Blended finance

Acquiring accurate impact data to support impact investments does not have to mean swamping the often-limited resources of intermediary and beneficiary organisations with complex data requests, according to Oxford University researchers.

The funding aims to target carbon reduction across Asia, with a focus on Vietnam and India’s energy transition, looking at areas such as renewable energy, electric mobility and energy efficiency.

A report from the UK’s long-term saving industry draws up an action plan to generate more private investment in support of public infrastructure spending from the UK’s new National Wealth Fund and other sources. 

The Dutch development bank FMO and Austrian DFI Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank have invested $20m into the Regional MSME Investment Fund for sub-Saharan Africa.

The German investor believes offering financial incentives to companies if they hit social impact targets should play a greater role in investment strategies.

The 2X Challenge initiative is aiming to push more investment towards empowering women in the workplace, while a key blended finance microfinance project has switched focus to gender-lens investing.

Emerging markets are a central piece of the just transition puzzle. How are pension funds and other institutional investors redefining their emerging market exposure to support a fairer transition to a greener economy? From our ‘Impact Investing and the Just Transition’ report.

responsAbility has issued its second financial inclusion bond in partnership with the International Development Finance Corporation aimed at improving access to financial services for individuals and MSMEs in developing markets.

The $850m public bond offering has secured backing from BII, IFC and Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund as anchor investors, helping mobilise over $700m of private capital.

The UK is one of the most regionally unequal countries within the 38-member Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Could place-based impact investing provide a solution?