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Aadhyanta, a leading private equity and venture capital (PEVC) firm, has invested Rs. 2 Crore into DV Excellus, an innovative agri-fintech company. This funding will further empower smallholder farmers across Nepal through DV Excellus' flagship platform, KHETI, with collateral-free loans of up to NPR 200,000 from NMB Bank, a bank committed to sustainability and smallholder growth. The KHETI app is a one-stop solution that empowers farmers by providing access to agricultural services and financial products, enabling them to purchase quality inputs and transition to commercial farming.
The investment marks a milestone achievement for the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) funded Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness (CASA) programme implemented by Swisscontact in Nepal, which has been a catalyst for attracting PEVC investments into high-impact agribusinesses. DV Excellus’s platform KHETI, was showcased during the Investment Tourism event organized by CASA in December 2022, where PEVC firms and agribusinesses engaged in a transformative dialogue. Since then, CASA has been working with DV Excellus to provide tailored technical assistance to make it investment-ready.
Agriculture contributes nearly 30% to Nepal's GDP, yet it faces numerous challenges, with many farmers struggling to access affordable financing and quality inputs. Agri-fintech platforms like KHETI, which offer collateral-free financing, can play a crucial role in bridging this gap and supporting farmers in overcoming these barriers.
The NPR 2 Cr investment will directly impact smallholder farmers, enabling them to access collateral-free loans up to NPR 200,000, Improve productivity through quality inputs and technology and transition from subsistence to commercial farming, boosting incomes and resilience.
The partnership between Aadhyanta, DV Excellus, and CASA highlights how targeted investments and capacity-building efforts can unlock the immense potential of Nepal’s agriculture sector. It underscores the critical role of PEVC in bridging the funding gap in financial institutions, while also providing ongoing, tailored support. As Nepal continues to develop its agri-fintech landscape, initiatives like this are poised to drive growth in the challenging agricultural sector, offering new hope for smallholder farmers working towards a better future.