Speakers tackled a diverse range of topics at the event, held at a time of intense innovation to meet the challenges of the drive towards more sustainable farming with nature- and climate-positive impacts.
The network will allow institutional investors and local authorities to collaborate on the development of innovative ways to boost investment in deprived areas of the UK.
Financial reporting on a complex web of nature-related impacts is a step up from climate impact reporting, but the TNFD believes its framework will enable organisations to get the ball rolling.
The Brussels-based investor believes the agri-food technology and bioeconomy sectors are still attractive funding destinations, despite fluctuating market conditions.
The fund will provide growth capital and expertise for companies in consumer-driven sectors, while seeking to maximise impact, promote gender diversity and ensure sustainable growth.
The asset manager has created a high yield fund that qualifies for the EU’s Article 9 label, with the aim to provide a more sustainable investment option for pension funds and insurance companies.
Ahead of this month’s World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London, investors in the sector discuss what startups can do to attract more investors and keep their own finances under control, as borrowing costs soar.
The $122m project provides much needed green energy to Djibouti, which relies on fossil fuel imports to supply ailing power stations, and would have been near-impossible to build without using blended finance.
The funding will allow Ethiopia’s Dashen Bank to provide dollar-denominated loans to farmers and other agricultural businesses seeking to import machinery.
Snowball has invested in the recently closed Aristata Impact Litigation Fund which supports legal action by under-resourced groups, while achieving uncorrelated financial returns
Respondents show optimism over impact investment opportunities, an improved landscape for specialist recruitment and progress towards impact measurement harmonisation, but are less happy about regulatory developments.
The acute need for innovative approaches to the water crises affecting large swathes of the world was debated at last week’s World Water Week in Stockholm.
Legatum is the largest private investor in the $100m SDG Outcomes Fund developed by UBS Optimus Foundation and Bridges Outcomes Partnerships. CEO Mark Stoleson explains why they are backing this blended finance structure.
A risk sharing backstop facility supported by the UK government is running alongside credit guarantees provided by Nigeria’s InfraCredit to make local investment in rural mobile networks more attractive.
The courses offered by the impact investment consultancy aim to provide institutional investors with the tools to tackle the challenges they face in integrating impact investing into their portfolios.
Investments aim to facilitate the adoption of climate-positive technologies by smaller Indian companies, mitigating carbon emissions in one of the world’s largest and most rapidly developing economies.
A study published by Bridgespan Group lays out the challenges that are unique to African-based impact funds and suggests solutions needed to stimulate investment flows.
Pension funds are placing too much reliance on a group of “self-referential” economic advisers rather than seeking out the lates scientific advice on climate change, putting investors’ money at risk, according to report.
A group of clerics, impact investment specialists, academics, journalists and activists are to advise the church on establishing the fund, which will focus to a large degree on investments in communities affected by historic slavery.
CFM, a venture co-owned by FMO, has taken a 32% stake in Release, a Norwegian-owned developer of modular solar energy and battery storage solutions for mines and utilities in off-grid or poorly connected areas of Africa.
The investment will help Mombak to scale up its operational and technology systems, as it implements a $100m strategy to reforest parts of the Amazon basin, generating carbon removal credits by capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The fund, developed by Aristata Capital, supports commercial litigation with high impact social and environmental outcomes brought by claimants with limited financial resources.
The investment is the latest from the Swiss investor’s second Sustainable Food-Asia fund and supports a company that has established itself as a key player in Indonesia’s aquaculture sector in less than a decade.
The collaborative grouping of standards setters and impact tool providers has published new guidance and tools designed to drive faster adoption of wide-ranging impact management.
The investment team said the fund would invest in up to 35 companies globally, whose activities help improve well-being and inclusion, and support the move towards a sustainable economy.
The fund is intended to help narrow Africa’s infrastructure spending gap, building on Africa50’s existing portfolio of major projects across the continent.
Private equity is the most popular way for UK pension funds to make impact investments, but a wider geographical spread and greater attention to additionality would improve effectiveness, according to Pensions for Purpose.
