Knowledge products provide insights, lessons learned and practical perspectives on financing local SMEs. They include publications such as deep dives, impact newsletters, and other knowledge publications that highlight themes, trends, impact, and innovative approaches.
Deep dives
Image: © DGGF
Access to finance is essential for SME growth, but capital alone is often not enough. A new Knowledge Transfer Deep Dive, developed by Steward Redqueen on behalf of DGGF – Financing local SMEs, shows how the combination of funding and knowledge support plays a critical role in strengthening businesses across emerging markets.
Read the full deep dive here.
[30-04-2026]
Reports
Beyond financial support, DGGF also relies on non-financial support, such as the transfer of knowledge from DGGF and its investees to SMEs. This Deep Dive aims to surface SME-level insights to understand how knowledge transfer from DGGF’s funds has contributed to the systemic outcomes for SMEs, as outlined in DGGF’s Theory of Change (ToC). By leveraging a survey and multiple interviews with selected SMEs and fund managers, the study answers the main research question: To what extent do knowledge transfer activities implemented by DGGF’s investee funds contribute directly to SME performance and indirectly to sustainable and inclusive economic growth?
Download the full report here.
[30-04-2026]
Impact newsletters
The DGGF Impact Newsletter updates you on the expected performance of the total portfolio, portfolio highlights and DGGF in action.
This edition
For this edition of the DGGF semi-annual Newsletter, we highlight the impact of targeted investment in entrepreneurs and ecosystems across Combination Countries. Combination Countries refer to priority markets for the Netherlands’ development cooperation agenda, where DGGF uses financing to support local private‑sector and market development in targeted sub-sectors, whilst contributing to Dutch earning capacity.
Download the full newsletter here.
[20-11-2015]
The DGGF Impact Newsletter updates you on the expected performance of the total portfolio, portfolio highlights and DGGF in action.
This edition
The first newsletter of the year is focused on DGGF’s key target groups: fragile states, youth and women entrepreneurs. Over the past three years, the world has gone through unprecedented turbulence from the COVID 19 pandemic to political and economic crises, culminating with the tragic war in Ukraine, which led not only to the loss of many lives, but also to global food and energy crises. As a result, women, youth and entrepreneurs in fragile states have been disproportionately affected. The above impact results show DGGF’s contribution to advancing access to finance and entrepreneurship in frontier markets for these target groups in the past seven years. Given the current times of volatility, it is crucial to adopt lessons learnt and sharpen the focus on fragile states, women and youth. By supporting SMEs in fragile states through (seed) capital investments and tailor-made Technical Assistance, DGGF is making a lasting contribution to improving the financial ecosystems of frontier markets when it is mostly needed.
Download the newsletter here.
[18-01-2023]
The DGGF Impact Newsletter updates you on the expected performance of the total portfolio, portfolio highlights and DGGF in action.
This edition
This second newsletter of the year is focused on a DGGF key focus geographic area: Africa. The Fund is addressing the socioeconomic challenges affecting this continent, especially in light of renewed global obstacles, namely the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as an imminent need to mitigate the vulnerability to climate change. From crucial developmental sectors such as access to water & sanitation and agriculture to ensure food security, to inno- -vative industries such as the so-called blue economy, DGGF is actively making an impact in Africa. The above impact data confirms the breadth of our interventions, reaching multiple levels of impact from financial intermediaries to SMEs and their employees. Finally, DGGF pays particular attention to investing in fragile states, where businesses deal with added challenges, and to transferring knowledge and expertise to SMEs to help them improve their resilience.
Download the newsletter here.
The DGGF Impact Newsletter updates you on the expected performance of the total portfolio, portfolio highlights and DGGF in action.
This edition
Impact investors, accelerators, and angel investors have always played a key role in our portfolio. In the past two years, the global pandemic has proven to be a unique opportunity to accelerate change and find alternative solutions. From hospitals making ends meet when it matters most to agribusinesses strengthening the supply chain, in the first newsletter of 2022, we shine a light on how DGGF investees are helping to find innovative solutions for the complex challenges of our times. We measure our impact contribution by focusing on a set of key performance indicators. DGGF pays particular attention to fragile states, where businesses deal with added challenges. Last but not least, the transfer of expertise to entrepreneurs by DGGF financed intermediaries creates a favorable environment for new ideas to flourish.
Download the newsletter here.
[26-04-2022]
The DGGF Impact Newsletter updates you on the expected performance of the total portfolio, portfolio highlights and DGGF in action.
This edition
In this newsletter we focus on cases of DGGF's additionality to markets and investees that are moving the frontier finance needle. This value-add takes many forms and might manifest itself in line with our inclusive growth ambitions, as exemplified by Fundación Genesis Empresarial and their rural outreach. In other cases, such as portfolio company DeHaat and Omnivore Partners, we celebrate their success in spearheading agritech as a means for impact. We measure our impact from an evidence-based approach for tracking and reporting purposes, using indicators of which some are presented above. To give meaning to these figures requires some additional context. ‘Knowledge transfer’ refers to the transfer of expertise to entrepreneurs by DGGF financed intermediaries. Through this relationship, entrepreneurs increase their knowledge on topics such as financial management, strategy or ESG. BoP stands for Base of the Pyramid, referring to the poorest global socio-economic group living on less than $2.50 per day. ‘Jobs supported’ refers to the amount of people employed by the SMEs financed through our intermediaries. We hope that you will enjoy this read and want to wish you and your loved ones a fantastic holiday season ahead!
Download the newsletter here.
[16-12-2021]
The DGGF Impact Newsletter updates you on the expected performance of the total portfolio, portfolio highlights and DGGF in action.
This edition
In this edition of the DGGF Impact Newsletter, we take a closer look at some fragile markets - such as the Palestinian Territories and Haiti - in the DGGF portfolio and explore how our investees have shown resilience despite their challenging environments.
Download the newsletter here.
[03-09-2021]
This DGGF Impact Newsletter edition covers our impact in fragile states and highlights our efforts in Liberia, the Palestinian Territories, Afghanistan, and Mauritius.
Downlaod the newsletter here.
[15-04-2021]
The DGGF Impact Newsletter updates you on portfolio highlights, impact results for gender equality and DGGF in action. This edition also updates you on COVID-19 and its effects.
Download the newsletter here.
[21-12-2020]
The DGGF Impact Newsletter updates you on portfolio highlights, impact results for gender equality and DGGF in action. This edition also updates you on COVID-19 and its effects.
Download the newsletter here.
[30-09-2020]
The DGGF Impact Newsletter updates you on the expected performance of the total portfolio, portfolio highlights and DGGF in action.
This edition
The DGGF Impact Newsletter gives you an impact snapshot and updates you on portfolio highlights and DGGF in action. This edition focuses on COVID-19. As this Q2 newsletter is published, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in considerable disruption in many countries around the globe. Working closely with investees and partners, DGGF remains committed to the goal of improving financial ecosystems for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets. In this newsletter, you will find inspiring stories from the SMEs who are visibly mitigating the impact of COVID-19 in their respective countries.
Download the newsletter here.
[31-05-2020]
The DGGF Impact Newsletter updates you on the expected performance of the total portfolio, portfolio highlights and DGGF in action.
This edition
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in considerable disruption for emerging markets and developing countries on every continent. DGGF is using this time to work closely with our current investee funds and financial institutions, to assist where possible in the navigation of this difficult economic period, and to assess the longer term impacts for the whole portfolio. Through investments and client support, DGGF remains committed to the long-term goal of boosting the financial ecosystems for missing middle SMEs in our target countries.
Download the newsletter here.
[31-03-2020]