BlackRock to Ramp Up Impact Investing

Monday, February 9, 2015

BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) is planning an array of new investment products that will allow clients to invest in addressing large societal issues, such as global hunger or poverty, an executive at the New York-based firm said.

BlackRock was set to announce on Monday a new initiative, called BlackRock Impact, to bring together its existing offerings that help clients invest in products with environmental and societal goals, as well as introduce new products, Rich Kushel, chief product officer and head of strategic product management group, told Reuters.

BlackRock has tapped Deborah Winshel, the former president and chief operating officer of The Robin Hood Foundation, to oversee the initiative.

Winshel, who begins her new role March 2 and will report to Kushel and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, will work with BlackRock’s portfolio managers globally to develop portfolios and tools to meet client demand and societal issues.

Impact investing is not a new concept to Wall Street. A number of firms, like Goldman Sachs (GS.N), and Bank of America’s (BAC.N) Merrill Lynch unit are involved with social impact bonds that address a specific need, like reducing recidivism at a state prison, while bringing returns for investors.

BlackRock is looking at ways to make impact investing more scalable to address a range of issues.

Source: Reuters (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Impact Assessment
Tags
impact investing, poverty alleviation