The standards are intended to provide a baseline for sustainability disclosures that can be widely adopted globally, giving investors insight into how companies are tackling climate change-related impacts.
The hosts say the summit marked a step up in ambitions to reform multilateral institutions and mobilise public and private investment in low-income countries. But its success will be judged in terms of what happens next.
The private debt strategy, which provides long-term expansion debt and technical assistance to support growing agri-businesses, has drawn investment from public and private investors.
The climate fund, which exceeded its original funding goal, aims to support emissions reduction solutions in industries where they are hard to achieve.
The fund, run by Azimut Investments, will provide debt to more than 50 Italian SMEs with a focus on improving environmental and social aspects of their operations.
Clean Energy Ventures has led the financing to support UK-based OXCCU in its quest to develop and market sustainable fuel which it believes can be produced at cost parity with kerosene-based jet fuel.
Pension funds and asset owners should be warming to the potential and necessity of biodiversity-themed investments, according to Pensions for Purpose, which produced the report commissioned by Gresham House.
Goodwell Investments and Alitheia Capital, partners in the fund, say Africa’s impact investment opportunities remain strong, despite global market uncertainties.
E3 Capital and Lion’s Head have announced the $48m first close of the E3 Low Carbon Economy Fund for Africa fund with backing from DFIs FMO, KfW, Swedfund and Proparco.
Startups in the food tech sector are gradually becoming more attractive to venture capital as pioneers reach maturity and early investors realise their exit strategies.
The SUSI Asia Energy Transition Fund (SAETF), which has received commitments in excess of $100m, has made four investments so far and is set to reach final close shortly.
A lack of data means policymakers are “flying blind”, as they seek to pave the way for better jobs in the circular economy of low-income countries, researchers say.
Asset managers must get to grips with the complexities of
impact measurement and management, as investors seek greater transparency over sustainable investments.
Stalling progress for the sector reflects wider bond market jitters in 2022 and a reluctance to invest in long duration green bonds at a time of economic uncertainty, Morningstar research finds.
Three Dutch financial institutions are the latest investors in the impact investing cooperative’s Healthy Food Systems Impact Fund II, which is set to close later in 2023 with a target of €60m.
The partnership aims to mobilise institutional capital for private sector projects in Africa via the ILX Fund I, which is backed by Dutch pension funds. It will also support a new fund set to be launched in coming months.
The European Commission has sought to address widespread confusion in the investment industry over how to define and categorise sustainable investment.
The Green Earth Impact Fund is seeking to attract up to $250m of investment in fund aiming to close the public-private financing gap for sustainable investments.
The fund is the first to be launched on Lloyd’s new investment platform, created as a vehicle to pool the collective resources of the insurance market’s investors.
The European Investment Fund is helping to facilitate investments in Portuguese firms targeting the energy transition, climate resilience, sustainable use of the marine environment and the circular economy.
The new Belgian-based “impact boutique” aims to facilitate more effective knowledge sharing within the impact investing sector by bringing together experts from wide-ranging backgrounds.
New guidance from the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance asks for investment in oil and gas projects to be reduced to speed up the energy transition has received a mixed response.
An impact fund launched in early 2022 to target Dutch circular economy projects that require patient capital has attracted new participants, including two insurers.
Most of the total capital raised by net zero-aligned-funds was directed towards meeting UN sustainable development goals relating to clean energy (SDG 7), and climate action (SDG 13).
The Urban Resilience Fund is a multi-vehicle blended finance initiative, backed by DFIs and other investors, to support climate-focused projects in sub-Saharan Africa.
FaithInvest says implementing tailored strategies is too demanding for under-resourced, small faith groups. Outsourcing and joining forces with peers are seen as potential solutions.
The impact investor has lead a €2.75m investment in OneThird, a company which has developed AI-powered infrared scanning technology aimed at reducing food waste.
The Article 9 fund will invest primarily in Africa and Asia. US International Development Finance Corporation, Swedfund, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and other partners will provide capital and guarantees.
Founded by a former prisoner, UK-based social enterprise New Leaf provides intensive resettlement support to serving and ex-prisoners, helping them to find employment.
