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Analysis: “Lens Investing” Is Just Admiring the Problem
Impact investing doesn’t need another lens; it needs a lever. Stop admiring the system’s flaws and start shifting power to those building something better.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Global
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Analysis: The World Bank Group Reorganization: A Retreat from Research Quality?
"In the new model, it appears that the short-term concerns of the World Bank Group’s dealmakers are likely to gain greater influence over analytical and research output, a step back from a “knowledge bank” and towards the model of economist as salesperson all too common at investment banks."
- Categories
- Education, Health Care, Investing
- Region
- Global
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Press Release: IFAD Pledges to Transform the Lives of at Least 70 Million Small-Scale Food Producers, as Part of the World Bank’s AgriConnect Initiative
AgriConnect is a new World Bank Group initiative designed to create jobs in agribusiness, transform the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers globally and strengthen global food security.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
- Region
- Global
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African Fintech Driving Financial Inclusion Closes Funding Round With Over $200 Million
Moniepoint, which focuses on driving financial inclusion for MSMEs and individuals, received an additional $90m backing, after initially raising $110m in October 2024, including from several impact investors.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Are Impact Investors Really Listening?: Why Capturing Stakeholder Insights is Key to Impactful Investment Strategies
Collecting data is easy for impact investors; acting on it is harder. As Taanya Khare at Acumen explains, most impact investment firms turn data-driven insights into action through intentional spaces like investment committees or portfolio review sessions. But she argues that listening is about more than surveys or feedback loops — it requires investors to sit down with company teams to make sense of customer insights, identify blind spots and co-create better solutions and impact strategies. She shares what Acumen has learned from embedding listening and impact management into every stage of its investment process.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
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New IEA Report Lays Out Pathway to Finance Universal Electricity Access in Africa
First-of-its-kind tracking shows investment is rising but remains well below levels needed to close the access gap.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Malengo Secures $12.9 Million from The Shapiro Foundation to Expand International Education Pathways & Financial Security
Malengo is a non-profit organization enabling international educational migration and economic empowerment for young people from East Africa.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Analysis: Why Impact Investing Might Collapse and How to Stop It
The current paradigm of viewing impact in isolation from the systems surrounding investments is not sustainable. Applying a systems lens helps investors make better decisions related to sourcing, management, and measurement that lead to lasting positive impact.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Global
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