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ARM Private Debt Fund

ARM Private Debt Funds - ARM Alternative Investments - Rigorous Capital Stewardship for Global Institutions.
  • Who We Are

ARM Private Debt Fund (the Fund) is a specialized private credit investment vehicle focused on providing flexible debt capital to scalable small- and middle-market businesses with historical positive cash-flow profiles across key African growth sectors. The Fund is designed to address Africa region’s structural financing gap by supporting commercially viable enterprises that drive economic growth.

The Fund operates under an impact-aligned investment mandate, targeting SME expansion, job creation, and financial inclusion in line with Development Finance Institution (DFI) priorities. ARM Private Debt Fund seeks to deliver stable, risk-adjusted returns through senior secured and subordinated debt investments, supported by rigorous credit underwriting, collateralized structures, conservative leverage, covenant-based discipline, and active portfolio monitoring.

With a diversified portfolio across sectors and geographies, the Fund offers DFIs, commercial investors, family offices, foundations, impact funds, and high-net-worth individuals access to uncorrelated, income-generating assets in Africa. The Fund is managed by an experienced team with global private credit expertise, deep local market knowledge, and a proven track record in origination, risk management, and responsible investing.

  • opportunities

Careers at ARM Private Debt

At ARM Private Debt, we believe in the power of talented professionals working together to unlock capital and drive sustainable growth across Africa. We offer career opportunities that challenge, inspire, and empower individuals to contribute meaningfully to the development of resilient businesses, job creation, and long-term economic prosperity across the continent.

no active openings at this time

VP, Marketing

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Product Due Diligence, Associate

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Valuations & Analytics, Associate

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  • FAQs

Answers to questions you may have

What are ARM Private Debt Fund’s focus areas?
ARM Private Debt Fund is a specialized private credit investment vehicle focused on providing flexible debt capital to scalable small- and middle-market businesses with historical positive cash-flow profiles across key African growth sectors. The Fund is designed to address the region’s structural financing gap by supporting commercially viable enterprises that drive economic growth.
ARM Private Debt Fund is a specialized private credit investment vehicle focused on providing flexible debt capital to scalable small- and middle-market businesses with historical positive cash-flow profiles across key African growth sectors. The Fund is designed to address the region’s structural financing gap by supporting commercially viable enterprises that drive economic growth.
ARM Private Debt Fund is a specialized private credit investment vehicle focused on providing flexible debt capital to scalable small- and middle-market businesses with historical positive cash-flow profiles across key African growth sectors. The Fund is designed to address the region’s structural financing gap by supporting commercially viable enterprises that drive economic growth.
ARM Private Debt Fund is a specialized private credit investment vehicle focused on providing flexible debt capital to scalable small- and middle-market businesses with historical positive cash-flow profiles across key African growth sectors. The Fund is designed to address the region’s structural financing gap by supporting commercially viable enterprises that drive economic growth.
ARM Private Debt Fund is a specialized private credit investment vehicle focused on providing flexible debt capital to scalable small- and middle-market businesses with historical positive cash-flow profiles across key African growth sectors. The Fund is designed to address the region’s structural financing gap by supporting commercially viable enterprises that drive economic growth.
ARM Private Debt Fund is a specialized private credit investment vehicle focused on providing flexible debt capital to scalable small- and middle-market businesses with historical positive cash-flow profiles across key African growth sectors. The Fund is designed to address the region’s structural financing gap by supporting commercially viable enterprises that drive economic growth.
ARM Private Debt Fund is a specialized private credit investment vehicle focused on providing flexible debt capital to scalable small- and middle-market businesses with historical positive cash-flow profiles across key African growth sectors. The Fund is designed to address the region’s structural financing gap by supporting commercially viable enterprises that drive economic growth.
ARM Private Debt Fund is a specialized private credit investment vehicle focused on providing flexible debt capital to scalable small- and middle-market businesses with historical positive cash-flow profiles across key African growth sectors. The Fund is designed to address the region’s structural financing gap by supporting commercially viable enterprises that drive economic growth.
ARM Private Debt Fund is a specialized private credit investment vehicle focused on providing flexible debt capital to scalable small- and middle-market businesses with historical positive cash-flow profiles across key African growth sectors. The Fund is designed to address the region’s structural financing gap by supporting commercially viable enterprises that drive economic growth.
  • what we do

“By providing the right capital at the right time, ARM Private Debt helps unlock the growth potential of Africa’s SMEs, transforming a financing gap into an opportunity for sustainable economic expansion.”