The fund, which has backing from the UK government, will support local capital providers investing in SMEs whose activities help meet UN sustainable development goals.
The capital will go to social enterprises providing support to those struggling with the cost of living crisis and back energy saving solutions. Local communities will have larger say over spending priorities via new community wealth funds.
This is the UK’s development finance institution’s first direct investment in Sudan, and it aims to help improve supplies of staple foods at a time of disrupted supply and rising costs.
GeoPura intends to build a fleet of over 3,600 clean generators by 2033. Backers include Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, GM Ventures, SWEN Capital Partners and Siemens Energy Ventures.
The organisations have obtained £108m forward funding for UK build-to-rent development in Leeds and are planning to develop a low-carbon aparthotel in London.
Incubated by Big Society Capital, the new community for impact-driven venture capitalists has already attracted over 300 members representing some €13.5bn of assets under management.
The Berlin-based fund has its own in-house science team and invests in startups providing solutions for climate mitigation, resource savings, biodiversity protection and waste reduction.
The Woodland Carbon Scheme aims to remove carbon from the atmosphere, improve air quality and increase biodiversity through woodland creation and peat restoration.
UK-based Macmillan Cancer Support’s new fund will invest in startups developing cancer care products and technology. 52North, developer of at-home testing kit for neutropenic sepsis, is the fund’s first investment
Impact investing is growing in importance among family offices, philanthropists and other private wealth holders, according to a survey by Campden Wealth, GIST Initiatives and Barclays Private Bank
The funding came from an investor consortium led by Invest-NL, ABN Amro Sustainable Impact Fund and Quadia and will help the Dutch company to expand its business, finance product development and scale up impact
Twinco’s CEO explains how the business allows smaller apparel suppliers in the developing world to compete with larger rivals and make ESG improvements
Philanthropists have been put in the spotlight at this year’s World Economic Forum meeting over their failure to invest enough in tackling climate change.
The Growth Impact Fund invests in UK social enterprises and organisations from underrepresented backgrounds and has secured £8m investment from leading social investors
Tim Gocher, CEO of Dolma Impact Fund, set out to show investors it was possible to make both impact and financial returns in Nepal with his two private equity funds focused on the underdeveloped Himalayan kingdom.
Technological advances have given access to financial products to millions but bringing the hardest-to-reach ‘unbanked’ into the financial system remains the sector’s biggest challenge.
The LSE Marshall Institute’s ‘100x Impact Accelerator’ aims to help social enterprises, mainly from emerging markets, identify the best approaches to scale up their impact
The Dutch government-backed fund is providing valuable support for SMEs in developing countries at a time when sources of investment are drying up, report shows
The outcome of the COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal didn’t satisfy everyone but investors say it should trigger a rise in funding flows towards nature protection.
The number of new public equity impact funds being launched annually has declined significantly since 2019, according to latest report by Phenix Capital Group.
Vanguard, the world’s second largest investment manager, may have left the Net Zero Asset Managers (NZAM) initiative, but big name investors remain on board.
Aera invests in potentially revolutionary technologies to reverse climate change. The partnership with Fidante will make its offerings more accessible to European institutional investors
Investors can turn to an increasingly sophisticated array of impact measurement and management tools to help track and maximise the impact of their investment strategies.
Nesta Impact Investments, the investment arm of UK-based foundation Nesta, has made four investment as part of a new strategy to back impact-driven early-stage technology companies
The European market for investments made directly into social purpose organisations and enterprises supporting social and environmental challenges represented €80bn last year, according to new report
Ocean investing was a hot topic at the COP17 climate change conference in Egypt, as we discuss with Christian Lim of SWEN Capital Partners, managers of the Blue Ocean Fund.
The move is one building block for a new strategy launch, following a capital increase for the international development institution from Nordic governments in 2020.
COP27 produced a pledge to set up a fund to mitigate climate impacts in the hardest hit low-income countries, but little progress was made on speeding up the energy transition.
The Blue Mediterranean Partnership was launched at the COP27 climate talks in Egypt by the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Union for the Mediterranean.
