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
The Shell Foundation and investment manager Nuveen have joined forces to boost private equity investments in startups focused on providing solutions for tackling climate change in developing countries
Investor-led Nature Action 100 initiative plans to launch this summer with the aim to drive targeted investor engagement with companies and policymakers that are critical to the goal of reversing nature loss
A survey by Fidelity Charitable shows that millennials are much more likely to become impact investors than older generations, as values-based investment takes priority over charitable giving
New capital commitments by donors, including governments and multilateral development banks, will help lower-income countries boost short-term COVID vaccinations under the COVAX programme, and procure their own vaccines in the future
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has intensified the debate around the sustainability, affordability and security of Europe’s energy sector. From the need to accelerate the energy transition to discussions about nuclear power, investors have a crucial role to play
CDC Group has been formally renamed as British International Investment (BII), a name which the organisation says better reflects the scope of its work. BII will play a key role in the government’s plans to mobilise up to £8 billion a year in investments in international projects
Triodos Investment Management’s new fund will invest in companies providing solutions to improve children’s wellbeing and development in five areas: health and wellbeing, education, equal opportunity, access to basic services, and safety
Roberta Bosurgi, CEO of the European Venture Philanthropy Association, reflects on the organisation’s efforts to bring philanthropic purpose and investment practice together and the need for the sector to join forces to maximise impact
A study by the UK’s Pensions for Purpose platform found that 92% of active managers don’t use climate indices to benchmark their carbon metrics, despite their funds being marked as ‘climate focused’
Organisations representing impact investors, including the the European Venture Philanthropy Association and the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, are pooling resources to uncover a reliable picture of Europe’s impact investment sector
The implementation of the European Commission’s Social Economy Action Plan presents challenges, but it has placed social investment at the heart of the EU’s post-Covid recovery programme
Pensioenfonds Detailhandel is investing €100m in the new fund, which will provide loans to Dutch circular projects with potential to create significant impact in the areas of carbon emissions, waste reduction and the replacement of fossil fuels
A pan-European initiative led by Social Enterprise UK supports large companies seeking to engage with social enterprises. The aim is to bring more social enterprises into the supply chain of multinationals
Dutch pension provider APG is investing $750 million in a new fund managed by ILX Management which will invest jointly with development finance institutions to provide loans for SDG-focused companies and projects in emerging markets
The start of lithium-ion battery production at Northvolt’s large-scale ‘gigafactory’ in Sweden is the latest milestone in Europe’s drive to establish a homegrown battery manufacturing sector to meet the surge in demand for electric vehicles..
The reluctance of mainstream institutional investors to make impact investments in the high-risk regions where they are most needed, according to a recently published report by the Impact Taskforce, a G7-backed think tank..
The Swiss government has announced a blended finance initiative intended to leverage up to 1bn Swiss francs ($1.09bn) in private sector impact investments in the developing world to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
The EU’s sustainable finance framework is already shaping the bloc’s investment landscape regardless of ongoing uncertainties around the full implementation of the new regulatory environment. But will it go far enough?
Mirjam ‘t Lam, the new managing director of Oikocredit, has to hit the ground running, faced with steering the impact investment institution and its beneficiaries through the pandemic and charting a new strategic course.
Oikocredit has appointed Mirjam ‘t Lam as its new managing director. Her task: steer the Dutch cooperative and social impact investor through the post-Covid recovery.
The debt-for-nature swap (DNS) formally announced by Belize and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) during the COP26 climate change meeting in Glasgow could trigger a resurgence of the financial instrument.
Pioneering financial institutions are stepping up the pressure on the companies in which they invest to take stronger measures to cut biodiversity loss in their operations and those of their suppliers.
Millions of financial support have been mobilised for off-grid energy companies in need due to the Covid pandemic. But how do fund managers ensure it’s disbursed fast and effectively to those most in need?
The mobile money revolution has changed lives in some of the world’s poorest communities. But not everyone is reaping the benefits. Microfinance banks are trying to fill the gap.
The provision of off-grid solar energy to households and small businesses in low-income countries has been one of the development success stories of the last decade.
Convergence Partners invests in better and cheaper internet access in Sub-Saharan Africa. “We treat a whole block in a township as if it’s a single home in a higher-income suburb”, says CEO Brandon Doyle on how to combine impact with financial profit.
A report from the International Finance Corporation shows sharp growth in global impact investment in 2020. The IFC also underlines that the private sector’s impact investments remain a tiny fraction of its overall investment.
EKA Ventures, a new €80mn venture capital fund, aims to foster the development of UK-based early-stage consumer technology companies whose businesses tackle social or environmental challenges at scale.
A new impact investment fund, Impact 12, aims to finance mission-led social ventures coming out of UK universities, for which traditional funding models do not provide high enough levels of support during their early-stage development.
There is a flurry of announcements of climate-related policy and investment initiatives in the run-up to COP26. What is this conference all about? What’s at stake? We answer the basic questions.
Confidence in the blended finance approaches pioneered over the last decade by companies such as Finance in Motion (FIM) is growing. FIM managing director Sylvia Wisniwski shares her experience with us.
Unlike climate change, the biodiversity crisis is not so much on investors’ radar yet. WWF lobbies hard to encourage investors to take the issue seriously. Its latest report assesses tools measuring impact on biodiversity.
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), a global initiative to quantify risks and opportunities presented by investments impacting on nature and biodiversity, was formally launched last week.