Across Africa, a significant financing gap continues to constrain the growth of otherwise viable small and medium-sized enterprises. ARM Private Debt is established to help bridge this estimated US$400 billion SME funding gap by providing tailored private debt solutions that address both short-term working capital needs and longer-term capital expenditure and expansion requirements.


Through disciplined credit underwriting and flexible structuring, the Fund supports scalable businesses across key African sectors with appropriately sized senior and subordinated debt. By matching capital to cash-flow realities, ARM Private Debt enables portfolio companies to strengthen operations, invest in productive assets, and accelerate sustainable growth, contributing to job creation, financial inclusion, and resilient local economies across the continent.

Investment Rationale

Investment Rationale

ARM Private Debt Fund is a direct lending vehicle positioned to address Africa’s persistent SME credit gap, where substantial unmet demand for non-bank financing generates sustained deal flow for senior secured and structured debt investments across sub-Saharan Africa. Strong demographic trends and growth in consumption-driven, SME-dominated sectors support resilient cash flows, ideal for senior secured lending, with selective subordinated or mezzanine structures used to enhance portfolio returns.

The Fund employs a sector-agnostic deployment strategy to promote diversification across industries and geographies, reducing concentration risk and improving portfolio resilience through uncorrelated exposures. By providing appropriately structured debt capital to scalable SMEs, the Fund seeks to deliver institutional-grade, risk-adjusted returns while embedding measurable development impact through job creation, enterprise formalization, and local economic growth.

Senior secured positions are underpinned by robust collateral packages, covenant protections, conservative leverage, and cash-flow controls to ensure downside protection. Mezzanine debt is used selectively to enhance blended yields without compromising the Fund’s capital preservation mandate.

Target Borrower Profile

ARM Private Debt targets established, formal SMEs and mid-sized companies that demonstrate strong operating fundamentals and measurable growth potential, including:
Target Borrower Profile - ARM Alternative Investments - Rigorous Capital Stewardship for Global Institutions.

Operating History

Minimum of 3+ years with a proven and sustainable cash-flow track record

Scale

US$2–20 million in annual revenues

Leverage

Total leverage of approximately 3.0–4.0x, supported by eligible collateral

Ownership

Priority for women-led and/or women-owned businesses

Business Model

Import substitution, export enhancement, or local value-add activities

Impact Profile

Companies with a strong local footprint and meaningful job creation potential
  • Our Commitment to Sustainability

“At ARM Private Debt, we provide capital that empowers African SMEs, drives job creation, supports industrial innovation, and builds resilient, inclusive economies—creating lasting impact for communities and the continent.”

At ARM Private Debt, sustainability guides everything we do. We provide growth capital to high-potential African SMEs, driving job creation, wage growth, and economic empowerment, helping to reduce poverty (UN SDG 1). Nearly half of our workforce is women, and we actively support women-led businesses to advance gender equality (UN SDG 5).

Leveraging our expertise in SME lending, we provide capital that boosts productivity, accelerates business growth, and generates employment across key sectors such as trade, manufacturing, and infrastructure. By supporting industrial innovation and inclusive economic development (UN SDG 9), we promote sustainable growth and decent work opportunities throughout the continent (UN SDG 8), while closing critical funding gaps and creating measurable impact. In addition, we are expanding our focus on affordable and clean energy solutions to advance Africa’s energy transition (UN SDG 7).
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