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The Latest in Impact Investing in Latin America: Recent Data Shows Dynamic Growth – And New Challenges
Latin America has been making global headlines of late, though often for negative reasons—from the divisive election in Brazil, to the conflict over Central American migrants. But according to Rebeca Rocha at ANDE Brazil, there’s a more encouraging development that’s been building up under the radar: the growth of impact investing in the region. ANDE recently launched the second edition of its biannual survey of impact investing in Latin America, and Rocha shares some findings that highlight both the sector’s momentum, and its emerging challenges.
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- Investing
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Growth, Focus and Evolution: How INGOs Are Changing the Impact Investing Landscape
In 2016, members of the International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) Impact Investing Network unveiled the first substantial landscape report charting the work of INGOs in the impact investing space. Nearly three years later, the organization has followed up with a new survey showing explosive growth, with INGOs now accounting for at least $916.7 million in impact-related assets under management. Susan Barrows Libby and Stephanie Marienau Turpin, two editors of the report, discuss the findings.
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- Investing
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If You Build It, They Will Come: Four Ways Impact Investors Can Boost Ecosystem Development
An entrepreneurial ecosystem isn't just "nice to have" - it's essential, both for a company’s long-term success and for investor performance. Ecosystems have a critical impact on a company’s ability to recruit a capable management team, hire skilled staff, benefit from effective mentorship and source new capital for growth – among many other areas. Dia Martin, Managing Director for Social Enterprise Finance at OPIC charts out some concrete actions investors can take today to build ecosystems for tomorrow.
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- Entrepreneurship, Investing
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See Who Won NB’s Top Post of 2018 Contest
Thank you to everyone who voted in NextBillion's seventh annual Top Post of the Year contest. Here are the winners and their vote percentage totals as well as the complete results for this year's competition. Congratulations to the top three winning contributors for their articles, which both challenged and enlightened us. And Happy New Year to all of our readers.
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- Agriculture, Education, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Finance, Health Care, Investing, NextBillion Originals, Technology, WASH
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- NextBillion.net
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As Impact Investors We Often Miss One Thing: Who Has the Power?
Impact investors are rightly focused on the social impact of the businesses they invest in. But they often overlook a fundamental question: How does the enterprise localize power? Galen Welsch, co-founder of Jibu, explores why the need to empower local markets should be at the core of social business and investing decisions.
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- Energy, Entrepreneurship, Investing
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Announcing the Most Influential NextBillion Posts of 2017
As we welcome 2018, we'd like to pay a final tribute to the top posts of 2017. In their own way, each of these insightful pieces introduced a novel concept, approach or argument that captured our readers' attention – and in some cases, provoked their ire. Here are the winners of 2017's Most Influential Post Contest.
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- Agriculture, Energy, Finance, Investing, NextBillion Originals
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A Milestone in Innovative Finance: Exploring the First-Ever Outcome-Based DIB for Poverty Alleviation in Africa
The graduation approach to poverty alleviation has been effective in helping raise incomes and savings over the long term. But traditional funding models don't provide enough flexibility or performance incentives to boost this impact, since funding is typically tied to activities rather than outcomes. To address this challenge, Village Enterprise and Instiglio have partnered with USAID and DFID to launch the first-ever outcome-based development impact bond for poverty alleviation in Africa.
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- Entrepreneurship, Investing
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An Impact Investor Urges Caution on the ‘Energy Access Hype Cycle’
Ceniarth, an impact investor, has been actively engaged in the energy access sector since 2014. But now it's reducing its exposure to the venture-backed, solar home system segment of this market while shifting its strategy toward enterprises – for-profit, nonprofit and hybrid – that are finding the most capital-efficient ways to reach rural customers. Here, three principals in the firm candidly explain why they are reassessing their approach.
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- Energy, Environment, Investing