Episode 5: Learnings from blended finance in the agriculture sector with Bram Spann, Regional Lead for Asia at the Rabo Foundation
The Blended Finance PodcastShow Notes
In this episode, we speak with Bram Spann, Regional Lead for Asia at the Rabo Foundation. The Rabo Foundation is an impact funder focused on the agriculture and food systems sector, investing globally. India is its largest market by investment, where it has been providing trade finance, term loans, debt facilities, working capital facilities, credit guarantees, and grants, and many of these services are integrated into broader blended finance structures. Bram shares his extensive experience investing in India and other Asian countries and discusses his efforts to support smallholder farmers throughout the agricultural value chain.
If you are someone in the agricultural sector and doing incredible work, please reach out to Bram Spann on LinkedIn.
Time stamps:
1:55: Bram’s introduction and his career at Rabobank and Rabo Foundation
6:07: Rabo Foundation’s strategy over the years and their current work in India and globally
9:15: Rabo Foundation’s flagship program and how they’ve partnered with several key stakeholders and network partners to enhance the program’s impact
12:50: How network partners have helped the Foundation to cover more ground and enhance capabilities of the asset classes through technical assistance
14:45: Example of other blended finance transactions focusing on other impact areas alongside agriculture such as gender and climate
17:45: Key ingredients required for a successful blended finance transaction at scale based on Bram’s experience
22:48: Rabo’s criteria for evaluating and onboarding new projects and what makes a project across the agri value chain click amongst the several proposals they receive
29:52: Similarities and differences between India and other markets such as that of SouthEast Asia
32:40: How Rabo foundation plans to scale their operations to support the world’s 25% smallholder farmers in India
35:20: What developments in the broader Indian ecosystem will benefit blended finance transactions and help the Foundation achieve their goals faster
More from The Blended Finance Podcast
In this episode, we speak with Paddy Carter, Head of Development Economics at British International Investment, about the economics of blended finance. Drawing on a background spanning financial journalism, equities analysis, and research roles at the Overseas Development Institute and the Centre for Global Development, Paddy discusses how to think about subsidy in the broadest economic sense, the core logic behind the MDB-DFI principles for concessional finance, and what it takes to judge whether a market is ready for commercial capital.
In this episode, we speak with Nikki Kemp, Executive Director at the Singapore Green Finance Centre, about what it will take to mobilise capital for Asia’s transition. Drawing on her background across institutional banking and sustainable finance advisory, Nikki discusses what transition finance means beyond funding assets that are already green, why the diversity of Asia’s economies and energy systems makes this work complex, and why a just transition needs to hold jobs and development alongside emissions reduction.
In this episode, we speak with Karanraj Chaudri, Regional Specialist at UNDP Asia-Pacific and Sustainable Finance Advisor at UNDP in India, about the evolving role of blended and innovative financing mechanisms in advancing climate and development outcomes. From private sector engagement and SDG financing to climate-smart agriculture credit and resilience-focused investments, the conversation explores what it takes to move beyond one-off transactions toward long-term market development and scalable sustainable finance ecosystems.
In this episode of The Blended Finance Podcast, we speak with Manjula Singh, Executive Director, India at the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). Drawing on over 25 years of leadership across health, education, skilling, and gender, Manjula reflects on her career journey and shares insights on outcomes-based financing in India. The conversation covers the Skill Impact Bond, CIFF's investments in girls and women, the role of philanthropy in OBF, and what it will take to move from successful pilots to genuine scale.
In this episode, we speak with Charlie Langdale, CEO of Humanity Insured, to discuss how insurance can serve as a tool for climate resilience rather than just risk transfer. From its origins at COP26 to on-the-ground projects protecting displaced communities, farming households, and urban workers across 20+ countries, Charlie walks us through the practicalities of making parametric insurance work for people who have never had a financial safety net. The conversation explores what blended finance and concessional capital can unlock, where parametric insurance hits its limits, and what needs to change in policy and funding to reach the 3.6 billion people living on the climate frontline.