Publication database

The GIIN estimates the size of the worldwide impact investing market to be USD 1.164 trillion, marking the first time that the organization’s widely-cited estimate has topped the USD 1 trillion mark. The report, which was produced with the financial support of Nuveen, also spotlights two areas of development in the market that are becoming increasingly prevalent: green bonds and corporate impact investing.

This roadmap is a step-by-step guide for off-grid clean energy companies to identify and adopt strategies to serve female customers more effectively. The roadmap was developed by the Power Africa Off-grid Project following a pilot with GDC member Simusolar to develop a market-focused gender strategy. By following this roadmap, your company can gain a deeper understanding of female farmers’ demands and challenges—distinct from those of men—in gaining access to productive use of energy (PUE) technology. Power Africa is grateful to Simusolar for its collaboration and willingness to share the lessons and tools in this roadmap.

The Centre for Impact Investing and Practices (“CIIP”), together with Accenture and Singapore Management University, developed this field report to achieve three objectives: to illustrate the on-the-ground conversations about impact investing and practices that we hope to engender; to raise awareness of the inspiring impact work that is already underway in Asia; and to convene more discussions on how we can collectively deliver more impact in Asia, for Asia. The report shares insights from in-depth interviews and discussions with investors and businesses. It features case studies on the impact journeys of regional players and puts forward preliminary ideas on how we can advance the impact ecosystem in Asia together.

This research maps 50 funders actively investing in last mile distributors (LMDs) across different stages of company growth - pre-seed, seed, early growth and accelerated growth - to identify gaps and opportunities.

The report starts by outlining the current state of impact measurement and management. It goes on to shed light on the BCtA’s member companies’ commitments to the SDGs, their adoption of the Inclusive Business model, their engagement with low-income populations in developing countries, and to highlight the main challenges faced by these organizations in measuring and managing impact. It also outlines how Inclusive Businesses can manage their impact on the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP), leading to enhanced quality of life and increased living standards for their stakeholders.

The goal of this document is to provide the key principles of social investment in Asia, based on an extensive literature review and in-depth interviews with a range of experts. Mapped across the life-cycle of a project, these are broad, high-level principles that work for investments encompassing the SDGs, with specific examples from areas of healthcare, gender, livelihoods and climate in Asia. For social investors looking to incorporate the SDG Impact Standards developed by UNDP12 in their work, the principles can serve as an accessible pathway to provide direction.

Across the world, women play key roles as distributors and retailers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), however, the extent of their participation varies. This learning brief introduces how gender equality can be advanced within the distribution activities of the FMCG sector. It presents an emerging business case, the challenges, and recommendations to address these challenges. The brief is based on IFC projects in Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines, and Sri Lanka; desk research; and interviews with market participants. The target audience comprises FMCG sales and distribution teams; FMCG sustainability teams; e-supply chain actors, including business-to business (B2B) distribution platforms; and investors seeking to accelerate gender equality.

IIC releases an annual “Year in Retrospect" publication that throws light on investment trends and emerging market developments across key impact sectors such as Financial Inclusion, Agriculture, Healthcare, Technology for Development and Climate-tech. Their research highlights that 2021 has proven to be a strong year for the Indian impact sector, with more than 300 impact focussed enterprises raising $7 Bn in capital. While investment activity was robust across sectors as well as the stage of development of the enterprise, several late-stage companies have raised significant amounts of capital leading to a 135% growth in overall capital raised in 2021 vis a vis 2020.

The objective of a proposed Transformational AVC Guidelines is to enable small-scale producers to overcome barriers to development through more inclusive AVCs in the food, agriculture, and forestry sectors toward contributing to the attainment of the SDGs. The Transformational AVC Guidelines are voluntary in nature and designed to enhance and complement relevant ASEAN policies, approaches, and other guidelines.