Proparco backs Vietnam's EVF with $20M loan for climate, women-led SMEs

What's the deal? ProparcoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the development finance arm of France's Agence Française de Développement (AFD) GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has extended a $20 million senior loan to EVFDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → General Finance Joint Stock Company. The facility targets climate finance and expanded capital access for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) led or owned by women in Vietnam.

Why now? EVF deputy general director Nguyen Xuan Diep and Rebecca Maalouf Bauden, AFD's country director in Vietnam, signed the credit agreement on Tuesday. The deal reaffirms an existing partnership between the two institutions.

What's the endgame? The loan channels capital toward two priorities: financing climate-related projects and closing the funding gap for women-owned businesses, a segment that often struggles to access formal credit.

The signal: Development finance institutions are steering more capital into Vietnam's SME sector, tying disbursements to climate and gender objectives. The EVF deal reflects how these lenders are pairing commercial credit with targeted social outcomes in emerging markets.

Read more: theinvestor.vn

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