Bird & Bird has advised the Tokyo-based holding company dedicated to inclusive financial services Gojo & Company, Inc. in relation to its strategic acquisition of a minority stake of 16.4% in Baobab Group, a leading financial services provider to MSMEs on the African continent.
Beyond enabling Gojo to expand into the African continent for the first time, this strategic investment marks an important milestone in providing access to financial services for underserved populations, reinforcing Gojo's and Baobab's commitment to financial inclusion.
One of the major pan-African microfinance groups, Baobab, founded in 2005, has presence in seven African countries including Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal. In addition to loan products - including micro-loans – Baobab offers savings products, payment solutions and insurance products, enabling more than 460,000 clients in 2023 to build comprehensive financial security.
Gojo & Company, Inc. was advised by Bird & Bird, with a team comprising Boris Martor, lead partner, Stan Andreassen, partner, Chloé Montmory, Alexandra Esmel, Sam Durand and Sébastien Hoff.
The Sellers (Maj Invest) and were assisted by Aramis in particular Abry Le Bouar, Raphaël Mellerio, Gaëtan Le Page.
