Caveat Venditor: Towards a Conceptual Framework for Buyer Selection in Responsible Microfinance Exits
With the growing maturity of the microfinance industry, a question that has come into sharper focus is how social investors committed to advancing responsible finance practices should “exit responsibly” from the microfinance institutions (MFIs) – and, increasingly, the broader category of financial service providers (FSPs) and other companies working in financial inclusion – in which they have invested.
Leveraging an industry consultation process, this research provides a consolidated investors’ own emerging principles and procedures in assessing potential buyers, and uses the findings to produce a Conceptual Framework for Buyer Selection in financial inclusion equity exits. The framework serves as a resource for investors embarking on an equity sale, providing them with a concrete, industry-recognized framework to evaluate an exit. Additionally, it can:
- Guide investor discussions with external organizations that assist them in exit trajectories (investment banks, advisory firms, etc.);
- Assist new categories of impact investors that have little experience in exits;
- Serve as a guide to potential buyers to help understand selection criteria and prevent interested (but unsuitable) buyers from spending time on a futile due diligence process.
