-
Investing for Social Impact Is Complicated. Here Are 4 Ways to Simplify It.
When asked about this strategy, known as impact investing, investors typically give a lukewarm response or sidestep the topic altogether, researchers have found. A common refrain is to raise concerns about an investment’s influence and how any trade-offs with returns are measured.
- Categories
- Investing
- Tags
- impact investing
-
Viewpoint: We’re All Actors in the New Silk Road Play
It’s easy to forget that the Belt and Road Initiative – a massive connectivity project, both geo-strategic and geo-economic, now in effect all across the Eurasian landmass, as well as straddling the South China Sea, plus the Indian Ocean all the way to East Africa – is less than six years old, and projected to last until 2049.
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
Viewpoint: The Ups and Downs of India’s Digital Transformation
In an analysis we wrote in November 2017, we argued that demonetization was only part of India’s larger, strategic digital transformation. Since then, the institutional and economic evolution in India has accelerated in many ways and some of that change has been reactive and corrective.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- digital payments
-
Micro-Lending Startup Ftcash Raises $7.23 Mn Series A Funding
Founded in 2015 by Sanjeev Chandak, Deepak Kothari and Vaibhav Lodha, Ftcash provides short-term loans to merchants. The startup plans to use the funds to accelerate product development and drive its expansion efforts.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- South Asia
-
UK Public Pension Pool Allocates $60m to Private Equity Impact Fund
Brunel Pension Partnership has made a cornerstone $60m (€54m) commitment to a private equity impact fund on behalf of four of its UK local government pension scheme (LGPS) clients.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Europe & Eurasia
-
As World Burns, Clean Energy Growth Stalls for First Time in Nearly Two Decades
“The world cannot afford to press ‘pause’ on the expansion of renewables and governments need to act quickly to correct this situation and enable a faster flow of new projects,” Fatih Birol, IEA’s executive director, said in a statement.
- Categories
- Energy
-
Viewpoint: 3 Reasons the Impact of Microcredit May Be Bigger Than We Thought
There was little evidence of female empowerment. Microloans did foster entrepreneurialism, but at the cost of other sources of income. However, subsequent research has hinted that rumors of microcredit’s demise as a poverty intervention do appear to be exaggerated, perhaps substantially, and I want to present three reasons why the impact of microcredit around the world, while modest on average, is almost certainly bigger than we thought it was a few years ago.
- Categories
- Finance
-
Japan’s SoftBank Taps Into Mexican Fintech Startup Clip: Sources
Japan’s SoftBank Group invested about $20 million in Mexican payments startup Clip early this year, one of its first Latin America deals as it launches a $5 billion technology fund in the region, said three people familiar with the matter.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Latin America
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech, startups
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.