Impact Investing News

Now that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has been adopted, governments are confronting the question of how to pay for the enormous investments — especially in infrastructure — required to meet the goals. Clearly, governments don’t have the fiscal space to finance all the investments, or the skills to design and manage them. So the focus has been on how […]

You’ve heard it from impact investors: there just aren’t enough investable deals. And you’ve heard it from impact entrepreneurs: where’s the capital we need to get our business off the ground? In this Returns on Investment podcast from ImpactAlpha, Cathy Clark, director of Duke University’s Case Initiative on Impact Investing (Case i3), says the key to bridging […]

This week in impact investing: mobile ad platform Jana raises $57 million to expand free internet services; Social Finance launches a South Carolina social impact bond for mothers and children; a fund in the UK offers tax relief along with an expected 8 percent return; and more! Jana raises $57 million to expand free internet […]

Small business owners often lack the collateral required by banks for loans. But many small and growing businesses do have another valuable asset: cash. A pilot project in Nicaragua is testing an innovative loan structure that relies on companies’ cashflow to unlock financing for small- and medium-sized enterprises. The test of the new Variable Payment […]

Latin America’s homegrown community of impact investors will get an assist from two visitors this week. First up is Pope Francis, who has called for markets to better serve the basic interests of people. “Impact investors are those who are conscious of the existence of serious unjust situations,” he said at a Vatican conference in 2014. Also visiting […]

This week in impact investing: A new fund from the makers of Sesame Street backs childhood health and education ventures; alternative fish feed producer Calysta teams up with Cargill; Sanergy raises $1.7 million for franchise toilets in Kenya; and retail investors in Canada can now invest online in CoPower’s first green bond. New Sesame Ventures and […]

As governments around the world look for more efficient ways to finance critical social services, the UK government is engaging the private sector to fund the arts, research into treatments for dementia, incubation of new social enterprises and other initiatives. ImpactAlpha recently spoke with Edward Evans, a senior policy advisor in the UK Cabinet Office’s Social Investment […]

Tech innovation is not enough. Sistema Biobolsa, a social enterprise working in Mexico and Latin America, developed biodigester technology that helps farmers turn animal manure into cooking fuel and high-quality fertilizer. That reduces smoke from open fires, increases farm yields, keeps waste out of water sources and reduces greenhouse gases. But those benefits were not […]

When Bill Gates agreed a couple years ago to put a small piece of his personal fortune into a fund that invests in companies serving low-income customers in India, he invited the fund managers to return with a plan to scale up their investments and their social impact. The fund managers recently took such a […]

Dealflow is back with the deals big and small: A $20 million raise for African and Asian solar microgrid provider Powerhive; another financial services investment in Ghana for LeapFrog; and a social impact bond to tackle homelessness in Denver raises $8.6 million — to be repaid based on a reduction in jail time. Powerhive raises […]

Community-supported fisheries are becoming a hit with finicky foodies and green consumers that like to be able to trace their seafood back to the dock, and sometimes the boat that it came from. The idea has been that payment from consumers at the start of the season provides participating fishers upfront capital and a fair […]

We live in the Age of Brand Management. The holy grail of “brand managers” is always the simple and compelling message, told by words, images, stories and evidence. In their constant quest, truth is both resource and constraint on what they can say, show and imply. There is constant tension between the subtle complications of […]

The new year started with the worst-ever stock market performance ever. As January ends, rising interest rates, falling commodity prices, devalued currencies and the slowdown in China confront investors with multiple challenges that are not likely to disappear anytime soon. In that context, is impact investment a promising new approach, or a soon-to-be-forgotten afterthought? Listen to the […]

In a sign of healthy competition, not one but two private equity fund managers are gearing up to raise tens of millions of dollars apiece to bet on the recovery of coastal fishing industries and local communities in the developing world. The Sustainable Ocean Fund plans a $50 million first close later this year, and […]

Editor’s note: The following is part of an ongoing series of posts about U.S. financial innovation enterprises and initiatives.    Since the market crash of 2008, financial recovery for some major American cities is still an uphill battle. Cities like Detroit and Atlantic City have faced an array of forces stifling positive growth, from crime […]

UNITED NATIONS — Slushy sidewalks notwithstanding, climate leaders passed through UN security Wednesday with a spring in their step. In a reunion of sorts for the COP21 climate agreement in Paris, an all-star, all-expert cast descended on the United Nations to prod investors into urgent and aggressive action. No rush, guys.Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the […]

Experimentation and social change go hand in hand. At a time when government resources are constrained, we need to experiment with new approaches to finance and scale promising social programs. At Living Cities, we are exploring new ways to unlock private capital for social good, harnessing the collective power of 22 of the world’s largest […]

The government officials, business leaders and private investors gathered at Davos this week can continue their deal-making after the elite event ends on Convergence, a new online match-making platform to facilitate “blended financing” for developing countries. Officially launched at this week’s World Economic Forum, Convergence aims to expand investor networks, reduce search costs and streamline due diligence and […]

There’s an intriguing line in the new Credit Suisse and McKinsey & Co. report on the growing interest among institutional investors for financial products that protect ecosystems, drive sustainable commodity production or reduce carbon emissions. Among mainstream investors, the report says, “The conservation impact of a product is generally of little importance.” The report, “From […]

There’s a growing body of evidence that gender equality and women’s leadership and participation boosts the performance of companies and countries. So what do we do about it? Suzanne Biegel, who calls herself a “catalyst-at-large,” has launched Women Effect, to help entrepreneurs, investors, advisors and others figure that out together. Suzanne, a longtime angel investor, […]

Relevée is a fine jewelry design and manufacturing company that provides a pathway to complete independence for some of the world’s most vulnerable women including survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence and child marriage. Relevée was started by, and is spinning off from, the nonprofit social enterprise Made By Survivors.  As a for-profit social enterprise, […]

Companies often get fined for poor behavior. Now, some will get rewarded for behavior that serves the poor. A pilot program funded by the Swiss government will pay bonuses to Latin American businesses that can prove that they are improving the quality of life of their poor customers. The enhanced revenues should make such high-impact businesses […]

Investors can earn double-digit returns while simultaneously helping to restore and protect global seafood supply, according to first-of-its-kind market research by Encourage Capital. Investors got a sneak peek at two blueprints last autumn, as reported by Impact Alpha. Now the report is out in full, with all six blueprints for investing in profitable fisheries with social […]

Investors can earn double-digit returns while simultaneously helping to restore and protect global seafood supply, according to first-of-its-kind market research by Encourage Capital. Investors got a sneak peek at the research last autumn, as reported by Impact Alpha. Now the report is out in full and it features six blueprints for investing in profitable fisheries with social and environmental […]

Dealflow goes global this week: Abraaj Group bets big on healthcare expansion in India; Australian retirement funds attracted to affordable housing; and Big Issue Fund’s raise bodes well for UK social enterprises. Growth markets for health care. Betting on the growing demand for affordable healthcare in India, the Abraaj Group, the Dubai-based private equity firm, acquired a […]