Overview
SolarMarket supports two institutional financing options that can be enabled on your offers:
- FI Financing — a registered bank or microfinance institution lends the buyer money to purchase your product. The institution pays you upfront; the buyer repays them in instalments.
- RBF (Revenue-Based Financing) — a government programme or donor fund subsidises the buyer's purchase price on eligible products. The subsidy reduces what the buyer pays; you receive the full price less the subsidy you configure.
Both are optional and independent — you can enable FI only, RBF only, both, or neither. See also Hire Purchase (HP) for your own in-house instalment scheme.
FI Financing
What FI Financing Means for Buyers
When FI is enabled on your offer, a buyer requesting a quotation for your product can select an approved financial institution programme at checkout. The institution reviews the buyer's application (often within a few business days), and if approved, disburses the loan amount to SolarMarket, which then releases payment to you. The buyer then repays the bank in monthly instalments according to the loan agreement — you are not involved in that collection.
For sellers, FI means:
- You receive payment upfront (from the institution), not in instalments
- You are shielded from buyer default risk — that is the institution's concern
- Buyers with steady income but limited savings can afford your products
Prerequisite: FI Partnership Approval
You cannot enable FI financing on an offer unless your shop has an approved partnership with at least one financial institution on SolarMarket.
If the FI toggle on your offer form is greyed out or disabled, your shop does not yet have an approved FI partnership. To get started:
- Navigate to My Shop → Financing Eligibility (or
/seller/financing/eligibility) - Review the available financial institution programmes
- Apply for the programmes relevant to your product categories
- Wait for admin to process your application. You will receive a notification when approved.
- Return to your offer form — the FI toggle will now be available.
Enabling FI on an Offer
Once your shop has at least one approved FI partnership, tick the "Allow FI Financing" checkbox in the Financing section of the offer form. That is the only step required on the offer side — the rest is handled at the quotation and application level when buyers express interest.
The FI checkbox does not tie the offer to a specific institution. When a buyer requests a quotation, they choose which approved FI programme they want to apply to. Your eligibility (approved partnerships) determines which programmes are offered to the buyer.
RBF — Revenue-Based Financing (Government/Donor Subsidy Programmes)
What RBF Is
RBF stands for Revenue-Based Financing. On SolarMarket, RBF programmes are typically government energy access funds or donor-backed subsidy schemes (for example, the Uganda Energy Credit Capitalisation Company — UECCC — and EASP) that reduce the purchase price for eligible buyers on qualifying solar products.
The seller enters a subsidy amount on the offer (either a flat UGX reduction or a percentage). At checkout, the subsidy is deducted from what the buyer pays. You receive your offer price minus the subsidy — the programme reimburses the difference through an agreed payout mechanism.
How to Enable RBF on an Offer
In the Financing section, tick "Enable RBF Subsidy". Three fields appear:
RBF Plan
A dropdown listing the currently active RBF plans on the platform. Plans may include programme names such as "UECCC — Uganda Energy Credit Capitalisation", "EASP", or others approved by SolarMarket admin. Select the plan your product qualifies for.
Each plan may have an expiry date shown in the dropdown (e.g. "Expires: 31 Dec 2026"). Plans past their expiry date are marked accordingly — if you select one, no subsidy will be applied at checkout regardless of the amount you enter. Keep this in mind when renewing offers or checking your existing offers' RBF settings.
Subsidy Type
Choose how the subsidy is expressed:
- Fixed Amount (UGX) — a flat deduction from the buyer's price (e.g. UGX 200,000 off)
- Percentage (%) — a percentage of the buyer-payable cash price (e.g. 15% off)
Subsidy Value
Enter the amount or percentage. The form shows a real-time preview:
- Estimated Subsidy Amount (UGX) — what the buyer saves
- Effective Price After Subsidy — what the buyer actually pays
These are read-only calculation previews and update instantly as you type.
Your offer price: UGX 800,000 → With 10% commission → Buyer cash price: UGX 880,000
RBF Plan: UECCC
Subsidy Type: Percentage
Subsidy Value: 20%
Preview shows: Estimated Subsidy = UGX 176,000 — Effective Price = UGX 704,000
The buyer pays UGX 704,000. The programme reimburses the UGX 176,000 difference through the payout arrangement you have with the programme.
What Happens When an RBF Plan Expires
If the RBF plan you selected on an offer reaches its expiry date, the subsidy stops applying automatically — even if the offer is still live and active. Buyers will see the full cash price instead of the subsidised price.
You will need to either:
- Select a different active plan if one is available, or
- Untick the RBF toggle to remove the subsidy from the offer
SolarMarket sends a notification when a plan you are enrolled in is approaching expiry. Check your notification centre regularly if you have RBF-enabled offers.
Comparing HP, FI, and RBF
- HP (Hire Purchase) — your own instalment scheme, you manage collections. Best for buyers you know locally, community solar projects, or when you want direct ongoing customer relationships. No third party required.
- FI (Financial Institution) — bank or microfinance pays you upfront. Best for buyers who are salaried employees or have verifiable income (the FI will check). Eliminates your credit risk.
- RBF (Subsidy) — reduces the buyer's price via a programme grant. Best for off-grid products targeting underserved markets where the programme qualifies. You must be enrolled in the programme and have the subsidy reimbursement arrangement in place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Each is independent. A buyer will see all available financing options and choose what works for them. HP, FI, and RBF can co-exist on a single offer without conflict.
Your shop does not yet have an approved financial institution partnership. Go to My Shop → Financing Eligibility to apply for the available programmes. Once admin approves your partnership, the FI toggle becomes available on all your offers.
Eligibility depends on the specific programme. Generally, off-grid solar products (solar home systems, productive use appliances powered by solar) qualify. Products must also meet the programme's quality and specification standards. Contact SolarMarket support or the programme coordinator for a full list of qualifying product categories.
Check whether the RBF plan is still active and not expired — the dropdown shows expiry dates. If the plan is active, confirm that the offer is approved and live (both status=active and moderation_status=approved). If both look correct, contact support with your offer ID and the RBF plan name.
Reimbursement is managed outside SolarMarket between you and the programme (e.g. UECCC pays sellers directly). SolarMarket records the subsidy on the sale for your reporting, but the payout mechanism is part of your programme enrolment agreement. Contact your programme coordinator for reimbursement timelines and procedures.