A new fund aims to blend $500m of concessional finance with $1.5bn of private investment to back local communities and entrepreneurs restoring land in Africa
The Dutch-headquartered asset manager is one of a growing number of institutions that say combatting biodiversity loss can also be an investment opportunity.
British International Investment is leading a new equity round in fintech Kinara which aims to facilitate the provision of loans to small businesses in India via an app-based model.
UK’s Financial Conduct Authority launches consultation on new rules to prevent “exaggerated, misleading or unsubstantiated” claims regarding ESG products which can damage consumer confidence
Green hydrogen is not a ‘cure-all’ for the world’s energy problems, but KGAL’s Thomas Engelmann believes the sector is set to play a significant role in the energy transition
The food giant says urgent action is required to combat the loss of coffee growing areas due to climate change, as it announces it will support the transition to regenerative agriculture in countries where it sources its coffee from
The fund support businesses scaling up advanced recycling technologies and found in Clariter, which converts plastic waste for use as inputs in industrial and consumer products, an “ideal partner”
Investors in the fund include the International Finance Corporation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Dutch entrepreneurial development bank FMO
ASN Impact Investors is asking for help from the public to find listed companies which don’t damage nature. So far, the investor has only identified three companies that fit the bill, representing 0.01% of publicly listed companies
A report aimed at UK policymakers argues that grants, guarantees and tax relief need to be combined to maximise benefits and grow the social impact investment market
Trapview, which uses artificial intelligence to reduce pesticide use, has secured backing from investors including the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund, Demeter and Pymwymic.
The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and The Global Fund have made a $70m investment to back the deployment of PrEP medicines among those at higher risk of contracting HIV in Africa
The impact investing sector cannot remain the exclusive realm of the wealthy if its potential is to be maximised, according to Snowball’s CEO Daniela Barone Soares
The blended finance initiative will back companies offering affordable insurance products to mitigate climate risks for vulnerable farming communities in developing countries
The Stockholm-based firm supports technologies to decarbonise the energy-intensive steel industry and has secured backing from investors including pension funds and foundations
The Dutch entrepreneurial development bank is providing technical assistance and expertise to early-stage African tech startups as part of a drive to develop the continent’s business ecosystem
New data from the OECD and IEA shows that while the world’s richest countries have pledged to reduce or remove support for fossil fuels, those plans have been undone by the energy crisis
Friends Provident Foundation is increasing its allocation to impact investments to a third of its endowment. The charity is more than doubling its investment in London-based impact investor Snowball
The Dutch-based asset manager says it hopes the move will lead to better quality of data and faster development of common standards within the investment industry
EU plans to introduce a social taxonomy have been put on hold until at least the end of this parliamentary term, with lack of political will and absence of international standards to measure social impact cited as main stumbling blocks
UK-based pension provider firm TPT will be investing in social housing and green infrastructure among other areas via its defined contribution master trust
An initiative to bring social considerations into the decision-making process for climate investments has been launched by the Impact Investing Institute with the backing of 18 financial institutions
The recent outbreak of a wildfire in northern Spain caused by machinery being used by Dutch-based nature restoration firm Land Life Company has sparked debate about reforestation risks
A UK court has given the government eight months to spell out its net zero plans, as the number of court cases attempting to hold governments and companies to account over their climate policies continues to soar
The new investment manager, Akaria Natural Capital, will invest in natural climate solutions projects in south-east Asia and aims to help promote better understanding of nature-oriented capital allocation
Dutch-based asset manager Robeco’s new fund aims to invest in companies that can help speed up decarbonisation of polluting sectors, as well as in clean energy
It’s hard to get some stakeholders out of their silos, but once they get talking, impact investing can get a lot more effective, according to speakers at an impact investment conference in London
Anti-corruption measures are often placed too low on investors’ decision-making agenda. As first movers, impact investors can play a key role in promoting high standards of business integrity in emerging and frontier markets
Social outcomes contracts can deliver great results and should be deployed more, according to research from Big Society Capital which looks back at the first decade of these pioneering social investment vehicles
