As GreenMax commemorates its 30th anniversary, we embark on a special series of blog posts that delve into our rich history and highlight testimonials from past and present employees, as well as clients and partners, about their experiences at GreenMax. This milestone is not just a celebration of our longevity but a testament to our sustained impact in the clean energy sector across emerging markets.

Our Journey

Since our inception in 1994, GreenMax Capital Group, has been a dedicated advisory and fund management firm, focusing exclusively on promoting an equitable clean energy transition across emerging markets. Over the past three decades, we have successfully executed projects in more than 80 countries on five continents. Our mission has always been to support project developers, renewable energy companies, investors, financial institutions, donor agencies, and governments in the analysis, preparation, financing and implementation of a broad range of clean energy investments as well as to advise on enabling policies and regulations.

Our Expertise

GreenMax’s Consulting Group has played a pivotal role in developing and implementing policy frameworks and funding mechanisms that engage the private sector in sustainable energy investments. Our Transaction Advisory Group supports off-grid enterprises and mini-grid developers in raising capital, while our Fund Management Group develops and manages mechanisms utilizing blended finance to deliver capital to the off-grid energy, productive use of energy (PUE), and e-mobility sectors. Notably, we manage the Green-for-Access First Loss Facility (G4A), which provides risk mitigation to enable local financial institution lending for the purchase of EVs and PUE equipment; the GreenShift Africa platform, offering trade finance solutions for the import of EVs and batteries by e-mobility companies; and we co-manage CEI Africa (the Clean Energy Inclusion Foundation for Africa) a one-stop-shop for financing off-grid companies combining RBF and Outcomes-based grants, concessional debt, junior debt, equity and technical assistance under a single umbrella.

Our Impact

GreenMax’s experience extends to supporting commercial banks, development finance institutions, and national development banks in designing, launching, and managing investments for sustainable energy in emerging markets. Our work has resulted in over $2 billion in direct investments for renewable energy and energy efficiency. We have developed the first financing solutions for thermo-modernization of blockhouse apartment buildings across Eastern Europe, supported IFC in launching their first sustainable energy guarantee facilities; managed the first successful municipal ESCO programs for EBRD; designed the Green4Growth Fund for EIB; advised on the first steam sale agreements from geothermal IPPs in Kenya; and closed financing for the first solar IPP in Sierra Leone. We’ve designed sustainable energy investment funds in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Kosovo, Poland, Ukraine and Vanuatu. Just this year, we have approved financing for more than 30,000 new electricity connections from solar mini grids affecting the lives of more than 150,000 of the most vulnerable rural populations in Benin, DRC, Kenya and Mali along with roughly 10,000 PUE devices. We have also facilitated transactions to purchase electric buses by a cooperative bus operator in Kenya, purchases of hundreds of electric bicycles by women delivery riders in Kenya, and hundreds of solar cooling by women-owned MSMEs in Nigeria. From Eastern Europe to Latin America and the Caribbean, and now Africa, we have helped to normalize bank lending for sustainable energy projects, developing a deep understanding of how to build the capacity of local financial institutions to assess sustainable energy finance opportunities and enter new markets with appropriate products.

A Unique Perspective

GreenMax begins with the assumption that there is nothing truly new in finance; instead, it is about using ingenuity to adapt tried and true financing instruments to different contexts. Our unique knowledge base, built over 30 years of direct implementation and study across North America, Europe, and the Global South, allows us to adapt financing solutions to current energy transition and energy access challenges in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific islands.

Looking Ahead

As we celebrate this milestone, we will share stories from the people who have been at the heart of our journey, as well as from those who have helped make the journey possible. Our employees’ experiences and insights from our partners will offer a glimpse into what makes GreenMax special and how we have made a difference in the clean energy sector. Stay tuned for a series of blog posts that reflect on our past, celebrate our present, and look forward to our future.

Join us in this celebration and discover the passion, dedication, and ingenuity that drive GreenMax Capital Advisors. Here’s to 30 years of making a difference and many more to come!