Carlyle announced a $250 million partnership with FarmOp Capital, a provider of farm operating loans in the U.S., aimed at increasing access to flexible financing for independent row crop farmers.
Under this agreement, Carlyle will purchase newly issued loans from FarmOp, allowing the latter to expand its loan origination capacity. FarmOp Capital employs innovative, crop insurance-backed underwriting models, rather than traditional balance sheet assessments, to provide scalable capital and flexibility for farmers.
Keir Renick, CEO of FarmOp Capital, noted that this partnership will drive growth and stability for both the company and its customers. Akhil Bansal, Head of Asset-Backed Finance at Carlyle, praised FarmOp’s unique platform that combines technology and innovation to support farmers.
The transaction was executed by Carlyle Asset-Backed Finance, which focuses on private fixed income and asset-backed investments.
Advisors: Paul Hastings served as the legal advisor to Carlyle in connection with the transaction, while Mayer Brown served as the legal advisor to FarmOp Capital.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are extremely excited to begin working with Carlyle because it really represents not only new, extensive growth for FarmOp Capital and our customers, but also our stability and longevity in the industry. Partnering with Carlyle will allow FarmOp Capital to continue bringing operating loans to farmers but also innovate new products and offerings to help our customers and partners throughout the agriculture industry.”
Keir Renick, CEO, FarmOp Capital
“We are thrilled to partner with FarmOp Capital, a differentiated platform in the agricultural finance space bringing together technology, credit discipline, and farmer-first innovation. This investment reflects our continued commitment to scaling asset-backed finance across specialized sectors, leveraging Carlyle’s structuring expertise and industry insight to support innovative platforms with high-quality, collateral-backed credit.”
Akhil Bansal, Head of Asset-Backed Finance at Carlyle
“At Carlyle, we recognize the critical role that working capital plays in sustaining independent U.S. farmers. Through this partnership, we’re proud to expand access to flexible financing for growers who have historically lacked suitable credit options.”
Gregory Gudis, a Principal on Carlyle’s Asset-Backed Finance team
