The story
BIO was formed in 2001 to fund investment projects in developing and/or emerging countries. BIO invests to help those economies attain some of the Sustainable Development Goals. At the beginning, the company financed regional or local intermediary structures, such as banks and investment funds. This was done to limit BIO's risk, allowing the company to benefit from the experience of more seasoned institutions. In 2004, it broadened its mission to the direct support of local SMEs in order to compensate for the reluctance of commercial banks, which are generally hesitant to finance SME activities. In 2010, BIO’s scope of activities was widened to include the funding of private infrastructure.
From Wikipedia’s article on Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3