GIIN in the news Press releases

  • The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)

    via Forbesby Rahim Kanani

    October 29, 2011

    Summary

    Luther Ragin, Jr. shares his perspective on the growing impact investing industry with Forbes magazine, offering his thoughts about the biggest challenges and opportunities in the field. In this first published interview as GIIN CEO, he also shares his key priorities for moving the GIIN and the impact investing industry forward.

    From original article:

    "As the interest in impact investing grows, there is a risk that hype will overshadow its real promise. We must remain disciplined in our commitment to achieving demonstrable social and environmental impact to counter this risk. Industry stakeholders must commit to rigorous and credible social and environmental performance measurement."

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  • European Commission announces plans for 90m Euro social enterprise fund

    via The Third Sectorby David Ainsworth

    October 25, 2011

    Summary

    A 90m Euro fund to support the development of social enterprise has been proposed by the European Commission. The fund is separate to a 50m Euro investment fund provided by the European Investment Fund, which is expected to open next year.

    From original article:

    "The fund aims to 'facilitate access to funding for start-up, development and expansion of social enterprises' and invest in other funds that invest in the social enterprise world, in a manner similar to Big Society Capital.However, EU budget planning means it is unlikely to be set up before 2014."

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  • Lisa Hall of the Calvert Foundation on Impact Investing

    via Forbes.comby Rahim Kanini

    October 19, 2011

    Summary

    Calvert Foundation's President and CEO, Lisa Hall, talks to Forbes about the organization's origins and its current impact investing activities.

    From original article:

    "So many of us take for granted that we can get a loan for school, to start a business, or buy a car, if we need it. But the fact is there are millions of people, both in the U.S. and around the world that are shut out of the financial system. And opportunity is hard to come by when you are shut out."

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  • Social Impact Investing

    via GOODby Alex Goldmark

    October 17, 2011

    Summary

    Jed Emerson and Antony Bugg-Levine discuss their impact investing philosophies with GOOD magazine.

    From original article:

    "Impact investing is not a replacement for government action or philanthropy, which will always be necessary to provide true public goods and push the frontiers of social justice. But impact investing can be a powerful complement to government and philanthropy."

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  • Green and Ethical Investment Comes of Age

    via Financial Timesby Penny Shepherd

    October 15, 2011

    Summary

    Green and ethical investment and finance in the United Kingdom is being increasingly recognized as a positive investment in activities that benefit society and/or the environment, according to a recent YouGov report.

    From original article:

    "More UK adults now define 'green and ethical investment and finance' as a positive investment in activities that 'benefit society and/or the environment' rather than the traditional view that it is about 'excluding companies involved in undesirable practices.'"

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  • A Quest for Hybrid Companies That Profit, but Can Tap Charity

    via The New York Timesby Stephanie Strom

    October 11, 2011

    Summary

    The New York Times outlines new legislation in the U.S. that bridges the divide between nonprofits and businesses.

    From original article:

    "California is the latest state to adopt a statute permitting what is called flexible-purpose corporations, new companies that are part social benefit and part low-profit entities. The companies are now allowed under laws in more than a dozen states and two Indian tribes."

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  • Philanthropy, Now Yielding Financial Returns

    via Forbesby Betsy Brill

    October 09, 2011

    Summary

    Forbes outlines socially responsible investing and impact investing options for those with charitable plans, and argues that for-profit investment can achieve social and financial returns.

    From original article:

    "For decades, giving for social benefit and investing for financial return have been practiced as separate and distinct activities. But today there are a range of philanthropic investment strategies available that simultaneously yield social and financial returns."

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  • $25m Fund Set Up to Finance 'Small Cap' Agribusiness in East Africa

    via The East Africanby Cosmas Butunyi

    October 08, 2011

  • Be Your Own Bank

    via GOODby Alex Goldmark

    October 02, 2011

    Summary

    Current U.S. laws prohibit those who want to invest directly into a start up company from doing so; but if they do change, social enterprises could benefit.

    From original article:

    "Asked to predict what the first wave of crowdfunded businesses will be, Jackley [founder of Kiva] says, 'I think social enterprises, I think retail. Anything that is a consumer brand that people love and can relate to and feel like they can be a apart of. When there's a social benefit attached to it, that's huge.'"

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  • Investors Attracted More to Funds with Impact Investment Ratings

    via The East Africanby Cosmas Butunyi

    October 01, 2011

    Summary

    The East African reports on the group of 15 investors that supports the Global Impact Investing Rating System (GIIRS), and notes that GIIRS has already rated some East African companies.

    From original article:

    "According to Olivia Muiru, a rating associate at GIIRS, 30 East African companies were rated during the test. Out of these, 19 are in Kenya, five in Tanzania and six in Uganda. In the West African region, only three were rated: one in Nigeria and two in Ghana."

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  • Could impact investing help India's poor?

    via BBC News, Delhiby Shilpa Kannan

    September 28, 2011

    Summary

    Impact investors are using insurance as a means of helping small businesses in India, rather than loans.

    From original article:

    "Leapfrog says that it is a big myth that because people have low incomes they are unable to pay for meaningful products. 'We are looking at the next billion consumers,' said Andrew Kuper, co-founder of Leapfrog. 'The consumers who are rising out of poverty and into the middle-classes... aspiring, seeking to acquire financial services and other services that allow them to go on their journey in a more effective way.'"

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  • Randall Kempner on the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs

    via Forbesby Rahim Kanani

    September 17, 2011

    Summary

    Forbes features an interview with Randall Kempner, Executive Director of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs. In this role, Randall oversees the implementation of ANDE's extensive program and policy agenda, including efforts to develop select standardized IRIS social and environmental metrics for impact investments in emerging market small and growing businesses, and training seminars on supporting and investing in emerging-market entrepreneurs.

    From original article:

    "The broader impact investment sector is beginning to mature. We've got a commonly accepted set of standards for measuring the social, environmental and financial results of impact investments (the Impact Reporting Investment Standards (IRIS) initiative); a continual stream of reports that aim to measure the present and future size of the industry, and a significant amount of activity focused on building marketplaces and exchanges to support investments in SGBs [small and growing businesses]."

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