Publication database

This paper aims to explore how Corporate Impact Venturing, encompassing all ventures generating financial, strategic and social and/or environmental returns, is applied in practice, and what is needed to enable such productive partnerships between corporations and inclusive business in low-income markets of developing countries.

"This report examines the portfolio commitments of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. government’s development finance institution. It assesses data from 2002 - 2014 and provides hands-on information on their changing funding premises. "

This indepth report pulls together existing research and 60 interviews with local and national impact investors to analyse the landscape for impact investing country by country in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This includes over 81 non-DFI impact investors and 26 development finance institutions with over 8,000 disclosed investments.

The report draws on Financial Diaries data from India, Kenya, and Mexico. It explores why women in emerging economies don’t access and use formal financial services to the extent of their male counterparts. It offers a more nuanced view of women’s financial behavior and comes up with product design recommendations for financial services providers.

This annual survey provides the latest insight into investor perceptions and a number of key market variables such as types of investors, the number and size of investments made, target returns, and impact measurement practices. This “State of the Market” analysis explores how investments continue to be made across different geographies, a range of sectors, and multiple asset classes, signalling continued market growth and an increasing interest in impact investing opportunities.

This report investigates the extent to which Crowdfunding for Energy Efficiency (CF4EE) could play a relevant role in scaling up investments in energy efficiency in developing countries. The document identifies conditions which are conducive for CF4EE and recommends policies and institutional actions that can help scale up CF4EE, where the conditions are favourable, in particular for debt and equity crowdfunding.

Innovation can foster development. Based on this assumption, the book provides guidance for researchers and organisations in the development sector how to fund, organise and scale innovation in order to solve societal problems.

The paper reflects on the latest trends in mobilising private finance for sustainable development, and makes recommendations to: 1.Establish an enabling regulatory environment for the private sector to invest in the SDGs; 2. Introduce “Smart” public incentives to fasten the realignment of private finance to the SDGs; and, 3.Foster change in company and consumer behaviours to transition to inclusive and sustainable markets.

The report outlines the data around INGOs’ current approaches to making investments, receiving investments, providing technical assistance, and building the impact investing ecosystem. It then delves into some of the most important issues for INGOs, including internal capacity, organizational culture, measurement, and partnerships. Each section is complemented by short sidebars that bring these topics into greater clarity through specific examples of how INGOs are engaging. These examples are then expanded into short profiles.

This report shares lessons from the Agriculture Finance Support Facility to guide future initiatives and programs aimed at expanding the provision of agriculture finance services in developing countries. It addresses lessons learned from the design and implementation of AgriFin’s Technical Assistance program as well as lessons emerging from the design and implementation of the program.