Digital infrastructure and solutions

Digital solutions increase productivity and improve access to products and services, thus promoting and accelerating the achievement of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Building digital infrastructure and developing digital solutions can contribute to solving many global challenges.

Infrastructure investments are needed to enable access to basic mobile services and more affordable and higher speed internet connections across Finnfund’s target regions. This contributes to inclusive growth: World Bank estimates that a 10% increase in mobile internet penetration translates to 2.5% increase in GDP.

Digital solutions increase productivity and improve access to products and services, thus promoting and accelerating the achievement of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. An increase in digital connectivity supports economic growth and facilitates inclusive access to critical services in finance, education and health, and provides possibilities for small businesses to connect with global value chains.

Digital technology also presents an opportunity to narrow gender gaps by enhancing access to welfare services, identification and financial services and information. This can increase privacy, bargaining power, household welfare and female labour force participation.

Finnfund’s investments in digital infrastructure and solutions were 131 million euros (portfolio, commitments and decisions) at the end of 2023 which is 11% of all investments.

Our digital infrastructure focus areas include

Connecting the unconnected: Rural connectivity solutions in areas where there is currently no or very limited connections available.
Improving access to data: Investments in backhaul infrastructure such as fibre. Making data better and more affordable and providing high development impacts.
Infrastructure development: Cellular towers, telecom-energy solutions (T-Esco), data centres.

Our digital solutions investments focus on

Increasing productivity
Improving access to products and services.

Main segments include fintech, e-logistics, e-commerce, healthtech, agtech and edutech.

Investments with impact in Africa, Asia and Latin America

We invest in profitable and high impact businesses within the emerging markets digital value chain, focusing on rural connectivity, access to data and digital solutions that increase productivity and improve access to products and services. We tailor our financing to the needs of each investee. The financing can be in the form of equity, mezzanine financing or debt.

Watch a video: Bridging the gap between digital divide in emerging markets

Finnfund´s Digital Infrastructure and Solutions team is passionate about bridging the gap of the digital divide in emerging markets. We invest in commercially attractive high-impact businesses within the emerging markets’ digital value chain, focusing on connectivity, access to data and digital solutions.