Goldfinch International and Fablemill Launch Creative Economy Advisory Platform Targeting Global South (EXCLUSIVE)

Goldfinch International and Fablemill have formed a strategic advisory partnership aimed at governments, sovereign wealth funds and institutional investors developing creative economies across MENA, Asia and Africa.

The platform is structured around four disciplines: government policy and incentive design, institutional investment advisory, local creative enterprise development and go-to-market support for international entrants. Goldfinch International – the advisory and ecosystem-building arm of Goldfinch, a London-based independent film finance and production group – brings a structured finance track record of more than $300 million deployed across 300-plus projects, a 0% default rate and an 11%–13% internal rate of return. Fablemill, a Middle East-based creative industries consultancy and production outfit, contributes regional networks across MENA built through more than 40 delivered engagements, with senior strategy expertise drawn from the ranks of McKinsey, Roland Berger and Arthur D. Little.

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“We went into emerging markets to deploy capital and realised the real opportunity was in building the systems that make capital deployable,” said Phil McKenzie, co-founder and COO of Goldfinch. “The policies, the incentive structures, the institutional frameworks. They don’t exist yet in most of the Global South. That’s what this partnership is designed to address.”

The two firms are bringing an existing $20 million emerging markets debt fund – launched in 2025 with Friday Industries – to the joint platform, with approximately $100 million of qualified pipeline at closing. Vault47, a branded content and creator economy venture developed between Goldfinch and Virtue, is cited as a working model for the businesses the platform intends to build across the region.

Active mandates include ongoing work with multiple African governments on creative economy policy, with a significant West African partnership due to be announced at the Cannes Film Festival. Goldfinch International’s previously announced collaboration with Indonesia’s Ministry of Creative Economy will also see further developments disclosed at Cannes. The company is additionally a founding member of the Commonwealth Creative Industries Alliance, a pan-Commonwealth initiative spanning 56 nations, with a public launch targeted for August.

“The next great chapter of global culture is being written across the Global South,” said Eman Alsabah, founder and CEO of Fablemill. “Demographic momentum, digital adoption and bold will are converging to make these regions the most ambitious creative economies in the world.”

During the Cannes Film Festival, Goldfinch International and Fablemill will co-host a private gathering at the harbor convening senior figures from film commissions, government advisory bodies, fund managers, studios and technology founders across MENA, Southeast Asia, Africa and South Asia. The event is sponsored by Parrot Analytics and co-sponsored by the government of Côte d’Ivoire alongside SICA – Salon International du Contenu Audiovisuel d’Abidjan 2026. Goldfinch International founding partners include Fadi Ismail, based in Dubai, and Justin Deimen, based in Singapore. Fablemill is co-founded by Mariam Maki.