step in a targeted $100 million debt raise to assist Meridian to continually improve and  increase its service provision to farmers in the south-east African region and serve as a platform for  expansion into new markets. 

Meridian’s Treasury team is led by Steve Bezuidenhout and Andre Bruyns who have played a key  role in accessing this source of funding.  

“We are delighted to partner with Safyr to provide us with an effective and efficient means of  financing our enhanced business plan, and we see great potential in pursuing further funding on this  platform”, Christos Giannakis, CEO of Meridian, noted. 

“The Note issuance and listing on the SEM by Meridian once again sends a strong signal to the  international markets that Mauritius remains a robust jurisdiction to attract capital for a significant  player within the African continent to support its growth plans”, stated Deva Marianen, Managing  Director of Safyr Capital Partners. 

Agriculture is the dominant sector in Africa and Meridian are committed to food security in the south east region, increased productivity, cost effectiveness and importantly market accessibility and trade  efficiency. 

Meridian develops knowledge, shares skills, creates jobs, educates, and uplift communities.The  newest bulk blending facility in Malawi, will provide up to 30% import substitution for Malawi and  employment opportunities and food security for its people.  

Established in the mid 1990’s in Malawi, Meridian has grown to be one of the largest and most  effective importers, blenders and distributors of inputs to smallholder and commercial farmers in  Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.  

For Meridian, majority owned by Ma’aden from 2019, a global phosphate producer listed on the  Tadawul Saudi Stock Exchange, and the 14th largest mining company in the world, the process is part  of the shared vision for increasing fertilizer consumption and crop yields in the region. 

Safyr Capital Partners is a niche investment banking institution licensed by the Financial Services  Commission in Mauritius providing a range of financial services aimed at delivering value to the  African continent primarily through the Mauritian capital markets. 

Safyr Capital is an impact investor with an agnostic approach to asset selection, focusing on asset  classes that will have a direct or indirect positive impact to the community with the aim to disrupt the  prevailing market through healthy competition that creates local and regional growth.

Meridian Commodities Ltd annonce sa première ‘debt raise’ de $ 30 millions sur la Bourse de Maurice après avoir récemment signé $150 millions de financement commercial avec Natixis Bank. Dans un processus dirigé par Safyr Capital Partners, la ‘debt raise’ a été reprise par Investec Bank (Mauritius), un groupe banquier et de gestion de patrimoine international – témoignant de la confiance du marché dans les futurs plans de croissance de Meridian.

Il s’agit là d’une première étape dans une ‘debt raise’ ciblée de $ 100 millions pour permettre à Meridian de continuellement améliorer et augmenter sa prestation de services aux agriculteurs de la région sud-est de l’Afrique et à servir de plateforme d’expansion sur de nouveaux marchés.

L’équipe de trésorerie de Meridian est dirigée par Steve Bezuidenhout et Andre Bruyns, qui ont joué un rôle clé dans l’accès à cette source de financement. « Nous sommes ravis d’avoir Safyr comme partenaire pour nous fournir des moyens de financement efficaces et efficients pour notre plan de financement amélioré et nous y voyons un grand potentiel pour davantage de financement sur cette plateforme », a déclaré Christian Giannakis, PDG de Meridian.

« L’émission de nouveaux actifs et le classement sur la SEM de Meridian a une fois de plus lancé un message fort aux marchés internationaux – que Maurice demeure une juridiction robuste pour attirer des capitaux pour un acteur important sur le continent Africain afin de soutenir ses plans de croissance », a soutenu Deva Marianen, directeur général de Safyr Capital Partners.