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Impact Investing Awaits Rise of Asia’s Young Rich
Socially responsible and impact investing is gaining traction in Asia but a leading Swiss private bank argues it won’t flourish until younger generations are handed control of the fortunes of the region’s wealthiest families. Lombard Odier expects more of Asia’s wealth will be funneled into impact and socially responsible investment (SRI) as control shifts to younger family members who believe they can invest in worthwhile causes and generate at solid return at the same time.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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Malaysia’s EthisKapital Claims “World’s First” Licensed Islamic P2P/Crowdfunding Platform
The Securities Commission Malaysia awarded six peer to peer licenses, one of which is the world’s first license for Shari’ah-compliant P2P finance. EthisKapital will be focused on funding small businesses and real estate development projects. The team is spearheaded by UmarMunshi, who is also the Chairman of the newly-formed Islamic Fintech Alliance, and supported by former senior World Bank and Barclays Bank executives.
- Categories
- Technology
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Press Release: PA Treasury Announces $100 Million Impact Investing Initiative
Pennsylvania Treasurer Timothy A. Reese today announced the launch of a $100 million impact investment initiative that will provide the "double-bottom line" benefit of providing a competitive rate of return while supporting state investments in affordable housing, small business, health and educational facilities, and infrastructure projects. Treasury will invest the funds through RBC Global Asset Management's (RBC GAM) Access Capital Community Investment Strategy which will design a portfolio of high-quality, securitized, fixed-income investments in Pennsylvania projects.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- North America
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Exchange-Traded Funds Are Making It Easy To Be A Socially Responsible Investor
Socially responsible investing used to be very low on the priority list for most fund providers. Some may even relegate it to a niche trend with small market potential when compared to the overwhelming demand for income or smart-beta indexes. However, the rise of gender equality, environmental impact, and other social issues has created a booming new category within the ETF universe.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- North America
- Tags
- impact investing
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These Researchers Think They Have a Solution to the Global Crisis in Drug Prices
Jerome Zeldis remembers exactly how he felt when he heard about the $84,000 price tag on a powerful new hepatitis C treatment three years ago. “I was somewhere between annoyed and outraged,” recalled Zeldis, the former chief medical officer of the biotech juggernaut Celgene.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Tags
- research
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You Asked, We Answer: Can Microloans Lift Women Out Of Poverty?
You've probably heard the stories. A desperately poor woman in a poor country gets a tiny loan — a couple hundred dollars. It's the break she's always needed. With that money she can finally buy the materials to start a small business. She turns a profit. Her income rises. Now she has money to expand her business even further, buy her kids more nutritious food, pay their school fees. Over time, she lifts her whole family out of poverty.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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Namibia Welcomes its First Batch of Locally Trained Doctors
Patients in Namibia can now be treated by locally trained doctors who the government hopes will help transform the country’s health sector, according to BBC. Before the country’s first medical school was opened in 2010, medical students in Namibia had to seek training overseas. Some went to neighboring South Africa, while others traveled to as far as Russia and China.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- public health, research
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Smart Campaign and The MasterCard Foundation in Partnership to Advance Consumer Protection in Financial Services
"It's important to certify the practices of individual financial institutions, but we will not create wholesale, sustainable change until we galvanize the support all of the partners involved in serving low-income people, including regulators and new, technology-based service providers. We must also make a concerted effort to champion the client's perspective," said Isabelle Barrès, Director of the Smart Campaign.
- Categories
- Technology
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