June 29th, 2026

FINAS 2026 is a buildup of the conversations and momentum that formed the FINAS 2025 dialogue.

The 2025 summit was marked by key action areas spanning inclusive finance, strengthening farmer cooperatives, the policy and regulatory environment, de-risking investment in agriculture, leveraging technologies and digitalisation, innovative research partnerships and collaboration, capacity building and knowledge sharing. Stakeholders have continuously engaged in conversations around these action areas, and the outcomes will contribute significantly to the FINAS 2026 agenda. 

The FINAS 2026 dialogue aims to showcase progress since FINAS 2025, highlighting achievements, recommendations, and next steps. The conversations will also explore emerging developments in the agricultural financing sector. FINAS 2026 will provide a platform to foster B2B and B2C relationships with agricultural financing solution providers, while recognising innovation and excellence in the sector. 

Below are highlights of the sessions that FSD Kenya is participating in. 

Keynote address (Main plenary): Finance as a lever for change: Channeling finance, investments and innovation towards positive social & ecological outcomes 

Tuesday, 30th June 2026 | 08:10 AM – 08:30 AM 

Speaker: Rashmi Pillai, CEO, FSD Kenya 

Africa’s financial system reaches farmers for almost everything except the harvest.

That was the argument at the heart of the opening keynote at FINAS 2026, delivered by FSD Kenya CEO Rashmi Pillai. The conference, convened by Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and the FINAS Secretariat, runs under the theme “towards a sustainable financial architecture for Africa’s food systems.”

Rashmi’s keynote was built around the case study of Mwende, a farmer from Makueni who grows food for households in Machakos, Nairobi and Mombasa. Mwende can borrow within minutes for a phone or school fees, but struggles to find finance for a drip line, certified seed or storage that would let her hold onions until prices recover. The problem isn’t a lack of finance so much as finance that doesn’t fit how farming works.

Click here to read Rashmi’s full FINAS 2026 opening keynote. 

Click here to watch the recording of Rashmi’s full FINAS 2026 opening keynote.  

Side event: Unpacking carbon finance in the context of article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement 

Tuesday, 30th June 2026 | 11:30 AM – 01:00 PM 

Host: FSD Kenya

FSD Kenya, in partnership with Article Six Group, is undertaking an assessment and strategic review of Kenya’s carbon markets. This assessment, conducted in coordination with Kenya’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, will develop a strategy to leverage carbon finance and bring more climate investment into the country.

This side event, titled Unpacking carbon finance in the context of article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, presented the research findings to a cross-section of developers, policymakers, investors and technical partners, followed by a roundtable discussion evaluating how challenges to Kenya’s carbon market can be addressed.

Click here for the presentation made during the side event.  

Side event: Leveraging wholesale lending to advance financial inclusion in the agricultural sector 

Tuesday, 30th June 2026 | 11:30 AM – 01:00 PM 

Hosts: AFRACA, CBK, AFC, FSD Kenya, BIMAS Kenya, GIRSAL Ltd., Aceli Africa 

Side event: Embedding insurance into agricultural lending: De-risking and scaling climate-resilient, inclusive finance for crop and livestock systems 

Tuesday, 30th June 2026 | 02:40 PM

Hosts: UNDP Insurance & Risk Finance Facility, ILRI, FSD Kenya, FSD Africa 

Side event: Lessons from FSD Kenya’s County Green Investment Facility (CGIF): Decentralised climate finance innovation 

Wednesday, 1st July 2026 | 11:20 AM – 01:00 PM 

Host: FSD Kenya 

Agriculture, forestry and fishing made up about 23.2% of Kenya’s GDP in 2025, the country’s largest economic sector and the source of livelihoods for 40% of Kenyans, according to the latest KNBS Economic Survey.

Sustaining that output now depends on investment in the infrastructure that underpins it: water and irrigation, agro-processing, renewable energy, storage and waste management.

This session examined green infrastructure as an economic asset rather than an environmental cost, and what it takes to build a pipeline of county projects ready for commercial, blended and development finance. It draws on FSD Kenya’s County Green Project Preparation Facility, whose assessments across 10 counties identified agriculture, water, renewable energy and value addition as priorities for green investment.

Speakers discussed  preparing bankable projects and unlocking finance for county food systems and agricultural value chains.

Side event: Strengthening pathways to financial inclusion for young agripreneurs: Transforming agri-food systems and economies 

Wednesday, 1st July 2026 | 11:20 AM – 01:00 PM 

Hosts: MESPT, The ONE Campaign, FSD Kenya 

Click here for a summary of discussions at the side event.

Summary deck – Green finance for youth employment -A food systems analysis of 14 counties in Kenya​

Deal room: Catalysing green finance for food systems

Thursday, 2nd July 2026 | 09:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Hosts: FSD Kenya, FCDO (convened by SUED Program) 

FSD Kenya, as Managing Agent of the UK Government funded Sustainable Urban Economic Development Programme, hosted a focused SUED Deal Room during FINAS 2026. The session was designed to introduce investors to a curated set of growth-oriented companies operating in Kenya’s secondary cities and local value chains.

The Deal Room was intended to move beyond general discussion. It gave investors a direct view of six companies seeking growth capital, commercial finance and strategic partnerships. Each company presented its business model, market opportunity, traction, funding requirement, impact case and key risks. The session also created a structured route for post-event follow-up, including investor introductions, access to further information and potential one-to-one discussions.

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