The true value of ecosystems is high on the this month’s UN biodiversity summit in Montreal. This is also increasingly relevant to the financial sector, argues a new report by ASN Bank and the Foundation for Sustainable Development
Big capital is gradually entering the impact investment space but is it translating into big impact? One of the many key issues at debate at last week’s Impact Investor Conference in Amsterdam.
Save the Children is one of the first international NGOs to run its own social impact fund. Paul Ronalds, founder of Save the Children’s Global Ventures, talks about the “next level” in charity fundraising
After the pandemic, are we going back to the ‘old normal world’ or do wo use it as a portal to a ‘next normal’? And if so, how will this ‘next normal world’ look like?
Recently-introduced EU regulation affecting crowdfunding platforms is shaking up the sector, increasing competition and allowing licensed providers to operate and raise funds internationally
Microfinance has recently come under fire for failing to protect borrowers and lacking standardised policies. Social Performance Task Force’s Jurgen Hammer speaks out in defence of the sector
As The Currency Exchange Fund (TCX) marks its 15th anniversary, we talk to CEO Ruurd Brouwer about the growing interest in their solutions to manage currency risks in emerging markets, and the absence of competition
A blended finance programme initiated by the UK government, with Dutch development bank FMO as a partner, aims to ramp up investment in the protection and preservation of tropical forests
Private sector funding will be critical to scale up the rewilding of Europe’s peatland to a point that it can really make a difference for nature and climate. Rewilding Europe takes up the challenge
A new study on ESG trends by Capital Preferences shows gap between investors’ high interest in sustainability and their lack of confidence in their own portfolios being aligned with their sustainability preferences and values
Investing in Latin America’s startups is terra incognita for most European impact investors. Attracting capital for the ‘missing middle’ in the region is a challenge but also a great opportunity, according to Social Nest Foundation
The EU has put forward legislation that, if adopted without amendment, could mean the end for some impact investment funds. Impact investors are calling on EU legislators to correct a fatal flaw in the proposal
Commonland transforms degraded landscapes into thriving ecosystems and communities. Its holistic approach focuses on large-scale, long-term restoration initiatives that integrate ecology, land use and business
As the first asset manager worldwide to measure the biodiversity footprint of its funds, ASN Impact Investors’ main focus is on restoring nature. CEO San Lie challenges other asset managers to do the same
Rabobank’s Acorn program aims to unlock the international carbon market for smallholder farmers in developing economies, with the use of agroforestry and the latest technologies for carbon sequestration monitoring
Phyllis Costanza, CEO of the Swiss-based UBS Optimus Foundation, expects new social finance approaches including blended and outcomes-based tools to help mobilise more capital towards SDGs this year
As the world moves from one crisis to the next, how should investors respond? From climate change to Covid, to the unfolding war in Ukraine, investors have a crucial role to play, delegates at the Phenix Capital’s Impact Summit Europe heard
The drinking water sector in emerging economies is investment-ready but impact investors are still becoming acquainted with it. Non-profit Aqua for All is backing a new blended finance equity fund, in a move they hope might inspire others
The Partnership for Biodiversity Accounting Financials is developing a new accounting standard which they hope will make it easier for financial institutions to assess and disclose the impact on biodiversity of their loans and investments
SECO’s Liliana de Sá Kirchknopf explains how Switzerland is mobilising more private capital for developing countries aligned with the SDGs, and announces the first call for proposals under a new impact finance initiative
The launch of the first Sierra Leonean leone synthetic bond, highlights the importance of mobilising international capital into frontier-market currencies, as a tool to reduce the reliance of local borrowers on the dollar
Accounting and financing are catalysts for the transition from a linear to a circular economy. Circle Economy’s Aglaia Fischer tells Impact Investor why the transition will require a new way of thinking about how we do business
The Education Outcomes Fund aims to transform the lives of 10 million children by taking the concept of outcomes-based education programmes to a global scale. Impact investors will pay a key role in this innovative approach
Direct cash transfers organisation 100Weeks offers women living in extreme poverty temporary cash support and financial training to promote sustainable livelihoods Direct cash transfer organisation 100Weeks is built on a simple concept. Sending as little as €8 a week for almost two years to women in Africa can lift them out of extreme poverty. But how […]
Investors can play a key role in funding solutions to water problems but a lack of global standards to measure water impact remains a barrier. Water did not get enough attention at the climate change conference in Glasgow, experts argue. The way that climate change affects human beings is almost entirely through water – either […]
Accounting for impact is notoriously difficult. Methodologies vary from one investor to the next. Impact investing, however, can only scale if they adopt harmonised standards. In a short series, we look at progress made in different sectors.
After years of negotiations, a deal on the rules governing global trading in carbon offsets was reached at COP26. Barbara Baarsma, CEO of Rabo Carbon Bank, expects a strong surge in demand for high-quality carbon credits.
To scale carbon trading the Voluntary Carbon Market will have to become more transparent, providing investors with clearer means for evaluating investment opportunities.
Voluntary carbon markets can help to achieve more ambitious climate mitigation commitments, says a new report, as well as significantly scaled-up flows of finance to developing countries. Will negotiators at COP26 take notice?
Deforestation, forest degradation and unsustainable land use make up roughly a quarter of the world’s CO2 emissions. WWF’s issue lead for forests and climate at the upcoming UN climate conference is calling all hands on deck.
Do impact bonds live up to their promise as an efficient financier of social services? Probably – but there is no conclusive proof, says a leading research economist into the instrument.
In the slipstream of the hugely popular green bonds, social bonds are now also reaching record levels. So what makes the recently launched $177.5mn social bond ‘Financing for Healthier Lives’ special?
It’s a new buzzword in Brussels. Social outcome contracting is seen by the European Commission as a tool for orchestrating social change, with the potential to unlock large amounts of private investment.
The clue is in its name: the Brabant Outcomes Fund pays investors a return based on performance. In fundraising for a new €20mn fund, the BOF is trying to find private investors’ sweet spot.