New fund has completed is first close with backing from investors including BASF Venture Capital, and will invest in startups focused on “needle-moving technologies” to cut CO2 emissions
BlueOrchard is the latest impact investor to join 2X Collaborative, the industry body which provides support and promotes gender lens investment and has just merged with GenderSmart
The UK and Norwegian development finance institutions say they will invest up to $300m between them in a venture with renewable energy developer Scatec to support hydropower projects across Africa
Pangea Impact Investments seeks to attract clients looking for a home for their pensions, who have qualms about the ESG offering of major providers and want to invest in an “entirely positive impact portfolio”
The Zinc 2 fund, which will support 500 entrepreneurs to create high impact ventures, has reached a first close at £28m with UK government’s British Business Bank as anchor investor
BlueOrchard’s acquisition by Schroders three years ago has opened up new possibilities for the impact investment manager but its core objectives are unchanged, according to CEO Philipp Mueller
GIIN has opened a public comment period for its upcoming guidelines for impact investing in listed equities. Separately, the organisation has added new impact themes to its IRIS+ system, including racial equity
British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution, is funding a bond arranged by Symbiotics. It will provide loans to MSME banks offering green lending to small-scale borrowers in Africa and Asia
The Planet Fund is supported by UK media group Sky and will invest in early-stage startups tackling sustainability issues including decarbonisation, climate resilience and the circular economy
Investments in South Asia show the highest growth in clients actively using responsible financial services, whereas Latin America and the Caribbean lag, according to GIIN’s latest research
The impact investment manager, part of the Schroders Group, is targeting investments to bring financial services to the unbanked and SMEs in Asia and other emerging markets through its latest fund
The foundation is increasing exposure to impact investments from £22m (€26.7m) to £100m, the largest impact investment allocation by an UK charitable endowment, prioritising investments that create better health outcomes
A £25m fund launched by leading UK social investors backs early-stage social enterprises whose staff recruiting policies and management structures reflect the diversity of the sector they operate in
Northern Gritstone’s fund will invest in tech business spinning out of the universities of Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield and others – a first step to create a Northern tech hub to rival the south
Investment in social jobs is critical for economic success, according to reports published during last week’s World Economic Forum in Davos. The importance of integrating refugees in local job markets was also at debate
Private equity firm Lightrock, owned by LGT Group, has raised $300m for its latest fund which will back purpose-driven entrepreneurs across Latin America, as part of its plans to increase investments in the region
Axa, Tikehau Capital and Unilever have joined forces to launch a new regenerative agriculture fund, showing increased interest in a sector which can play a major role in tackling both land degradation and climate change
Global wealth management platform FNZ has announced it has made an strategic investment in impact data and analytics provider GIST, as part of a wider partnership between the two firms
The Landscape Resilience Fund and the IDH Farmfit Fund are investing in Swiss-Ghanaian cocoa social enterprise Koa to build new processing facilities and provide more income generating opportunities for farmers
Investor group backs oncology support app developed by German health company Fosanis. The capital raised is intended to drive Mika’s international expansion beyond its core German market
A landmark court ruling focused on climate change means charities in England and Wales can now safely exclude specific investments from their portfolio if in conflict with their charitable mission
The International Finance Corporation together with other development finance institutions and impact investors are providing a $165m credit facility to Nairobi-based Equity Group to support lending to MSMEs
Infinity Recycling’s Circular Plastics Fund has made its first investment by acquiring a 20% stake in Pryme, the cleantech company behind Europe’s single largest plastic waste advanced recycling project in Rotterdam
Cardano Development is joining forces with a team of housing experts to create a platform to build affordable housing and associated social infrastructure across Africa, starting in Morocco and Tunisia
Being an impact-driven organisation linked to a corporation can be challenging. A new report and risk assessment tool launched by EVPA aim to help social corporate investors assess and safeguard their impact integrity
The African Development Bank has launched a multi-donor trust fund seeking to stimulate the growth of the continent’s circular economy, with support from the Finnish government and the Nordic Development Fund
Global debt issuance related to all forms of climate and sustainability-related themes, including green, social and transition bonds, rose to nearly $1.1 trillion in 2021, according to the Climate Bonds Initiative
