Anthony Healy: How a business growth fund partnership between banks & the Government works

There's no reason why a partnership between the Government and banks making equity investments in small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) wouldn't work in New Zealand, says the man who heads up such a fund in Australia.The NZ Government expects the major banks to be in a position soon to decide whether to join it as an investor in a business growth fund (BGF). This comes after last year's Budget proposed a BGF to improve SMEs' access to finance, with up to $100 million earmarked for Crown investment as a minority shareholder alongside banks.Speaking in interest.co.nz's Of Interest podcast, Anthony Healy, CEO and Managing Director of the Australian Business Growth Fund (ABGF), explains how the ABGF works and sets out why he thinks such a fund is easily transferable to NZ. Healy, now based in Melbourne, was CEO of BNZ between 2014 and 2017."There are no differences that I could identify that would suggest the Fund wouldn't work [in NZ]. And I think the banks in New Zealand, their parent banks obviously supported the concept here, so it's not unknown to them," says Healy. "...the economies, the market, the business environment, they're very similar. The banking system's pretty similar."Establishing a BGF was a recommendation made by the Government's Small Business Council in its New Zealand Small Business Strategy in 2019. The ABGF received A$100 million from the Federal Government, A$100 million each from the Aussie parents of ANZ NZ, ASB, BNZ and Westpac NZ, plus A$20 million each from HSBC and Macquarie Group.Healy suggests a $400 million to $500 million BGF feels about the right size for NZ."There are tens of thousands of SMEs that would fit the [investment] profile in New Zealand. They could be in every sector of the economy," he says.In the podcast Healy also talks about how he got involved in the ABGF, getting the banks onboard, why it fills a gap in the investment market, the ABGF's investment process, the returns it seeks, the investments made to date and lots more.You can find all episodes of the Of Interest podcast here. Audio soundtrack opening is licensed from Shutterstock, Track 1219389 Monetization ID TFGEPGEI0LHEIJAI