GIIN in the news Press releases

  • Why more asset managers are taking cues from UN sustainability goals

    via Financial Timesby Jennifer Thompson

    November 11, 2019

    Summary

    This Financial Times article highlights how and why more asset managers are embracing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and notes that they are becoming more ‘universal’ across sectors. Jennifer Thompson outlines a variety of global projects currently being steered by the UN to help channel private funds towards the goals but also cautions the risk that “companies might be taking what they’re doing and rewiring it in the language of the SDGs”.

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  • Faith-based investors are building a direct-investment pipeline to finance climate action

    via Impact Alphaby Jessica Pothering

    November 11, 2019

    Summary

    In this article, Jessica Pothering gives a substantial overview of the environmental focus within the investment portfolios of faith based investors. Beth Collins, who heads impact investing at Catholic Relief Services, explains that, although a significant amount of capital is being allocated towards institutional-quality investments, more capital must be allocated to “direct investing, blended finance, technical services and capacity building” to address the issues of climate change.

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  • What Does The Growth Of Impact Investing Mean?

    via Mondaqby Michael J. Preston and Michael James

    November 11, 2019

    Summary

    This article by Michael J. Preston and Michael James gives a substantial overview of the impact investing sector. Preston and James describe how “impact investments themselves adopt forms and structures familiar to private and growth equity and venture capital investing.” They argue that the near future “may witness something of a paradigm shift, with investors turning to larger buy-out or control deals” and highlight that “managers and investors alike need to give careful thought to the impact outcomes that they will seek from their capital, and to how they will define social impact in order to measure their success.''

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  • Schroders’ deal opens way for more M&A in impact investing

    via Financial Timesby Jennifer Thompson

    November 11, 2019

    Summary

    In this article, Jennifer Thompson outlines the many reasons why mainstream asset managers increasingly want a slice of the impact investing ‘market’ - “impact investing seems the logical next step.” Thompson features the Schroders-BlueOrchard deal and quotes Marieke Spence, executive director of Impact Capital Managers, about the investment, calling it“a bellwether.” She also notes that impact investing is quickly becoming “the next big growth area for asset management.”

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  • How to measure the “impact” in impact investing

    via Daily Maverickby Dean Alborough

    November 11, 2019

    Summary

    This Business Maverick article covers the current stage of impact investing and outlines the key elements and characteristics that impact investments must include, according to commonly adopted definitions. Furthermore, Dean Alborough explains the importance of impact measurement and identifies different existing impact measurement frameworks. 

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  • The Next Frontier In Impact Investing: Investing in Refugees

    via Forbesby Bonnie Chiu

    November 08, 2019

    Summary

    In this Forbes article, Bonnie Chiu covers a relatively new topic being discussed in impact investing; refugee lens investing. She features some of the investors active in this space and explains that some impact investors are betting on the imperative of unleashing the economic potential of refugees, while others, “are pioneering a movement of refugee lens investing.” She claims that, “refugee lens investing is a nascent movement, but it has potential to address one of the biggest political and social crises of our times.”

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  • Why Impact Investing is a Natural Fit for Faith-Based Investors

    via Financial Advisorby Amit Bouri

    August 19, 2019

    Summary

    In this op-ed for Financial Advisor, Amit Bouri reflects on faith-based investors’ alignment with impact investing, tracing the history of their position at the “heart [of] values-based investing.” Bouri states that impact investing allows investors to “deepen the ties between their capital and their faith,” and encourages more institutions to join the practice due to the “momentum and appetite for faith-based investors to work with existing impact investors and organizations to design an impact approach that reflects both their faith and their financial requirements.”

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  • Impact Investments Projected for 2019 Growth: Survey

    via Financial Investments News

    August 19, 2019

    Summary

    Financial Investments News covers the GIIN’s 2019 Annual Impact Investor Survey, focusing on its growth projections for investment capital and individual investments in the coming year. FIN News discusses this with GIIN Research Manager Rachel Bass, who provides insights about this finding and encourages the nonprofit investment community to “think about what role they could play in driving social and environmental change and how they can align their assets with their values as an organization and in the broader spectrum.”

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  • Impact Investing Firms Develop Ways to Keep Score

    via Wall Street Journalby Luis Garcia

    August 19, 2019

    Summary

    In this WSJ Pro article, Luis Garcia covers the increased demand for impact investing that investors have been witnessing in recent years, as well as the need to create a universal set of measurement methods, due to the growing numbers and variety of stakeholders. Garcia discusses this with Kelly McCarthy, Director of Impact Measurement and Management at the GIIN, who believes that there is “still so much innovation and creativity that needs to be fostered” in regards to impact measurement approaches.

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  • Three Reasons Why Every Financial Advisor Should Know About Impact Investing

    via Financial Advisorby Justin Conway

    August 19, 2019

    Summary

    Justin Conway makes a case for financial advisors to become more informed about impact investing. He notes, “impact investing is real and growing,” “clients want impact investing options, so financial advisors need to catch up,” and “talking with clients about impact investing can pay huge dividends to your practice” as top reasons. Referencing the GIIN’s 2019 Annual Impact Investor Survey’s findings on predictions for market growth, Conway also states that advisors “can only expect this interest in genuine impact to grow.”

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  • Why You Should Move Your Money to Impact Investing

    via Forbesby MeiMei Fox

    August 19, 2019

    Summary

    Forbes interviews Lori Chatman, SVP at Enterprise Community Investment and President and CEO of Enterprise Community Loan Fund, about Chatman’s involvement in impact investing. The interview shares how Chatman became involved because she “longed to use her talent for numbers and investments to disrupt ongoing economic disparities, helping communities that normally do not receive capital investments to do so.” Chatman told author MeiMei Fox that it is “energizing” to know that there is “a whole community of like-minded people looking every day for ways to create better opportunities for those who, because of the situations they are in, must focus on day-to-day survival.”

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  • Why Sustainable Forestry is a Good Investment

    via World Resources Instituteby Adam Dolin, Caroline Gagne, Lissa Glasgo and Sabin Ray

    July 30, 2019

    Summary

    This World Resources Institute blog post covers the launch of a new theme on Sustainable Forestry, which was created in conjunction with WRI’s Global Restoration Initiative on the GIIN’s Navigating Impact project, a component of the GIIN’s larger IRIS+ system. The new theme identifies five main impact investment opportunities in the sustainable forestry space, and provides evidence, metrics and strategies for each. The blog also details why investments in this sector are an increasingly compelling financial and impact opportunity, which has already shown its ability to “make a profit while reducing greenhouse gases, [strengthen] local economies, [increase] incomes, [and improve] ecosystem services like water quality, air quality, [and] soil productivity.”

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