
About Our Firm
SD Capital Advisory Ltd was founded in 2017 with a core team experienced in the mining sector and attracted by the opportunities provided by Export Credit Agency led funding for mining projects. The firm was initially built around corporate finance and investment banking skills supplemented by geological inputs. We have subsequently added to the team by bringing in process engineering and battery metals expertise whilst strengthening our financial modelling and credit analysis.
We work in conjunction with GKB Ventures which was founded in 2015 by Gabriel Buck the former Global Head of the Barclays Capital Export and Trade Finance division, the largest in the banking world at the time. In his first year as an independent, Gabriel won the GTR 2016 Deal of the Year Award for an innovative approach to the funding of Goldfield's Ghana operations.



Filling a Market Gap:
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The banking market is increasingly regulated, volatile and fragmented
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International banks have retrenched from challenging sectors and markets with many pulling out of project finance altogether
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Sponsors are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain support for long-term funding
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SD Capital Advisory Ltd with GKB Ventures Ltd provide a unique combined skill set
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We provide full coverage across debt & equity supporting sponsors through the development stage to financial close
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Leveraging the Export Credit Agencies to provide sponsors with an all-in cost cheaper than the bank or bond markets

We focus on project debt and specialise principally in securing export credit agency led debt funding. We operate as a combined group and from a client’s perspective, as a seamless and fully integrated team, supplementing the sponsor's resources which would otherwise be costly or difficult to acquire.
SD Capital Advisory Ltd covers the:
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Initial Prospect Screening and Evaluation
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Technical & Commercial Analysis
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Pre-Positioning
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IPO & ECA Application Input
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Post-Commitment Support
Our partner GKB Ventures Ltd focusses on:
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Soft Sounding of ECAs
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Sector & Country Limits
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Mandated Lead Arranger Panels
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Firm Commitments
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Negotiation of Coupons & Terms
On the equity side, we work with leading resource brokers or strategic partners well known for their sector focus. Throughout this process, the client is in control – our role is to support and to present the options and their implications.
Conditionalities: We generally aim for a 70:30 debt:equity capital structure for which we require a Bankable Feasibility Study, Equator Compliant ESIA, recognised EPCM contractors with sector and country or regional experience, and credit-worthy off-takers.
Export Credit Agency Overview
Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) are government institutions in major exporting countries that provide direct support to their exporters facilitating international trade through trade finance, bank guarantees and/or direct lending, amongst other services. Through this, ECAs are able to support their domestic economies by eliminating uncertainty around exporting.
ECAs have taken on a greater role since the global financial crisis, providing the necessary support as increasingly risk-adverse private lenders have retreated from export finance.
We work with all major ECAs
Australia

Denmark

Austria

France

Japan

Spain

South Africa

Sweden

Belgium
Canada
China



Finland
Germany


Netherlands

United Kingdom

South Korea


USA

Italy

Norway

Islamic Countries
