Energise Africa

Energise Africa is a UK-based impact investment platform operated by Lendahand Ethex Ltd, financing clean-energy businesses (primarily solar) in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2017. The platform operates as an Appointed Representative (AR) of Share In Ltd, which is the directly FCA-authorised principal firm (Share In Ltd FRN 603332; Lendahand Ethex Ltd FRN 776908).

So what this means for an investor: Energise Africa is not directly authorised by the FCA — its regulated activities are carried out under Share In Ltd's authorisation. That affects where regulatory responsibility lies and is relevant to understanding the limits of platform-level protections such as FSCS eligibility.

Energise Africa sources solar and clean-energy companies operating in Sub-Saharan Africa and lists debt instruments (bonds) issued by those companies for retail investors on its platform. The platform undertakes onboarding and project selection, and provides impact reporting (e.g. people reached, CO₂ savings). Investors buy bonds that provide working capital to partner companies; borrowers then repay capital and interest over the life of the bond.

So what this means for an investor: your money is lent to the named issuer via a bond. Repayment depends on the issuing company's cashflows and credit performance — not on the platform — so investor capital is exposed to borrower credit risk and local commercial risks in the project's operating country.

Primary product: retail bonds issued by solar and clean-energy businesses (including PAYG solar, mini-grids and productive-use equipment). Typical tenors are short-to-medium term (months to a few years) and the platform has referenced target interest rates up to c.8% p.a. in marketing materials. Minimum investment is £50 and eligible bonds can be held within an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA).

Fees: no direct transaction or account fees to investors; the platform is paid by issuers (commission reportedly up to 4% of funds raised — unverified against independent sources).

Liquidity: there is no platform-facilitated secondary market. Bonds are generally illiquid until maturity.

Aimed at retail investors interested in impact investing — specifically those who want to support clean-energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa while accepting high capital risk. The FCA classifies investments of this type as high risk; the platform itself warns that investors could lose all of their invested capital.

So what this means for an investor: only consider this platform if you understand and accept (a) borrower credit risk in emerging markets, (b) illiquidity, (c) potential currency and political risk in issuers' jurisdictions, and (d) that Energise Africa does not provide investment advice.

Strengths: clear FCA-style risk disclosure including potential total capital loss and illiquidity; explicit impact focus with reported people-reached and CO₂-saved metrics; IFISA eligibility for tax-free interest on qualifying investments.

Key risks: several issuers have experienced restructurings, partial recoveries or insolvency events producing investor losses (examples documented in the platform's Portfolio Overview include Azuri Luminosa Ltd, Farmerline, iProcure, New Light Africa Ltd and Redavia). Borrower defaults are not covered by FSCS or FOS; FSCS may apply only if Share In Ltd / Energise Africa fails to meet platform-service obligations (e.g. client-money handling). No secondary market; emerging-market political, currency, regulatory and infrastructure risks all bear on recoveries.

Appointed Representative model: Energise Africa is not directly authorised by the FCA — regulatory responsibility for regulated activities rests with Share In Ltd as principal firm.

Documented issuer failures: the platform's own Portfolio Overview records past issuer problems and investor losses, evidencing that credit risk has materialised on multiple occasions.

Fee transparency: the cited "up to 4%" issuer commission is platform-stated; independent corroboration of the precise schedule and its impact on net borrower economics is limited — investors should request full fee disclosure before investing.