Our Group

Our Convictions

 

Our ambition is to push the boundaries of financial inclusion even further by financing SME in Africa:artisans, producers, traders, and farmers, all driven by a common entrepreneurial spirit. Our goal is to build a network of leading financial institutions that supports the growth of local businesses, promotes job creation and retention, and improves the standard of living for clients, thus contributing to the economic and social development of the continent through the strengthening of the private sector.

 

Our Mission

To meet the financial service needs of small local businesses and people who have inadequate access to financial services, by offering them sustainable and responsible financial solutions.

Our Values

Open

to All

Everyone deserves a chance. We open our doors to those who are underserved by traditional financial services, offering them tailored, simple, and accessible services to help them achieve their projects. We provide opportunities to all our employees based solely on their merit, without any discrimination.

Committed

to a Lasting Impact

We are committed to providing quality service in a responsible and professional manner. We strive to build a better future for our clients and employees, and more broadly, for the communities in which we operate.

Entrepreneurial

in what we do

We encourage the entrepreneurial spirit of our clients and collaborators. We support their determination to succeed, their ability to turn obstacles into opportunities, to push boundaries, and to take initiatives both individually and collectively.

Innovative

in our approach

We develop our collective creativity to effectively meet the needs of our clients and find innovative solutions to the challenges posed by our mission. We evaluate, test, and refine our solutions to ensure they remain client-centric.

Our beliefs in action: measuring our impact

Our values truly come to life through tangible results. Discover how they translate into concrete action, and help build financial inclusion with us by joining our teams.

Advans in Key Dates

1990 – Creation of Horus

Horus provided services in the field of development financing through short-term consulting missions with donors, governments, and financial institutions (banks and MFIs). As an expert in international microfinance and SME financing in Africa, Horus was gradually called upon to provide longer-term technical assistance to microfinance programs and financial institutions,

including initiatives focused on microfinance for women.

 

2005 – Creation of Advans

In 2005, HORUS Development Finance brought together a group of international Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) to create Advans SA SICAR, an investment company aimed at accelerating financial inclusion through the creation of new international microfinance institutions, particularly in Africa, and by taking equity stakes in existing institutions that share the same values. IFC, KfW, BII, AFD Group, EIB, and FMO have supported Advans for nearly 20 years. 

2007 – 2017

Advans expanded across Africa and Asia, gradually establishing its presence in Cameroon, Ghana, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Tunisia, and finally Pakistan and Myanmar in 2017. The Group also becomes majority shareholder of Amret in Cambodia. Advans served more than one million clients across its international network. 

2022 – Launch of Air+

Air+ is Advans’ digital transformation program aimed at replacing current IT systems and solutions, while adopting harmonized and standardized processes. The primary objective is to make life easier for our clients, both in terms of loan subscription and the day-to-day management of their financial operations, especially for clients located far from our branches, through innovative digital solutions. This digital transformation also provides our subsidiaries and all of their employees with digital solutions that enable more reliable management of their activities, better tracking of operations, and an overall improvement in productivity. 

2024 – Refocusing on Africa

Since its creation, Advans has disbursed nearly EUR 14 billion in loans from Southeast Asia to West Africa. The Group reaches a turning point in its development, completing a strategic refocus on the African continent, where there is still much to be done to advance financial inclusion, particularly microfinance for women and rural entrepreneurs while also supporting financing climate change adaptation. Advans divests from its three Asian subsidiaries: Advans Pakistan, Amret (Cambodia), and Advans Myanmar. Learn all about Advans’ progress in its 2024 Impact Report.

2025 – Advans celebrates its 20th anniversary!

Twenty years of financial inclusion mean twenty years of human adventures, challenges, and resilience. For our Group, this anniversary is an important milestone, but it takes on even greater meaning when we think of the 400,000 borrowers who have been able to develop their businesses thanks to our institutions in North, West, and Central Africa; the 900,000 depositors who have placed their trust in us; or the 2,500 young people under 25 recruited and trained throughout our network. 

These figures reflect a simple reality: together, we are nurturing local entrepreneurship through microfinancing in Africa and advancing financial inclusion. And the journey continues… 

Board of Directors

The board of directors of Advans is composed of experts with diverse profiles and solid experience in the financial services sector. It is responsible for managing Advans SA in accordance with its articles of association and Luxembourg law. Advans SA has also established committees to support the board: the Audit and Risk Committee, and the Human Resources and Governance Committee. A Social Performance Officer has also been appointed within the Board.

Cyrille Arnould

Chairman of the Board

Mariam Djibo

Board member

Claude Falgon

Board Member

Jan Schroeder-Hohenwarth

Board member

Executive Committee

The support services of the Advans group are based at Advans International in Paris. Business lines and strong group departments have been created to guide and support the development of its international microfinance network of subsidiaries. Advans International supports, supervises, and establishes standards for the group by providing subsidiaries with advice, resources, and expertise.

Advans is committed to promoting responsible financial inclusion and ensuring the protection of its customers, in accordance with the standards of the Customer Protection Framework. In 2025, Advans Tunisia and Advans Côte d’Ivoire received Gold and Silver certifications, respectively. The group aims to achieve certification for all of its subsidiaries by the end of 2026. Learn more about our commitment on our Impact page.

Steven Duchatelle

CEO

Grégoire Danel-Fedou

DCEO – Finance

Estelle Darie-Rousseaux

DCEO – Operations

Gaël Briot

Directeur Business Solutions Director

Brieuc Cardon

Business Development Director

Laurent Clauser

Risk and Audit Director

Legal and Financial Structure

Advans SA is an investment company registered in Luxembourg and supervised by the CSSF. Advans SA invests in the creation and development of microfinance institutions alongside co-shareholders who share the same values. As a majority or principal shareholder, Advans SA invests for the long term to provide capital to its subsidiaries and facilitate their growth through loans and guarantees. Advans SA actively participates in the governance of these institutions.

Management 

35,5%

Advans New Horizons 

Management & Staff

24,3%

Agir pour l’Entrepreneuriat 

16,1%

SC Nouvelles Athenes Patrimoine

12,3%

Gallouet Participations et Conseils

11,8%