Centurion Capital is a commercial venture whose overarching mission is to deliver a return on investment to its partners. The Centurion’s team is dedicated to make the Fund a success, leveraging such advantages as:

• Unique knowledge of the all-Russia MFI market: via extensive research and policy work conducted over the past 4 years by the main Centurion founder — Russian Microfinance Center (RMC). RMC is the only national level microfinance resource center in Russia with over 350 client MFIs in its database.
• Unique professional working contacts with Russian government ministries, policy makers, and regulators as well as the finance community.
• Practical experience of working with Russian MFIs: Centurion’s proprietary set of tools and techniques has been fine-tuned while DAI managed a MFI development program (2.5 years, 23 MFIs, US$1,9mln). This program entailed due diligence, site visits, mandatory quarterly financial reporting from the grantee MFIs.
• «First in market» advantage. Relatively low cost for market share; No other fund of this type targeting the entire MFI sector exists in Russia;
• Management team with extensive banking and microfinance experience.
• Ability to step down large capital in a cost effective manner. We are on the ground, fluent in Russian business culture and language.

Besides the financial returns, the investors will acquire substantial non-quantifiable benefits. In particular, banks or financial groups targeting the Russian market might source their future customers from the vast population of the MFIs and their clients. Gradually, the most successful SMEs will leave the microfinance arena and become mainstream corporate banking customers. By this time, Centurion Fund will have knowledge about these businesses will be able to draw upon one to two years of detailed credit history and client assessments.

In addition to the ability to reach a diffuse market in a cost-effective manner, a bank investing in the Fund will enhance its PR campaign; leveraging the positive image of a supporter of the SMEs. Today the development of small business in Russia is one of the priorities for President Putin’s second term in office. The President has committed the government to promote the small business in order to decrease Russia’s economic dependence on natural resources.

Finally, investing in Centurion Capital will be an excellent way to fulfill different social missions, such as poverty alleviation, creation of new jobs, promoting socially responsible enterprises.